The Santa Monica City Council meets Tuesday night for an agenda short on substance but long on rumor with a batch of lease negotiations that suggest a large-scale event is on its way to the beach.
Five items are scheduled for closed session discussions Tuesday night related to uses on or near the Santa Monica Pier.
Event production company Silverback LLC is negotiating for Crescent Bay Park and Beach Lot 4 South, ESPN is asking to use the Pier itself, the French National Sports Committee is attempting to secure the Annenberg Beach House, concert promoter Goldenvoice is asking to use 550,000 square feet of sand area south of the Santa Monica Pier and Anheuser-Busch is also negotiating for use of the Pier.
Closed session items are not discussed in public but the subject of those discussions must be disclosed on agendas in advance of the meeting. However, if action is taken on a closed session item, the Council is required to report that action.
Information on the negotiations is limited in advance of the meeting and Santa Monica declined to provide any additional information about any of the talks.
At least one of the deals is Olympic-related. The French National Sports Committee, whose full name is French National Olympic and Sports Committee handles Olympic participation for France and France’s overseas territories. While Olympic organizations are working to secure facilities in advance of the 2028 games, Los Angeles is preparing for both the World Cup in 2026 and Superbowl in 2027.
Los Angeles most recently hosted the Superbowl in 2022 and for that event, the NFL hosted an event on the Pier and a mini-broadcast station was set up for shots before and after the game.
To accommodate three major sporting events in quick succession, Los Angeles is leveraging existing venues rather than building new ones, with SoFi Stadium undergoing FIFA-required modifications for World Cup matches and the historic Coliseum serving Olympic events. LAX is undergoing a $30 billion modernization, while LA Metro's "Twenty-eight by '28" initiative aims to complete 28 transit projects before the Olympics, including rail extensions and an automated people-mover.
Security coordination involves federal agencies, with the Olympics designated a National Special Security Event under Secret Service leadership. The $7.15 billion Olympics budget relies on private financing through sponsorships and broadcast rights, with the city and state providing backstop guarantees. LA28 has already secured over $2 billion in sponsorships.
The preparations involve extensive public-private collaboration among city, regional, state and federal entities. While community response includes excitement about tourism revenue and legacy programs for youth sports, some activists worry about displacement and surveillance. Transportation agencies plan to deploy thousands of additional buses and are encouraging a "transit-first" approach to manage crowds efficiently.
Council will meet at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday night for the abbreviated agenda that will also include the transition of Mayor from Lana Negerte to Caroline Torosis.