Torched Talks with SAJE's Chris Tyler and Neil deMause

Last week, as Milan got percolating, the South LA nonprofit SAJE dropped a new Olympics-related report. Damned If You Do, Damned If You Don’t: The Risks to LA of Hosting or Withdrawing from the 2028 Olympics was authored by Neil deMause — pretty much the expert in sniffing out bad sports-related policy for cities — with an introduction by SAJE's communications director Chris Tyler. And they're both going to join me for a frank discussion on what LA stands to gain vs. what LA stands to lose in 2028. Because, as I wrote last week, LA does have options to turn a bad deal into a less-bad one. What we don't seem to have is leadership.

Chris leads SAJE's work with the NOlympics LA coalition and organizes with the LA Tenants Union Downtown Local, which he co-founded in 2023. In addition to his work at SAJE, he is currently an activist-in-residence at the UCLA Luskin Institute for Inequality and Democracy. Neil is a longtime journalist and author of Field of Schemes: How the Great Stadium Swindle Turns Public Money Into Private Profit along with its companion website Field of Schemes. Neil is a must-read for anyone interested in the long-term impact of megaevent investments — so don't forget to also bring your questions about LA's shady stadium deals!

Pull up a seat, it's time to put all the options on the table.

Torched Talks with SAJE's Chris Tyler and Neil deMause
Thursday, February 19
12 p.m. to 1 p.m. PT

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85473705726?pwd=nJukWpXR2fWTYcZYCc94jlOLIkRqSD.1

Meeting ID: 854 7370 5726
Passcode: 550224

Here's the link to the invite and the LinkedIn event

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🎙️ Torched Talks is an ongoing series of conversations with experts on topics facing LA in its megaevent era. It's free and open to all — simply join the Zoom to participate. If you can't make it, I'll post the recording here when it's over

🛝 Watch last month's Torched Talks featuring OLIN's Jessica Henson, who headed up the city's Park Needs Assessment. We also talked with representatives for the Trust for Public Land about a November ballot measure that's currently gathering signatures to properly fund LA's parks