Seal Beach forms Olympic planning committee and signals openness to more special events

Recreation Manager Tim Kelsey told the council that Southern California’s 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games will bring large regional activation opportunities and that Seal Beach should prepare to host allied events and visitor activations.

Kelsey provided event-scale figures cited by LA28: approximately 15,680 athletes at sites across Southern California and an estimated 10–15 million ticketed fans across all venues. Staff emphasized that many visitors will arrive by transit or ride-share and urged the city to consider transportation, activation permits (LA Live Spots or similar), visitor accommodations, safety messaging and funding. “It’s about putting on seven Super Bowls a day for 17 days,” Kelsey said, summarizing the scale of the games.

Council discussed practical options: host watch parties/viewing sites (with licensed feed access if needed), support farmers markets and rotating events in parks or shopping centers to reduce downtown parking impacts, and leverage local organizations (Chamber, Lions) to co-sponsor events. Staff recommended forming an Olympic planning committee to coordinate stakeholders, with Mayor Landau and Councilmember Seneca named as council liaisons; staff will draft committee composition, goals and a timeline for consideration.

Council emphasized resident impacts (traffic, parking and crowd management) and suggested staff explore short-term strategies such as increasing TOT, reviewing STR rules and coordinating with the county/Long Beach on regional transit and lodging strategies. No Olympic-specific budget appropriation was made; council directed staff to return with a committee charter and options for activation and resident-notification strategies.