A new LA County report projects the 2028 Olympics could boost regional tourist spending by $1 billion above a typical summer. Beverly Hills is named as a hub poised to benefit, but the report flags a connectivity gap the city must address.

The 2028 Olympic & Paralympic Games Economic Impact Analysis, released Saturday, Sept. 26 by the LA County Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) and the Chief Executive Office, projects the Games will produce more than $13 billion in direct spending, $19.2 billion in total economic output and over 88,000 jobs between 2024 and 2028.

The report singles out Beverly Hills by name. Finding 6 states that traditional tourist hubs including Beverly Hills, West Hollywood and coastal communities "will host visitors and capture spending" but "are not directly adjacent to Games venues and will require strategies to improve connectivity."

The most active Olympic zones, according to the report, will be downtown Los Angeles, Inglewood, Pasadena, Long Beach and Venice, all of which have large venues, thousands of hotel rooms and strong transit links. The report notes Beverly Hills will draw visitors but lacks direct proximity to Games venues.

That connectivity concern echoes what local business owners have already raised. At an Aug. 25 Small Business Assistance Task Force meeting, members discussed Metro stations as major gateways for visitors heading to venues downtown and at Dodger Stadium. Shari Andres, owner of Epiphany Boutique on South Beverly Drive, pressed the committee to think beyond the Golden Triangle.

"We know Rodeo is going to be fantastic and they've got the resources to make that happen," Andres said, as reported by the Beverly Hills Courier. "How do we expand that out to show all of Beverly Hills?"

The city has been building its own Olympic playbook. A City Council Liaison/LA28 Standing Committee, with Councilmembers Friedman and Nazarian as liaisons, has been meeting since June. At its Sept. 17 meeting, staff presented preliminary budget estimates for Olympic events: a watch party and concert at La Cienega Park at an estimated $173,426, and a street watch party in the Golden Triangle priced between $520,278 and $693,704.

Beverly Hills has also applied to host the Olympic torch relay through the city en route to the Coliseum for the Opening Ceremonies, or in the days or weeks before.

Councilmember Sharona Nazarian told the Aug. 25 task force meeting that the city needs to move past brainstorming, according to the Courier's coverage. She called for a concrete plan with a defined structure and specific outreach options for businesses.

The county report was commissioned after a May 2024 motion by LA County Board Chair Hilda Solis and Supervisor Holly Mitchell. It projects $5.5 billion in public infrastructure investment tied to the Games and sets targets including 75% local spending in LA County, 40% local hiring and 25% small business spending on county investments.

The county's "88 for 28" initiative is working with all 88 cities in LA County on Games preparation. DEO's Path to 2028 program offers free business readiness workshops. As of the report's release, 245 businesses had attended sessions.

Beverly Hills' next LA28 Standing Committee meeting is scheduled for November 2026, with a quarterly City Council check-in set for Oct. 20.