The decision by the LA28 board to keep Casey Wasserman around to lead the city’s Olympics efforts despite his appearance in the Epstein Files is earning scorn from two more members of the Los Angeles City Council, including one running for Mayor.
“I am disappointed by the decision made by the LA28 Board’s Executive Committee to continue their contract with Casey Wasserman,” Councilmember Nithya Raman said tonight. The hand-picked board, that includes Jeffrey Katzenberg, Jessica Alba, ex-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and L.A. Lakers owner Jeanie Buss, gave the grandson of onetime Hollywood boss Lew Wasserman a vote of confidence earlier Wednesday in an emergency meeting as the Epstein fallout grew.
Having sidestepped a number of potentially-sticky situations in the past, sports marketing and talent agency founder Wasserman left supporters blindsided when a collection of carnal and compromising emails between himself and Ghislane Maxwell emerged among the millions of heavily-redacted pages and images on Jeffrey Epstein the Pam Bondi-led Department of Justice dumped out on January 30. Less than 24-hours later, as Wasserman prepared to head to Italy for the opening of the XXV Winter Olympics Games, his team put out a circumspect statement insisting the exec was “terribly sorry for having any association” with the now dead convicted sex offender and his currently-incarcerated procurer Maxwell.
The IOC president may have thought Wasserman’s contrition was enough, and current L.A. Mayor Karen Bass put the onus on the LA28 board to handle things, but for Raman — like recently exited Waserman clients such as Chappell Roan and soccer legend Abby Wambach — the situation is stark.
“Wasserman’s apparent relationship with the architect of Epstein’s sickening exploitation is not only a distraction from the urgent and overdue work ahead of preparing for the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic games, but a complete breach of the values we hold as a city,” said the 4th District representing Raman tonight, who was the executive director of Time’s Up Entertainment before first running for office six years ago.
Attracting strong opinions from many sides ever since she entered civic elected politics in 2020, Raman isn’t the only member of LA City Council rejecting the decision of the LA28 board Wednesday.
Her colleague and fellow Democratic Socialists of America member Hugo Soto-Martinez joined the recently-declared challenger to incumbent Bass. The duo are in step with previous calls for Wasserman to go from L.A. County Supervisors Janice Hahn and Lindsey Horvath, plus several City Council members and influential L.A. City Controller Kenneth Mejia.
“Casey Wasserman is attempting to deflect and avoid answering the real question at hand: What was his relationship with Ghislane Maxwell, a convicted sex trafficker?” said Councilmember Soto-Martinez, who represents the city’s 13th District, tonight. “The public deserves full transparency. Unless he’s ready to come forward and give clear and complete answers, Casey Wasserman should step aside.”
LA Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez speaks at Los Angeles City Hall on Sept. 9, 2025(Photo: Getty)
Raman has long been connected to Tinseltown through her past Time’s Up position, her producer spouse and the fact that her district includes Hollywood, Hollywood Hills, Los Feliz, Silver Lake and the San Fernando Valley.
With that, and the real consequences of realpolitik, the 2024 re-elected Raman’s February 7 announcement of her candidacy for LA’s top job has effectively put the brakes on Bass’ cakewalk to reelection.
Wasserman has dropped out of at least one L.A. shindig in recent days due to his potential pariah status, with more such self-exits expected. He will also not be traveling back to Italy for the February 22 closing ceremony. No word has come yet from either Wasserman pals Donald Trump, who holds some major purse strings for the now over $7 billion budgeted 2028 Summer Olympics, and Gov. Gavin Newsom on the Epstein emails and who should lead LA28. Asked about the issue today, Newsom declined to offer and opinion until he has spoken with Wasserman.
Tonight yet another act left Wasserman’s music division.
Orange County formed rock band Local Natives hit many of the same notes as Roan and other musicians who have made the leap from Wasserman in the past week or so as agents inside the fraying organization are looking for their own options and next steps.
Of no small significance to Wasserman and LA28, as well as Raman and Bass, the race for L.A. Mayor happens in one of two ways. A vote will be held on June 2. If a candidate gains a clear majority then, it’s done. If no one candidate gets that clear majority four months from now, then the election goes to a November 3 run-off.
Officially entitled the Games of the XXXIV Olympiad, L.A.’s third Olympics as host city runs from July 14 -30, 2028, with or without Casey Wasserman.
