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Your morning catch up: LA Olympic organizers want YOU!, California Republicans’ lawsuit over Prop. 50 and more big stories. The strangers seemed to be on every street corner. They were doing a lot of smiling. Ahhhh … Paris in the summer of 2024. The Olympics had come to town. And locals, dressed in snazzy aquamarine uniforms, tried their darndest to vanquish the legend of the haughty Parisian. You're reading the Essential California newsletter Sign up to start every day with California's most important stories. By continuing, you agree to our Terms of Service and our Privacy Policy. Enter email address Paris ’24 volunteers gave directions, helped visitors find landmarks and generally made themselves useful. A friend of mine noted that their knowledge didn’t always match their good cheer. Still, another visitor told me how impressed he was when four volunteers launched into a song and dance during a Paralympic wheelchair basketball game. They soon had the crowd “riled up” and happy. That memory stuck with Reynold Hoover, the former U.S. Army general who is chief executive of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. Hoover also couldn’t forget the prominent Angeleno who told him the story of how his wife so loved volunteering during the 1984 L.A. Olympics that she couldn’t part with her LA84 uniform. It remained hanging in her closet, years later. The result? Hoover and the other leaders of L.A.’s Games plan to recruit a volunteer army that they say will start earlier and do more than those at all the Olympics that came before. Starting today, people from around greater Los Angeles can register their interest in volunteering at LA28.org. With events scheduled across the region, volunteers will likely be needed wherever L.A. needs a good scrubbing, literally or figuratively. With the Games still more than 2½ years away, the initial volunteer efforts will focus on improving the look and feel of the city. That’s no small task, given Southern California’s struggles with homelessness, graffiti and trash-filled lots and streets. The exact work of of LA28’s unpaid helpers remains to be determined, with more details expected next month. The program is likely to follow work LA28 volunteers have been doing since the city won the Games in 2017. Just this October, the organization brought dozens of volunteers to the neighborhood between the Farmer’s Market and Melrose Avenue to assist Mayor Karen Bass’ Shine LA program. Shine LA cleans streets, sidewalks and alleys. And the LA28 crew visited the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank in South Los Angeles, where they stuffed bags with potatoes, onions and produce, destined for the needy. Jobs like those are likely to be on the horizon, along with others, like reading to children’s groups, aiding homeless people or cleaning up parks and beaches. The work will depend on the nonprofit and government groups that LA28 partners with, Hoover said in an interview. “I wanted to bring that spirit of volunteerism, that spirit I saw first-hand in Paris, back to Los Angeles,” said Hoover, a West Point graduate hired 17 months ago to steer the Games to completion. “I think that it can really be unifying, and I think it’s indicative about what the Olympics is all about — this idea of uniting people and bringing people together.” Mayor Bass and Delta Airlines, the corporate sponsor of the volunteer campaign, have joined with Hoover around the idea that the Olympic ideal should prevail, long before the opening ceremonies on July 14, 2028. Hoover said seeing L.A.’s resiliency after January’s wildfires, and its joyful spirit after the Dodger’s World Series victory, renewed his belief in the power of volunteerism. “Our hope is that this program can be a catalyst for Angelenos,” the LA28 chief executive said in a statement, “to give back to the city they love, unite across communities and help build a stronger city together.” Today’s top stories Election 2025: Prop. 50 California Republicans filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday morning arguing that the congressional maps voters approved the prior night are unconstitutional because they favor one race above others. Proposition 50’s big win Tuesday night is a political earthquake that is being felt nationally. Here are 4 takeaways. California Republicans in Congress are vastly outnumbered by their Democratic counterparts in the state — and it may get worse. Will these six California GOP House members survive new districts? Democratic wins nationwide From coast to coast Tuesday night, American voters delivered a sharp rebuke to Trump and his MAGA movement, electing Democrats in important state and local races and passing a major California ballot measure designed to put more Democrats in Congress in 2026. It all leads to a big question: Is this the beginning of the end of the Trump era? Grammy nominations coming Friday Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga and Bad Bunny — who is headlining next year’s Super Bowl halftime show — are among the top Grammy contenders. Taylor Swift’s latest album won’t dominate Grammy nominations; it was released in October, falling outside the competition’s eligibility window. Music’s most prestigious awards show will take place Feb. 1 at Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles. What else is going on As rain pounds parts of California, the year’s closest supermoon spurs king tides and coastal risks. The FAA will announce a list of airports getting reduced flights during the government shutdown. Edison blacks out more customers to stop utility-sparked fires The Dodgers-Blue Jays World Series had record-setting ratings. Here’s what it means. Unionized Starbucks baristas are prepared to strike next week amid a lengthy contract standoff. The Supreme Court justices sound skeptical of Trump’s tariffs and said Congress, not the president, had the power to impose taxes and tariffs. Mexico’s president was groped on the street. Now she’s waging a war against rampant sexual harassment. Trump’s ignorance and hubris are turning off voters, argues columnist Jackie Calmes. How bad is Trump’s economy? Business columnist Michael Hiltzik argues that the election results say it’s very bad, and getting worse. This morning’s must reads World & Nation Gold, guns and cartels: The battle for a billion-dollar mine A drug cartel took over a gold mine. Here’s how an American businessman and his trusted fixer persuaded the Mexican government to send in the army to drive the cartel out. Other must reads In the West Bank’s last Christian village, faith, fear and an uncertain future. Toting a tambourine, she built L.A.’s first megachurch. Then she suddenly disappeared. “I’m so angry:” Kristen Stewart gave a rousing speech on Hollywood’s post-#MeToo “backsliding.” Meet the McOskers: How one South Bay family wields power at City Hall For your downtime Going out Holiday shopping: 101 great L.A. shops to find thoughtful holiday gifts. Theater: What price do immigrants pay when they come to America? A new play offers an answer. Staying in Books: A new book explores the little-known story behind one of Disneyland’s most recognizable ride songs. Movies: “Little Amélie” isn’t an easy movie for its child audience. That’s exactly the point. Recipe: Here’s a recipe for pumpkin seed horchata. ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and jigsaw games. A question for you: What’s the best hiking trail in SoCal? Geraldine writes: “Trans-Catalina Trail- 38 miles of stunning views. Mile markers and great wayfinding signs, clean air. You can backpack it, do sections as day hikes or glamp it with an outfitter. A great respite if you need some solitude. Starts from the trailhead in Avalon close to the ferry landing.” Email us at essentialcalifornia@latimes.com, and your response might appear in the newsletter this week. And finally ... from our archives On Nov 6, 2012, Barack Obama was reelected as president of the United States in a hard-fought battle with Mitt Romney. Times columnist Mark Z. Barabak wrote about Obama’s second-term win, which proved more difficult than his barrier-breaking sweep four years prior to become the nation’s first Black president. Have a great day, from the Essential California team Jim Rainey, staff reporter Hugo Martín, assistant editor, fast break desk Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor Andrew Campa, Sunday writer Karim Doumar, head of newsletters How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com. Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on latimes.com.
