Pressure mounts on Casey Wasserman to resign as head of LA28 Olympics

Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times on Feb 19, 2026

Published in Olympics

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LOS ANGELES — Casey Wasserman faced more calls Wednesday to resign from his position leading the 2028 L.A. Olympics — the latest push to oust the embattled mogul in the aftermath of the recent Jeffrey Epstein files release.

During a gubernatorial forum in Sacramento, candidates were asked whether Wasserman should step down. Former Assemblymember Ian Calderon, former state Controller Betty Yee, San José Mayor Matt Mahan and former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra all replied "yes."

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond had left the debate, which was hosted by the California Legislative Women's Caucus, before the Q&A.

Wasserman is facing pressure to step away from the 2028 Olympics following revelations that the then-married executive exchanged flirty emails with Ghislaine Maxwell more than 20 years ago.

He announced last week that he would sell his talent agency amid the fallout from the latest release of the files related to sex trafficker Epstein and accomplice Maxwell.

Wasserman has apologized for his association with Maxwell, who was later sentenced to prison for trafficking minors. He also has pointed out that in 2003, when he exchanged emails with Maxwell, her criminal behavior and that of Epstein were not yet known.

The executive committee of the LA28 board announced last week that it reviewed the mogul's past conduct and determined that, based on the facts and Wasserman's "strong leadership" of the Games, he should continue to serve as chair.

The executive committee — a subset of LA28's 35-member board — said that it took "allegations of misconduct seriously" and that attorneys had looked at the accusations.

Assemblymember Tina S. McKinnor (D-Hawthorne) said in a statement Wednesday that Wasserman's conduct had become a "distraction" and that he should step down. The statement was sent on behalf of the Los Angeles County legislative delegation, which represents 37 state senators and Assembly members, according to McKinnor.

But some members of the group, including state Sen. Benjamin Allen (D-Santa Monica), told The Los Angeles Times Wednesday night that they didn't see the statement before it went out.

Allen, who chairs the state special committee on the 2028 Olympics, said he wanted to see the report done by the LA28 board about Wasserman before making a decision.

"I have not explicitly called for his resignation," Allen said.

McKinnor spokesperson Terry Schanz said no one objected when the assemblymember discussed the proposed statement with delegation members at a meeting this week. Schanz said he didn't know how many members were present.

Representatives for LA28, the nonprofit overseeing the Games, and Wasserman did not respond to requests for comment.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on Monday called for Wasserman's resignation. A third of the 15-member L.A. City Council and two of the five supervisors on the L.A. County Board of Supervisors also have called on him to resign.

Gov. Gavin Newsom, when asked about the drama surrounding Wasserman, last week declined to weigh in and said he needed to talk to him. A Newsom spokesperson indicated Tuesday that there was no update in the governor's position.

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Los Angeles Times staff writer Nicole Nixon contributed to this report.