Episode Overview

Title: Can LA Host a 'Car-Free' Olympics?
Podcast: The Indicator from Planet Money
Date: September 22, 2025
Host: Darren Woods
Guests: Sonari Glinton (Reporter, Forbes Columnist), Scarlet De Leon (Alliance for Community Transit LA), Stephen Chung (LA Economic Development Corporation)

This episode explores Los Angeles’ ambitious plans to host a near “car-free” Olympics in 2028, focusing on the region’s $120 billion transit expansion. The conversation dives into whether these investments can transform a city famous for its car culture, and critically, whether the benefits will reach existing working-class transit riders or mainly serve Olympic visitors and new arrivals.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

LA’s Transit Transformation Ambitions

• Cultural Context:

  • LA’s car culture is iconic but changing.
  • "Driving is a core part of California culture and even more so, Los Angeles culture. That, though, is changing, Right?"
    – Senari Glinton [00:47]

• 28 by 28 Plan:

  • Aims to complete 28 major transportation projects before the 2028 Olympics for a “no car Olympics.”
  • $120 billion investment over 40 years, including new subway lines, light rail, and expanded bus service.

• Olympics and FIFA World Cup Pressure:

  • LA must avoid a traffic nightmare for both 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2028 Olympics.
  • Short-term and long-term objectives are under the microscope.

Wilshire Boulevard – LA’s Main Street

• Symbolizes LA’s transition from “car-dominated suburban past” to a more urban, transit-centered future.

  • "Wilshire is our boulevard of cold feet and second thoughts. The place where Los Angeles confronts its deep ambivalence about putting a low rise, car dominated and essentially suburban past behind it for good."
    – Citing LA Times critic, via Senari Glinton [03:09]

• Significant subway expansion beneath Wilshire, connecting new cultural destinations and neighborhoods.

Equity, Access, and Who Benefits?

• Scarlet De Leon’s Perspective:

  • Activist from ACT-LA, grew up transit-dependent in Koreatown.
  • Concern that investments target future, affluent riders and tourists, not current working-class transit users.
  • "It's like you are choosing to create a system for a certain rider that you want to attract versus the riders that are already on the system, which are working class folks."
    – Scarlet De Leon [06:13]

• Side Effects:

  • Transit improvements can lead to gentrification:
    • Higher land values, rising rents and possible displacement near new subway stations.

• Scarlet’s Priorities:

  • Focus on bus service improvements and equitable investment.
  • Protected bus and bike lanes could have immediate, cost-effective benefits for current riders.
  • "Improve bus service, it would improve reliability, it's cost effective ... and it would mostly possibly impact current riders who are already using that bus every day."
    – Scarlet De Leon [06:48]

The $120 Billion Question

• Funding:

  • Measure M (2016): LA sales tax increase, sold on big promises (mostly rail/subway expansion).
  • Plan aimed at easing congestion and making mobility of all kinds easier.

• Stephen Chung’s Economic Perspective:

  • CEO of LA Economic Development Corporation.
  • $120 billion is “significant, but ... you can only make a small dent” due to LA's sheer size and complexity (88 cities, 100+ unincorporated areas).
  • "You're not going to transform that vast of a region with that investment."
    – Stephen Chung [08:02]
  • Positive side: new infrastructure will remain in underserved communities after Olympics.
  • "Those folks in the underserved community have better access ... to jobs and other opportunities as well."
    – Stephen Chung [08:51]

• Global Context:

  • Making real progress requires a blend of buses and rail, as seen in other world-class cities.

The Real Test: Will LA Go Car-Light for Good?

• Future Outlook:
  • Success depends on drivers embracing transit beyond the Olympics.
  • Critical to enhance transit for those who already depend on it daily.
  • "Now the test ... will be whether drivers get out of their cars not just for the Olympics, but long term and for Scarlett, whether it improves the transit system for the people who rely on it right now."
    – Senari Glinton [09:21]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "The question is, can we access all this in a day? And the answer right now is no, unless you want to be in traffic for two hours."
  – Scarlet De Leon [04:06]
• "Development wise, this is pretty sexy. What’s actually sexier is if we can experience our city without traffic."
  – Senari Glinton and Scarlet De Leon [03:53, 03:59]
• "Improve bus service ... protected bus lanes, protected bike lanes with green infrastructure ... cost effective for Metro and it would mostly possibly impact current riders who are already using that bus every day."
  – Scarlet De Leon [06:48]
• "You’re not going to transform that vast of a region with that investment."
  – Stephen Chung [08:02]
• "You need the mixture of both systems of rail and bus a lot of times in order for you to truly make an impact on the transit access as well as usage."
  – Stephen Chung [09:08]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:47] – Car culture in LA and its transformation
• [01:11] – Overview of the 28 by 28 plan and transit expansion aims
• [03:09] – Wilshire Blvd as symbol of LA’s ambivalence
• [04:06] – Scarlet De Leon introduces equity concerns
• [05:01] – Overview of current transit network statistics
• [06:01] – Debate: Who benefits from big transit investments?
• [06:48] – Scarlet’s case for prioritizing buses and “complete green streets”
• [07:27] – Measure M and the funding/marketing behind LA transit
• [08:02] – Stephen Chung on the limits of transit transformation
• [08:51] – Lasting benefits for underserved communities
• [09:21] – The test: will drivers shift for the long haul?

Summary

This episode unpacks Los Angeles’ high-stakes experiment to redefine urban mobility ahead of the Olympics—a city trying to shed its car-dominated legacy for a more inclusive, transit-focused future. While $120 billion and dozens of marquee projects fuel excitement, insiders like Scarlet De Leon demand a more immediate, equitable impact for those who rely on transit every day. As immense challenges—from LA’s size to the risk of displacement—loom, success will depend on balancing world-class spectacle with everyday realities.

The Olympian question remains: can LA change not just for two weeks of Games, but for generations of Angelenos—no matter what they drive, or if they drive at all?