Buss, Dodgers, Live Nation Among Local Sports Entities Contributing To LA 2024 Bid

Lakers President Jeanie Buss, the Clippers, Dodgers, Live Nation and a host of other big players in the L.A. sports and entertainment scene all helped the LA 2024 movment get off the ground with $1M contributions, according to newly released tax filings. There were 29 different individuals or entities that gave at least seven figures in the 12 months concluding last July, a time period that covers the re-emergence of L.A.’s candidacy after Boston's bid for the '24 Games collapsed. LA 2024 Chair Casey Wasserman personally raised the money through low-key outreach in those early days, and the identity of the donors had not been previously disclosed. In total, including time periods not covered by the Form 990, the bid has raised more than $50M in total. The Wasserman Foundation also donated $3M, while the USOC donated $2M. Law firm Proskauer was the top-billing LA 2024 vendor to the bid in the period, at $734,000, followed by Teneo Strategy -- which counts Billie Jean King and golfer Graeme McDowell among its leadership -- at $692,000. The top expense categories for the bid were: film production ($3M), structural ($2.6M), salaries ($2M), "international" ($1.25M) and legal ($1.4M). A few related-party transactions were noted in the filings: LA 2024 paid $1M to the 247 Group, a Wasserman subsidiary, and $93,000 to LCW LLC, which Casey Wasserman partly owns. The bid group also paid consulting fees to entities partly or fully owned by board members Janet Evans ($160,000) and Angela Ruggiero ($60,000). The specific individuals recused themselves from board discussions in all related-party transactions.