Los Angeles-area state lawmakers call for Wasserman to step aside

Source: Politico

02/18/2026 05:42 PM EST


SACRAMENTO, California — Los Angeles lawmakers with the biggest stake in the 2028 Olympic Games called on Casey Wasserman to step down as chair of the LA28 committee after the longtime entertainment executive appeared in the Epstein files.

Wasserman, who has not been accused of wrongdoing, has said he regrets the flirtatious emails he exchanged in 2003 with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell before either faced criminal charges. But more than half of the 18 Los Angeles County lawmakers who serve on the state’s legislative Olympics committees told POLITICO in interviews on Tuesday that the entertainment mogul’s past associations with Epstein and Maxwell should lead to his resignation.

“It’s clear that his public profile is causing a tremendous amount of pain to victims,” said Democratic Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal, who represents parts of LA County, including Long Beach, and was among 10 lawmakers calling for his ouster. “That’s enough for any of us to want to press the pause button and assess.”

A day after fielding an inquiry about Wasserman, LA County Legislative Delegation Chair Tina McKinnor on Wednesday released a statement on behalf of the group’s 37 members calling on him to step down, saying his “personal conduct has become a distraction.”

Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2026/02/18/los-angeles-state-lawmakers-call-for-wasserman-to-step-down-00787153