Momentum for Survivors, Pressure to Oust Wasserman from LA28 Builds With Upcoming Los Angeles City Council Vote Set for Today
For Immediate Release: March 13, 2026
Contact: media@fwdshift.com
Momentum for Survivors, Pressure to Oust Wasserman from LA28 Builds With Upcoming Los Angeles City Council Vote Set for Today
If passed, the LA City Council resolution would put even more pressure to drop Casey Wasserman as LA28 committee chair.
UltraViolet, a leading national women-led gender-justice organization responsible for numerous impactful victories against sexual predators like Harvey Weinstein, R Kelly, and Bill O’Reilly, released the following statement in advance of today’s vote by the Los Angeles City Council. The resolution under consideration expresses concern regarding the potential conflict between the Olympics’ integrity and the presence in the Epstein files of media mogul and LA28 Organizing Committee Chairman Casey Wasserman:
“This vote is just the latest example of Angelenos speaking out, loud and clear, against sexual violence and rape culture,” said Elisa Batista, Campaign Director at UltraViolet. “We do not want someone affiliated with the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell representing the city of Los Angeles, let alone the entire country, on one of the world’s largest stages.”
Wasserman is among a cohort of powerful, influential men named in the Epstein files and implicated with Epstein’s vast network. Files from the U.S. Department of Justice’s most recent release of documents reveal that Wasserman had an intimate relationship with Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s longtime accomplice, who was convicted of sex trafficking minors and is serving a 20-year prison term. Wasserman was close enough to Maxwell and Epstein that he’d make recommendations for where they could stay when they were in town and even rode on Epstein’s plane.
All told, more than 1,000 survivors have spoken out about being groomed, trafficked, and sexually abused by Epstein and Maxwell. Wasserman’s troubling links to Epstein and Maxwell, including his personal request of Maxwell for a “massage.” This detail is especially harrowing because Maxwell arranged massages performed by young women and girls on powerful men to lure victims for Epstein’s vast sex ring. Wasserman’s close ties with the leaders of this nefarious operation raise questions about whether he is fit to represent the City of Los Angeles in such a prominent role. While there is no evidence in the files that Wasserman engaged in illegal conduct, Epstein and Maxwell’s crimes were sustained by a network of wealthy, well-connected individuals, like Wasserman, who provided them with social access, legitimacy, and protection.
“The leadership of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics should be free from any association with individuals connected to a child sexual abuse and trafficking operation—both morally and practically, given how critical these games are to Los Angeles and the entire country,” Batista said. “Holding a position like Olympic Chairman is a privilege, not a right, and Wasserman does not deserve that right.”
“Any excuses for keeping Casey Wasserman on the board are empty and a slap in the face to survivors everywhere,” Batista continued.
Blowback following the revelations of Wasserman’s ties to Epstein and Maxwell has been swift. Multiple local and state politicians—including LA Mayor Karen Bass, ten lawmakers on the state’s legislative Olympics committee, and a handful of California gubernatorial candidates—have demanded that Wasserman resign. A resolution in West Hollywood calling for Wasserman’s ouster passed unanimously. In addition, Sports Illustrated recently published a scathing op-ed calling on Casey Wasserman to resign, arguing that maintaining public trust in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics requires leadership free from associations linked to the Epstein scandal.
Elsewhere, Wasserman’s celebrity clients—including Grammy-award musician Chappell Roan, soccer star Abby Wambach, and multi-platinum rock outfit Imagine Dragons—began leaving the Wasserman Agency in droves, citing his connection to Epstein’s network. Wasserman has since distanced himself and announced the intention to sell his agency, which recently changed its name to THE·TEAM.
“Our local leaders have the opportunity to levy real consequences on one of Epstein’s enablers,” Batista said. “For the survivors of Epstein and Maxwell’s sexual abuse—and for our city’s integrity—we need to make sure they do.”
Through a coordinated series of petitions and accountability campaigns, UltraViolet Action is calling for transparency and institutional review regarding all prominent figures with documented ties to Epstein. The organization recently launched a series of petitions to bring accountability to Larry Summers, who has stepped down from his roles at Harvard University and OpenAI following massive public pressure, including from UltraViolet community members, as well as Epstein enablers Alan Dershowitz and Deepak Chopra. Recently, UltraViolet successfully called on CBS to fire Dr. Peter Attia after revelations of his ties to Jeffrey Epstein surfaced and celebrated his resignation as a victory for survivors and accountability.
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UltraViolet ActionFund is a women-led gender justice 501c4 organization, with an online community of hundreds of thousands of members nationwide. We combine organizing, technology, creative campaigning, and people power to win real-world changes for women and gender-expansive people.
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