Exposition Park is set to receive nearly $100 million in funding for beautification and other park improvements ahead of the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympic Games, and one former Trojan is all smiles about it.
U.S. Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, who graduated from USC in 2014, is one of the officials responsible for the funding.
“As a Trojan, I’m always going to fight to make sure that the community that houses and supports USC has both a place for learning and a place of employment and a place for opportunity and innovation,” she said.
In addition to infrastructure improvements, Exposition Park will soon welcome major additions, including the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in September, and the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center at the California Science Center, which is expected to open in the coming years.
“Los Angeles is about to enter the most intensive and exciting three-year period of major sporting events that any city in the world has ever experienced,” Mayor Karen Bass said in a press release. “These investments will ensure that Angelenos continue to benefit from these events for decades to come.”
According to Exposition Park General Manager Andrea Ambriz, the beautification effort is designed to turn the park into a long-term community asset, prioritizing accessibility, safety and economic opportunity for South Los Angeles residents and USC students after the games conclude.
“We’re expecting to grow to 10 million visitors a year,” Ambriz said. “These improvements are critical to making sure we’re accommodating, welcoming and an inclusive and accessible space.”
Planned upgrades to the park include new posts, fencing and gates to improve pedestrian safety throughout the park.
“This will help ensure Exposition Park is a pedestrian-friendly zone and that people feel safe just walking around,” Ambriz said.
Ambriz said that the park will remain open for the community during construction.
“We won’t be doing any full closures, and we won’t be doing any kind of major, large limitations,” she said. “USC students can expect that the park will remain accessible, and, in fact, will be even more successful and accessible afterward.”
One of Kamlager-Dove’s goals with the project is to have resources from the Olympics, like legacy programs, available after the games, so that Los Angeles remains in close competition with other cities.
“Don’t take the resources with you,” said Kamlager-Dove. “Leave them behind for this city that’s been so gracious and welcoming to you as the host for the games.”
She named education, culture, workforce development and training as resources she hopes to maintain and build upon.
Beyond physical improvements, officials highlighted the economic impact of the project. Ambriz estimates the improvements will create at least 300 jobs, with the potential for more as construction begins.
“This project and these improvements will be built by Angelenos, for Angelenos,” said Ambriz. “It speaks to making sure everyone has a role in building our own backyard.”
Ambriz added that she hopes USC students see Exposition Park as an extension of their campus community.
“I want USC students to see Exposition Park as part of their own backyard,” she said. “So many of us have made memories here, and our effort is to be ready to host the world when we become the front yard to the world during these international events.”
Abriz said construction is set to commence by January 2027.