Magic Johnson to Help LA Reach for Olympic Glory
The LA 2024 Summer Olympic’s bid committee has added NBA legend Magic Johnson and local labor leader Maria Elena Durazo to its board of directors.
The Olympic committee realizes it will need union support to move its bid forward and win continuing approval from local government officials, reports the LA Times. Magic is the most powerful African-American businessman in the nation. Maria formerly headed the 600,000-member Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, which recently pushed a $15.37 minimum wage for hotel workers through the LA City Council. She also helped elect pro-union politicians and push through major development projects. Durazo is VP of Unite Here, which represents a variety of industry workers.
Johnson is CEO of Magic Johnson Enterprises, which owns a variety of retail establishments; a real estate investor through Canyon-Johnson Urban Fund, which has developed 31 urban projects throughout the nation; and invests in sports teams—he is part owner of the Dodgers and has a 5% stake in the Lakers. [LAT]
