Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass urged Casey Wasserman to resign as the head of the LA28 Olympic committee over a series of racy emails between him and Ghislaine Maxwell.
In the initial backlash against Wasserman, Bass separated herself from other local leaders by refraining from calling for his resignation.
"Ultimately, any decision on the LA28 leadership must be made by the LA28 Board," Bass said. "As you know, they are a separate and independent nonprofit organization."
Nearly a week after the board announced its support for Wasserman, Bass sided with her colleagues and called for him to resign in an interview with CNN.
"The board made a decision. I think that decision was unfortunate. I don't support the decision," Bass said in the interview with CNN. "My opinion is that he should step down. That is not the opinion of the board."
The string of emails, sent in 2003, was among the more than 3 million pages the Department of Justice released more than two weeks ago as part of its efforts to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Wasserman was one of the several notable people mentioned in the latest release, including Bill Gates, Elon Musk and former Prince Andrew.
Around The Games - Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics: Day -3
MILAN, ITALY - FEBRUARY 03: Chairman of LA28 Casey Wasserman speaks during the IOC Session at the Main Media Centre MPC at Allianz MiCo on February 03, 2026 in Milan, Italy. Andreas Rentz / Getty Images
Wasserman apologized for the emails in a statement following the release.
"I deeply regret my correspondence with Ghislaine Maxwell, which took place over two decades ago, long before her horrific crimes came to light," Wasserman said.
Maxwell was convicted of federal sex trafficking charges in 2021.
"I never had a personal or business relationship with Jeffrey Epstein," Wasserman said. "I am terribly sorry for having any association with either of them."
Following the apology, local officials urged Wasserman to resign, with Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez calling the incident a "black eye" for the city. She argued that no one associated with Epstein can provide credible leadership for the Olympic Games.
"I just think that we have an obligation as a city to make sure that we have a Games and situation that really distances itself from that involvement," Rodriguez said.
State Sen. Lena Gonzalez also called on Wasserman to resign. Gonzalez represents Long Beach, which is scheduled for the second-most Olympic events, behind LA.
LA County Supervisor Janice Hahn, who also represents Long Beach, echoed her state colleague's sentiments.
"I think Casey Wasserman needs to step down," Hahn said to the LA Times. "Having him represent us on the world stage distracts focus from our athletes and the enormous effort needed to prepare for 2028."
Wasserman weathered the initial fallout with the International Olympic Committee and the Executive Committee of the Board for LA28 backing him.
In a statement, LA28 said a review of Wasserman's relationship with Maxwell found no connection "beyond what has already been publicly documented."
"The Executive Committee of the Board has determined that based on these facts, as well as the strong leadership he has exhibited over the past ten years, Mr. Wasserman should continue to lead LA28 and deliver a safe and successful Games," the statement said.
The backlash followed him outside his role with the LA Olympics, with singer Chappell Roan and retired U.S. women's soccer legend Abby Wambach leaving Wasserman's talent agency.
Last Friday night, Wasserman sent a memo to his staff saying that he begun the process of selling his company, which is also named Wasserman, according to a company spokesperson who provided the memo to The Associated Press. In his memo, Wasserman said that he felt he had become a distraction to the company's work.
He added that he would devote his "full attention to delivering Los Angeles an Olympic Games in 2028 that is worthy of this outstanding city."
Wasserman once again reiterated that he had limited interactions with Maxwell and Epstein.
"It was years before their criminal conduct came to light, and, in its entirety, consisted of one humanitarian trip to Africa and a handful of emails that I deeply regret sending. And I'm heartbroken that my brief contact with them 23 years ago has caused you, this company, and its clients so much hardship over the past days and weeks," the memo said.