With Lucas Museum About to Open, Mellody Hobson Steps Down From LA28 Olympics Board — SkimNews
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- Mellody Hobson stepped down from the LA28 board days before the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art opens Tuesday (following a Friday gala), citing museum oversight demands in an email reviewed by LAist
- Hobson co-founded the Lucas Museum with her husband George Lucas and is a prominent business executive
- The LA28 board numbers 35 people and is led by Casey Wasserman, who was forced to give up his stake in his management company after the Epstein files revealed his messages with Ghislaine Maxwell
- The Fair Games Coalition had sought meetings with Hobson over concerns including housing, workers' needs, and the games' impact on South Los Angeles — the same neighborhood hosting the Lucas Museum
- The coalition expressed 'deep disappointment,' with Rev. Gary Williams of St. Mark United Methodist Church saying Hobson 'chose the easy way out' instead of using her influence to back living wages, affordable housing, and immigrant protections
Why it matters: The resignation removes a high-profile business leader from the board days before the Lucas Museum opens in South Los Angeles — the same neighborhood the Fair Games Coalition says will bear the Olympics' housing and labor burden. Activists explicitly framed the exit as avoidance of community demands rather than a scheduling conflict, putting public pressure on remaining LA28 board members ahead of the 2028 Games.
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