Los Angeles, in search of its third Olympic Games in 2016, pushed its candidacy last week with a US Olympic Committee that is still wondering if it can find a winning city.
Los Angeles, host of the 1932 and 1984 Games, is on a USOC short-list for 2016 along with Houston, Philadelphia, Chicago and San Francisco.
But USOC chairman Peter Ueberroth, who organised the 1984 Los Angeles Games, warned: "We may not bid at all. We don't think we have a really good chance to win.
"The last bid of the United States Olympic Committee was New York and we only got 13 votes."
The International Olympic Committee will make a decision in 2009 and said last month that six countries are mulling bids - India, Japan, Spain, the United States, Brazil and Italy.