News of the Arroyo
Title: | City Council wavers as clock ticks on NFL |
Subtitle: | |
Date: | 2005-05-22 |
Summary: | May 22, 2005 - There's uncertainity on the Pasadena City Council about the Rose Bowl bid for an NFL franchise. |
Author: | Gary Scott, Staff Writer |
Publication: | Pasadena Star News |
Content: | PASADENA -- Rose Bowl General Manager Darryl Dunn has always said NFL proponents would have two mountains to climb if they were to succeed in luring a pro football franchise to Pasadena. Mountain one: the National Football League. Mountain two: local preservationists and West Pasadena residents. Now, a third peak has appeared on the horizon: the Pasadena City Council. Dunn and his compatriots on the Rose Bowl Operating Company have had a hard time with all three and need a little good news next week if proponents are ever going to see the summit. On Tuesday, the NFL owners meet in Washington, D.C., to discuss, among other topics, the progress made by the four stadium sites vying for a Los Angeles-area pro team. The league wants to return a team to the profitable L.A. market, which has been without a franchise here since the Raiders and Rams left a decade ago. In addition to the $500 million- plus makeover proposed at the Rose Bowl, the league is also considering a remodeled Coliseum or a new stadium in either Anaheim or Carson. Few observers expect the owners to make a final decision on a stadium site until the fall, but one or more sites could be eliminated. Carson appears to be the heavy favorite to get the ax, but there is no guarantee the Rose Bowl will survive, especially with local support hanging so precariously in the balance. Dunn, who is making the trip east, will show up with something less than the term sheet and stadium design concept that the league had hoped to see. Instead, he can only report that five of eight Pasadena City Council members are willing to move ahead with negotiations, but that one or more of the five want to see a positive signal from the league to keep them from switching sides. Four votes are too few to get anything done in Pasadena. \"Why drag this out?\' said Councilman Victor Gordo, who has strategically placed himself firmly on the fence. \"If you aren\'t serious about Pasadena, if you aren\'t going to get serious about Pasadena, then tell us.\' The bottom line: League owners must signal some interest in something other than their own bottom line to keep the Rose Bowl bid alive. There is no telling how the news will be received on the East Coast. League owners, billionaires all, are used to tough negotiations and are not likely to flinch. Gordo said he merely wants to know if the league is seriously considering the Rose Bowl or using the stadium as a stalking horse to squeeze a better deal from Anaheim or the Coliseum. Mayor Bill Bogaard would just as soon the NFL send Pasadena packing. Though he has joined the council majority in courting the NFL, he is now firmly convinced professional football interests are too avaricious to be trusted. No fan of pro football to start with, Bogaard joked he has taken to reading the sports pages \"in self defense.\' Councilmen Haderlein and Sid Tyler also oppose a deal at least on the terms now being proposed. Tyler would like more detail about the proposed terms to be aired publicly. In case Pasadena survives the week, local opponents of the NFL deal are gearing up for the City Council\'s June 6 meeting, when the stadium design and deal points are considered. West Pasadena residents and preservationists have been hammering particularly hard at Councilman Steve Madison, who is seen as the swing vote to keep the NFL bid alive. Neighborhood leaders around the bowl are generally opposed to converting the college stadium into a modern, professional venue replete with new luxury suites and nearly double the building space because of the fan traffic that would flood the Arroyo Seco on game days. In recent weeks, leaders in the West Pasadena Residents Association have praised east Pasadena Councilman Haderlein for his stance against the NFL bid while heaping criticism on Madison for \"selling out\' his own constituents. Mayoral politics are at play, with WPRA folk predicting both Haderlein and Madison want to be mayor some day. District 6, which Madison represents, is a key district for success in that election. The other three stadium sites face their own challenges. In Anaheim, a dissenting City Council member is railing against the idea of turning over 40 acres of valuable land to the NFL for nothing. Moreover, the city of Anaheim is not in Los Angeles, a fact Angels owner Arte Moreno can attest to. And the Coliseum has bad memories for some NFL owners. But sports analyst David Carter said the Coliseum has one big advantage over the competitors. \"They have the luxury of time on their side,\' Carter said, and the political will among downtown politicians to see the deal through. Despite the uphill challenges, Dunn remains hopeful that Pasadena can still make a deal. \"If you are in the game you can win,\' he said. But he acknowledges success depends on the league seeing more than dollar signs when it looks at the Rose Bowl. \"If the NFL looks at the Rose Bowl and recognizes the value of our setting, our location and the platform we can provide them in their quest to be successful in this market, then I\'m very confident,\' Dunn said. \"If it is only about the number of events you can have and the number of corporate signs (affixed to the stadium), then I\'m not as confident.\' Gary Scott can be reached at (626) 578-6300, Ext. 4458, or by e-mail at gary.scott@sgvn.com . |
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