News of the Arroyo
Title: | Bid for Pasadena NFL team may go to ballot |
Subtitle: | |
Date: | 2005-08-11 |
Summary: | August 11, 2005 - Three city council members are on board with an effort to revive Pasadena's bid for an National Football League franchise at the Rose Bowl. |
Author: | Gary Scott, Staff Writer |
Publication: | Pasadena Star News |
Content: | Wednesday, August 10, 2005 - PASADENA -- Hoping to revive the city\'s bid for an NFL team, three council members declared Wednesday they will seek a citywide referendum on the issue, to be held as soon as January. Councilman Chris Holden, the chief sponsor of the initiative, says the ballot measure will allow voters to decide whether to continue pursuing a deal to bring pro football to the Rose Bow l something a majority of registered voters said they favored in a poll conducted earlier this year. \"The goal is to keep our city in contention. This is an opportunity for our city that will never come along again,\' Holden said. Council members Paul Little and Joyce Streato r also are sponsoring the measure. Shortly after the council ended negotiations with the NFL in June, Holden said he would take the question directly to the voters, believing there was strong public support for a deal that would bring substantial investment into the community while reviving a Pasadena icon. The council simply walked away from the table without fairly considering these benefits, Holden said. \"It was just like being in the middle of a race and your team drops the baton and just looks at it.\' News that the initiative language had been filed with the City Clerk\'s O ffice brought a strong rebuke from those on the council who opposed the bid and the ire of West Pasadena residents who believe the NFL would destroy their neighborhoods. \"I don\'t want Pasadena to be a pawn in the NFL\'s ongoing negotiation to find the best deal in another community,\' said Mayor Bill Bogaard. \"It is a waste of time,\' added Councilman Sid Tyler. The West Pasadena Residents Association, which is credited with helping convince Councilman Steve Madison to vote against the bid, pledged to use its substantial resources to oppose the initiative. \"We are never going to allow the NFL in Pasadena. It\'s that simple,\' said WPRA board member Mike Vogler, adding that residents in West Pasadena would monitor what businesses in town give money to the pro- NFL forces. NFL supporters believe they have the public sentiment on their side. As evidence, they point to a survey conducted by the Rose Bowl Operating Co., an NFL supporter, that showed a majority of Pasadena voters favored pursuing a pro football team. \"What I heard from council members was: We don\'t want a deal. What I heard overwhelmingly from my constituents is: We want a deal,\' said Councilman Little. Though he acknowledged the deal as enumerated in the initiative is complex and sometimes arcane, he said he trusted voters will become educated during the course of a campaign. \"The citizens own (the stadium). Let\'s let them decide its fate,\' Little said. \"Folks are pretty sophisticated. They can weigh the pros and cons.\' Bogaard and Tyler both raised concerns about the language of the initiative, which seems to lock the terms in place without giving city officials the authority to renegotiate. \"This is a transaction that will comprise hundreds of pages of legal documentation, and to try to do such a deal through an initiative is not only unprecedented but dangerous,\' Bogaard said. The terms as outlined in the initiative are essentially the same as were studied in an environmental review earlier this year. The NFL would spend between $500 million and $600 million upgrading the stadium, adding new luxury suites, a club lounge, walkways and a scoreboard. The number of seats would drop to 65,000, with a potential to expand by 10,000. The league would earn money through seat licenses and naming rights to the field, gates and plaza. The city would retain ownership of the stadium and earn $500,000 a year in rent. Proponents will have to collect around 11,000 valid signatures to qualify the initiative for the ballot. If successful, they hope to have the initiative before the voters in late January or early February. Political consultant Martin Truitt said the initiative backers will probably succeed if they can raise about $30,000 to collect signatures. The biggest hurdle for the pro-NFL forces, he added, will be the turnout in the special election. \"In a low-turnout election, the decision is made by the most active and well-informed citizens. And my sense is the most active and well-informed citizens tilt anti-NFL,\' he said. NFL officials have been monitoring Holden\'s work on the initiative, according to spokesman Brian McCarthy, though he would not comment the details. \"I think they are very appreciative of it,\' said John Moag, the Baltimore sports broker initially hired to craft a deal for Pasadena. Moag continues to act as an intermediary between Holden and the NFL. \"There obviously have been a lot of discussions about whether the time and effort should go into this,\' Moag added. \"The signals were such that Chris Holden certainly felt it was worthwhile proceeding.\' Gary Scott can be reached at (626) 578-6300, Ext. 4458, or by e-mail at gary.scott@sgvn.com . |
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