With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
New ordinance allows NFL to use Rose Bowl temporarily
The Rose Bowl has been getting rennovated since 2011 and construction is set to finish by 2014.
(
Andres Aguila/KPCC
)
Listen
1:49
New ordinance allows NFL to use Rose Bowl temporarily
If an NFL team wants to use the Rose Bowl, it's available.
The Pasadena City Council passed an ordinance doubling the number of large events allowed each year at the Rose Bowl to accommodate an NFL team.
The council passed the ordinance after a meeting that started Monday and continued until early Tuesday morning.
“I’m asking you to extend your hand and help us: We need jobs. The NFL to me means ‘Not For Long,’” said longtime Pasadena resident Porfirio Frausto.
Frausto was one of 125 people who showed up to the meeting. He said letting an NFL team use the Rose Bowl temporarily would bring jobs and money.
“Any city in the world in these economic times, having a stadium, they wouldn’t waste it. They would take advantage of it," said Frausto.
Sponsor
Leanne Wagoner, with the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce, said the money would benefit many businesses.
“Restaurant, retail, and hotels and motels will see a significant increase in business resulting from 10 weekends of NFL activity per year," said Wagoner.
But many people who live in neighborhoods near the Rose Bowl said they do not need more traffic jams, noise, and rowdy football fans.
Loring Guessous lives west of the stadium and said when UCLA plays there she has to adjust when she comes and goes around.
"I have to accommodate my driving in and out of the community around arrival, departure times of the game, clearly," said Guessous.
Before the Pasadena City Council meeting, she took a power walk on the jogging track at the Rose Bowl grounds, which include soccer fields, an aquatic center, and a golf course.
"A lot of us west side residents end up going outside the community for our shopping and everything else that we would otherwise spend our dollars – entertainment purposes – here," said Guessous. "Because it’s just too complicated to try to cut across town on those game days."
Sponsor
Despite concerns by some neighbors, the Pasadena City Council passed the ordinance. They cited a consulting firm's report which shows an NFL team using the Rose Bowl could net the city up to $10 million a year.
Money that would potentially help pay to renovate the Rose Bowl.
Now, all they need is an NFL team.
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
