Pasadena voters say no NFL at the Rose Bowl (1 Viewer)

[Doug B]

Thought this might be of interest to those following the potential development of a Los-Angeles-area NFL franchise:

http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_4622242

Voters shut out NFL at Rose Bowl
By Kenneth Todd Ruiz Staff Writer
Article Launched:11/08/2006 12:56:09 AM PST


PASADENA - After five years of false starts and finishes, Pasadena's future with professional football ended at the ballot box Tuesday.

With nearly two-thirds of ballots counted at press time, voters had sacked a bid to jump-start negotiations to bring the NFL to the Rose Bowl, but endorsed changes to anti-corruption rules once fiercely opposed by the City Council.

Measure A, the NFL initiative, proved the mother-of-all NIMBY causes with voters. Many cited fears of increased congestion and big money interference should professional football come to the Upper Arroyo Seco.

"It's been shot down before, and I can't stand that people won't let it go," said resident Laura Gladden outside a Walnut Avenue polling station Tuesday.

Gladden added "opening the door" to the NFL more than a year after a council majority ended negotiations would be a spoiler for the city.

Councilman Chris Holden, the measure's chief sponsor and financial backer, said he was satisfied by the outcome and believed the NFL question is settled.

"I think we still win, because the people had a chance to exercise their right to vote," he said.

...

Had the NFL initiative gone through, there had been growing skepticism - fed by the NFL itself - whether any team will be coming to the Southland, which has been without a franchise since 1994.

In light of spiraling costs associated with candidate cities Los Angeles and Anaheim, team owners last month said it was no longer a priority.

Bringing money and influence to bear in their campaign to defeat the initiative was Pasadena First, organized by west Pasadena residents in the Arroyo. The group spent significantly more than Measure A supporters.

...

 

[bclemms]

I think we should move L.A. to Canada.

 

[David Robbins]

I guess that lays to rest of the Saints moving to LA.

 

[Doug B]

I guess that lays to rest of the Saints moving to LA.

I wouldn't say it completely lays to rest relocation ... but it is has effectively put the kibbosh on one particular L.A. group's efforts.

The thing I most worry about, actually, is the NFL doing something crazy like deciding to bankroll either a new L.A. stadium or an overhaul of the L.A. Coliseum. Then they become a huge market with a stadium, and much more of a threat.

 

[Doug B]

But, then again ...

Coliseum scales back on NFL
By Sam Farmer, Times Staff Writer
November 2, 2006

Even as it said it was not closing the door on the NFL, the Coliseum Commission took steps Wednesday to scale back the money spent in that pursuit.

In its regular monthly meeting, the commission dropped its contracts with outside legal counsel and $10,000-per-month lobbyist Richard Lichtenstein, who were retained for the last three years to pursue a potential NFL deal.

Yvonne B. Burke, commission president, was among the commissioners who emphasized they are not ready to give up on the possibility the stadium could be home to an NFL team, despite signs NFL interest has cooled.

"We should have every opportunity to talk about a wide range of options," she said. "We still hope that we can get an NFL team, and we hope that we can have this stadium ultimately become a state-of-the-art facility."

But there's little likelihood of the NFL taking significant action in L.A. anytime soon. Team owners made it clear last week they are focused on other priorities, chief among them digesting the new revenue-sharing plan and collective-bargaining agreement.

The commission is facing a dramatic rent increase by the state and USC's lease at the Coliseum expires after the 2007 football season. Burke and others on the nine-member commission said it's possible to proceed on lease talks with USC without foreclosing on the NFL option.

But County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, who serves on the commission, said the group soon must choose whether to continue pursuing the NFL or take action on other options.

"I don't think we have leverage with the NFL," he said. "I think we're talking to ourselves."

At their fall meetings in New Orleans last week, NFL owners were told by league staff the cost of a Los Angeles-area stadium — one they would bankroll — could reach $1 billion. Several owners said they were not interested in paying that and L.A. was not a priority.

While agreeing the commission should not close the door on the NFL, David Israel, a state appointee to the commission, said, "There's precious little left to negotiate."

The future of the Sports Arena is also an important issue, said Bill Chadwick, a commission member who said the group should take proposals for other possible uses for that 11-acre site.

 

[FWtex]

A great mess for NOLA! The last thing the league owners want is to set a precedence of financing their own stadiums. If the networks want it so bad then why don't they get togeather and finance it themselves.

The NFL in California is a complete mess and the league and everyone in Cal is at a loss as to how to fix the stadium problems. S.D and Oak are about to be on very critical life support soon.

 

[ThibodauxSaint]

I kinda like the way that California, Los Angelos in particular, handles professional sports. They don't use public money to finance new stadiums. This is the way it should be. If the NFL or an NFL owner wants his team in L.A. then they have to pay for the stadium themselves.

 

[Craigj]

I just don't understand why the NFL wants a team in LA so bad. The owners don't want, the people of LA don't want it, we sure as heck don't want it. How much more money can there be L.A.

 

[615saint]

I read an article awhile back (basically an opinion piece) that said one of the main reasons that Los Angelenos didn't want a team was because there are very few true Los Angelenos. A great deal are transplants who would either A.) prefer to sit at a bar and watch their home team, or B.) just want to see the best game each week - something that may or may not happen if they were saddled with a team.

 

[ThibodauxSaint]

I read an article awhile back (basically an opinion piece) that said one of the main reasons that Los Angelenos didn't want a team was because there are very few true Los Angelenos. A great deal are transplants who would either A.) prefer to sit at a bar and watch their home team, or B.) just want to see the best game each week - something that may or may not happen if they were saddled with a team.

That's true. Its been proven that LA fans won't support a NFL team. They had two teams and they lost them both. But there obviously must be money to be made because the NFL seems desparate to have a team there.