2003 – The WPRAstarted tracking the NFL’s desire to be a tenant of the Rose Bowl. WPRA noted that City Council had authorized the Rose Bowl Operating Committee to explore the possibility of an NFL team becoming a tenant of the Rose Bowl, and provided a list of parameters the City should seek in its negotiations; expressed concern that the NFL was playing a “bait and switch” with Pasadena —baiting us “with an initial plan that was sensitive to the stadium’s historic nature, and then switching by subsequently pushing cost-cutting at the expense of the very historic aspects the prior plan preserved.”
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2004 – The WPRA continued to express “major concerns” about the potential impact of the NFL on the Central Arroyo and the Rose Bowl Stadium.
2005 – WPRA surveyed West Pasadena citizens’ attitudes about the NFL leasing the Rose Bowl. Nearly 60% were totally against the idea while only 10% favored it. Then the WPRA issued a plea for help and contributions to oppose the NFL lease of the Rose Bowl.
Issued a plea for help and contributions to oppose the NFL lease of the Rose Bowl.
2006 – WPRA expressed disappointment that although the citizens of Pasadena and City Council (in 2005) had rejected the idea of an NFL team occupying the Rose Bowl, three councilmembers had sponsored a ballot initiative to raise the issue again.
WPRA participated to defeat the NFL in the Rose Bowl ballot initiative.
2008 – WPRA received a donation from Pasadena First, the lead organization in the successful effort to defeat the 2006 ballot initiative about the NFL in the Rose Bowl. Pasadena First hailed the WPRA as “an early and enthusiastic supporter and one of the first major contributors to the anti-NFL effort.”
2011 – The WPRA acknowledged significant reservations about temporary use of the Rose Bowl by the NFL and agreed to take a survey.
2012 – WPRA conducted the survey of area residents about the possibility of an NFL team temporarily leasing the Rose Bowl Stadium until its permanent new stadium can be built: 43% were against the idea under any condition; 37% would consider it if certain conditions were met; 19% expressed unconditional approval of the idea. The WPRA publically opposed the temporary use of the Rose Bowl by the NFL and supported other neighborhood organizations’ lawsuit to legally challenge the City Council’s certification of the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) related to the potential temporary lease of the Rose Bowl by an NFL team.
2013 – The WPRA helped fund the legal action against the City for certifying the EIR which inadequately addressed neighborhood impacts if the NFL temporarily leases the Rose Bowl. The NFL never did gain access to the Rose Bowl.
2016 – Having prevented the NFL’s attempt to convince the City to allow it a temporary lease,
WPRA continued to monitor the rising number of other Rose Bowl events and their impacts to the surrounding neighborhoods.
