Pasadena is suing UCLA to enforce a lease agreement for football home games at the Rose Bowl, as the university may be considering a move to SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, the city announced Thursday.
The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, was a response to a UCLA representative informing Pasadena officials “of UCLA’s intent to take steps that will breach the agreement,” according to a city statement.
“The lease agreement between the Rose Bowl Stadium and UCLA … is unambiguous, explicitly stating there is no option for UCLA to terminate the lease prior to its expiration in 2044,” city officials said.
The current lease was signed in 2010 and amended in 2014.
“The City expects UCLA will honor the terms of the agreement, and the City Council will do everything in its power to protect and defend the City’s contractual rights on behalf of the public interest, the City’s residents, and all in our region,” the statement continued. “The City of Pasadena and the Rose Bowl Stadium, steadfast partners to UCLA for more than four decades, are extremely disappointed with UCLA’s attempt to terminate the lease.
“The Rose Bowl has acted with transparency and integrity, not only fulfilling but exceeding its obligations under the lease agreement, investing significant time, effort, and financial resources into the partnership with UCLA, including ongoing major renovation work,” city officials said. “The potential economic and reputational damage of UCLA’s attempt to break its lease is significant to the Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena residents, and the local and regional economy.”
UCLA did not respond to a request for comment.
“The Rose Bowl — America’s Stadium — remains one of the most important venues in all of sports,” according to the city. “It is consistently ranked as one of the best college football stadiums in the country and one of the busiest and most popular sports and entertainment destinations in the world.”
The city has spent “$150 million in public investment, modernization, and bond financing by Pasadena taxpayers,” attorneys for the city and Rose Bowl reported in their court filing.
“After years of public assurances and repeated private reassurances that the UCLA-Rose Bowl Stadium partnership would endure, UCLA has abruptly decided to abandon the stadium,” the lawsuit contends. “It did so in secret, while its leaders continued to suggest to Plaintiffs that no departure was planned, and while the City continued to spend millions on improvements requested by, or for the benefit of, UCLA.”
Last year UCLA joined the Big Ten Conference after decades in Pac-12 Conference.
