The City of Pasadena and the Rose Bowl Operating Company intensified their legal battle with UCLA on Monday, filing for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction aimed at preventing the university from relocating its home football games to SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.
The emergency court filing comes one day after reports surfaced of a near-finalized deal between UCLA and SoFi Stadium that would move the Bruins out of the Rose Bowl, their home since 1982. The city and the Rose Bowl Operating Company argue that such a move would violate a lease agreement that contractually binds UCLA to the stadium through 2044. That agreement was signed in 2010 and amended in 2014.
The request, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, asks Judge Joseph Lipner to prohibit UCLA from playing any home football games at other venues in Los Angeles or Orange counties and to bar the university from attempting to terminate its lease while litigation is pending.
A hearing on the matter could be held as early as Wednesday morning.
According to court documents, the city contends it would suffer “immediate and irreparable harm if the status quo is not preserved during the pendency of this lawsuit.”
The lawsuit, originally filed in late October, alleges that UCLA has expressed its intent “to abandon the Rose Bowl Stadium and relocate its home football games to SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.” The filing states, “This is not only a clear break of the contract that governs the parties’ relationship, but it is also a profound betrayal of trust, of tradition, and of the very community that helped build UCLA football.”
City officials said a UCLA representative notified them of the university’s intent to take steps that would breach the lease agreement. Pasadena emphasized that it has not only met but exceeded its contractual obligations, citing “significant time, effort, and financial resources” invested in the stadium, including “ongoing major renovation work.”
“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 city said in a statement.
UCLA has not confirmed any final decision.
“While we continue to evaluate the long-term arrangement for UCLA football home games, no decision has been made,” said Mary Osako, UCLA vice chancellor for strategic communications, in a statement issued last month.
The city also underscored its decades-long partnership with UCLA, noting that the university has been a partner for more than 40 years.
This is a developing story. Pasadena Now will provide updates as more information becomes available.
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