Guest Opinion | Ron Matthews: A Workforce-First Strategy to Replace Rose Bowl Revenue Losses

UCLA’s departure from the Rose Bowl Stadium would represent far more than a change in venue—it would represent a significant economic disruption for Pasadena’s working families. For decades, game days generated substantial wages for stadium personnel, security teams, parking attendants, concession workers, and local vendors whose livelihoods depended on the football season. With UCLA’s exit, Pasadena stands to lose a major source of recurring payroll that has long circulated through our neighborhoods, supported local businesses, sustained household stability, and contributed meaningfully to the city’s sales tax base.

Yet Pasadena is not without a solution. The city already has a powerful mechanism capable of not only replacing this lost revenue but surpassing it: the First Source Local Hiring Ordinance. Pasadena is entering a multi-billion-dollar period of public construction, seismic retrofits, educational facilities modernization, transportation improvements, and community infrastructure upgrades. Even a modest increase in resident participation across these projects can generate new, sustained payroll for Pasadena, Altadena, and Sierra Madre residents—more than compensating for the loss of game-day employment.

This approach is proven, effective, and should be elevated as a central economic priority for the City of Pasadena. Across Los Angeles County, when First Source hiring is meaningfully enforced and contractors are required to partner with union apprenticeship programs, dispatch halls, and community-based pipelines, local residents consistently secure family-sustaining careers. Pasadena can go even further by prioritizing displaced Rose Bowl and hospitality workers as a preferred referral pool for apprenticeship entry, creating a pathway from seasonal work to long-term, upwardly mobile union careers.

The economic benefit to Pasadena is immediate and measurable. Every dollar earned by a Pasadena resident multiplies through the community—supporting local restaurants, retail shops, auto repair businesses, and service providers—while also strengthening city revenues through increased sales tax and reduced reliance on public assistance. Investing in local workers is not simply a recovery plan; it is an economic development strategy that aligns public spending with public benefit.

UCLA’s departure may be a setback, but it also presents a critical opportunity. By fully implementing First Source hiring, expanding apprenticeship access, and treating workforce development as a top economic priority, Pasadena can not only replace the lost payroll—it can build a stronger, more resilient, and more equitable economy for years to come.

Ron Matthews is a self-described Local Hiring Coordinator.