Rose Bowl Operating Agreement Could Come Before Council Early Next Month

The amended operating agreement between the City and the Rose Bowl Operating Company (RBOC) could come to the City Council early next month. 

Last week,  the RBOC voted to authorize General Manager Jens Weiden to finalize negotiations and enter into a restated and amended Operating Agreement with the City of Pasadena. The City Council must approve the new agreement.

The new agreement would allow the stadium to host 25 ‘displacement’ events a year for the next 10 years, which would include 10 music festival dates annually.  

Other potential events could include soccer matches and concerts. 

The new agreement could go to the City Council’s Economic Development and Technology Committee before the full City Council deliberates on the matter. 

The new agreement would allow the stadium to hold more events and potentially increase revenue at the iconic stadium.

Over the past several years the stadium has held more than 22 events at the stadium each year, but every event after the 15th event requires approval from the City Council per the Arroyo Public Lands Ordinance in the Pasadena Municipal Code.

The new agreement could bring criticism from some neighbors living nearby who have complained about the number of events in the stadium and the traffic and noise. 

“We’re excited,” Weiden told Pasadena Now. “It’s a testament to those that worked on the original operating agreement decades ago that the changes to the specific sections of the agreement are relatively minor.”

The RBOC is now focused on achieving a balanced budget, Weiden told Pasadena Now. 

“Twenty-five events is right around our annual average the past few years,” Weiden said. “So this is not a new event count. It is just a commitment that we can do the same for the next 10 years. That will help us as we negotiate long-term deals with our partners and continue to present a balanced budget to the City each year.”