Recall Effort vs Councilmember Who Backed NFL Games at Rose Bowl Fails

The efforts to recall a Pasadena official who backed proposed professional football games at the Rose Bowl failed as the petition was not submitted on time.

Residents opposed to Councilman Steve Madison’s proposal to allow a National Football League team to use the city-owned stadium initiated a recall. However, they were not able to submit the recall election petition by Monday, July 1 evening deadline, Pasadena City Clerk Mark Jomsky told the Los Angeles Times.

A completed recall petition required the signatures of 2,866 residents in Madison’s West Pasadena council district, which includes homes adjacent to the Rose Bowl, Jomsky added.

After the City Council members voted in November to relax restrictions on the number of large events to be held at the Rose Bowl, the city officials were able to negotiate with the NFL for a pro team to play at the Rose Bowl for up to five years during construction of a permanent stadium in Los Angeles.

However, many homeowners near the stadium have objected the proposal, fearing traffic jams, environmental damage to surrounding parkland and an onslaught of inebriated and unruly fans, the Times reported.

A coalition of neighborhood groups has filed a lawsuit against the city for alleged violation of the California Environmental Quality Act and seeks to overturn the council’s decision. The draft of the recall petition also accused Madison of ignoring the interests of his constituents by supporting talks with the NFL, the Times said.

Madison, who in 2006 cast the deciding vote against a previous NFL proposal, responded at the time that he “would not hesitate to reject a proposal from the NFL if our community did not see benefits,” the newspaper reported.

Meanwhile, there have been no discussions between the city and the NFL or any of its teams since the City Council votation, Rose Bowl General Manager Darryl Dunn told the Times.

“Because we would be an interim site, the first thing that needs to happen is a substantive discussion between a permanent site and a team,” Dunn told the newspaper. “We’re the tail, not the dog.”