Council to Consider Two Live Nation Concerts as Part of Consent Calendar

As part of Monday’s consent calendar, the City Council will discuss a license agreement with Live Nation for up to two Rose Bowl concerts to be held in August 2023.

“The RBOC [Rose Bowl Operating Company]  has the opportunity to host up to two major concerts to be held in August with Live Nation as the promoter,” according to Monday’s Council agenda. “The framework for the key deal points with Live Nation are consistent with other concerts in recent history with Live Nation.”

According to the agenda, the attendance for each event is expected to be approximately 60,000 people.

The concerts would be the 23rd and 24th displacement events this year. The first 22 displacement events in 2023 are six scheduled UCLA football games, the Rose Bowl Game, 10 Music Festival dates, three soccer matches with Soccer United Marketing and AEG, and two concerts.

Some neighbors living near the Rose Bowl have long opposed displacement events due to the increased sound and traffic.

The City has long sought to achieve a balance between the use of the Rose Bowl and impact of its use on surrounding residential areas. 

To achieve that balance, a local ordinance limits the number of displacement events to no more than 15 in any calendar year except with the permission of the City Council.

Any event with more than 20,000 people is considered a displacement event. 

“It is anticipated that the RBOC will generate in excess of $300,000 from each show night,” according to the staff report. “This will enable the RBOC to help meet its operating budget for FY24 [Fiscal year 2024] and generate additional revenue to help fund the RBOC operating budget and unfunded capital projects.”

Here are the other items on Monday’s consent calendar:

• A $148,312 contract award to AME Roofing for the Alkebu-Lan Cultural Center storage building replacement. Alkebu-Lan Cultural Center, located at 1435 N. Raymond Ave, is housed in a City-owned facility comprised of a former historic fire station and an attached building now used for storage. Executed in 1994, the City’s lease agreement with the Center runs through 2050. The Center’s goal is to provide an educational outreach program, encourage creativity through artistic expression and acquaint children and adults with creative, cultural, scientific, educational, and social contributions of African American people. During the year, about 100 Pasadena children visit the Center each week, with that number increasing to approximately 125 children during the summer. The main building’s clay-tiled roof was repaired by the City late last year. The facility’s storage building low-slope roof has reached its life expectancy and needs to be replaced. Completion of the needed roof improvements will ensure continued services for the community and preservation of the historic structure.

• Rejection of a bid for seismic retrofit of public works building at City Yards project. The lowest bid received is 263 percent higher than the City Engineer’s estimate of $1.5 million. The discrepancy between the Engineer’s estimate and lowest responsive and responsible bidder’s proposal was attributed to a lack of understanding regarding the intended project scope.

• An $85,000 amendment with a contract with Sintra Group Inc. for pre-employment background investigation services. The amendment increases the contract from $250,000 to $335,500. The Pasadena Fire Department holds lateral firefighter, firefighter trainee and paramedic intern recruitments based on vacancies and departmental needs. Background investigations are a critical component of the hiring process and can help to minimize potential personnel problems for the Department. Components of comprehensive background investigation services include assessment of criminal history, drug usage, credit history, personal history, and employment records. 

• A five-year $165,000 contract with Allstar Fire Equipment, for fire hose. The Pasadena Fire Department responds to approximately 20,000 calls for service each year, with about 3,400 of the calls categorized as fire-related incidents. The PFD currently has eight (8) front-line engines and two (2) front-line fire trucks stocked with fire hoses. Fire hoses are used on fire incidents to carry water or other fire retardant to extinguish fires. The equipment can attach to a fire engine or a fire hydrant, or a building’s standpipe or plumbing system. Attack fire hose, used to protect firefighters in rescue efforts and extinguish the fire, is central and critical equipment for fire operations. Alt fire hose used by the PFD meet and exceed performance requirements of National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1961: Standard on Fire Hose, and withstand rough usage affront line firefighting. Fire hoses have standard service lives of 10 years, and are tested annually and repaired or replaced as needed. 

• Authorize the City Manager to execute any and all agreements with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) associated with the funding of the nine Measure R Mobility Improvement Projects (MIPs). On September 19, 2022, City Council authorized the Mayor to submit a list of Measure R Mobility Improvement Projects (MIP) to the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) for reallocation of $230.5 million in Measure R MIP funds previously awarded to the California Boulevard Grade Separation Project. The list of 19 projects included 12 priority projects.

• Extend the operating agreement between the Rose Bowl Operating Company (RBOC) and City of Pasadena from the current expiration date of July 1 to and through July 1, 2025, on the same terms and conditions. The Rose Bowl Operating Company Operating Agreement is currently set to expire on July 1, 2023. The General Manager of the RBOC and the City Manager are recommending to the City Council that the Operating Agreement between the City and RBOC be extended from its current expiration of July 1 , 2023, to July 1 , 2025, to allow for continued management of the Rose Bowl Stadium and Brookside Golf Course by the RBOC. During the two-year extension period, the City and RBOC will revise and modernize the contractual framework of the original contract to address capital funding needs, insurance and liability issues, and the changing nature of events and sports, including future changes to college football.