COLISEUM SITE FOR NFL GAINS SUPPORT.Byline: Michelle Rester Staff Writer Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich Michael Dennis Antonovich (born 1939 in Los Angeles, California) is a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors representing the Fifth District, which covers northern Los Angeles County, the Antelope, Santa Clarita, Pasadena, and parts of the San Fernando and San says his first choice for a new National Football League venue is the Coliseum Coliseum: see Colosseum. . Antonovich, who serves as a Tournament of Roses member and whose district includes Pasadena, says he would only support a team coming to the Pasadena Rose Bowl if the Coliseum was not a possibility. Officials from the Coliseum, the Rose Bowl and a company wanting to build a new stadium near Staples Center This article has multiple issues: * Its neutrality is disputed. * It may contain original research or unverifiable claims. * It does not cite any references or sources. downtown are vying for the job. ``The Coliseum is world-famous,'' Antonovich said. ``The problem with the Rose Bowl is that the neighbors in Pasadena who are directly across from the Rose Bowl have an agreement for a limited number of activities at the stadium, and this would disrupt that. Not everyone in Pasadena supports it.'' Earlier this year, however, the Pasadena City Council approved the Rose Bowl's plans to court an NFL NFL abbr. National Football League NFL (US) n abbr (= National Football League) → Fußball-Nationalliga team. Rose Bowl officials say the national historic landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, site, structure, or object, almost always within the United States, officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance. can only come out of its crumbling financial state with an NFL team. ``I can't say I'm disappointed or not disappointed with Antonovich, but we intend to go forward with what is best for the Rose Bowl and the city of Pasadena,'' said Rose Bowl General Manager Darryl Dunn. ``An NFL franchise would stabilize the Rose Bowl's economic challenges.'' Antonovich said he definitely does not support proposals to build a new stadium in downtown and that to do so would be a waste of taxpayer money. ``Downtown L.A. needs affordable housing and they need to clean up the slums,'' Antonovich said. ``They don't need to build football stadiums because people living on the streets in downtown Skid Row skid row a run-down area frequented by alcoholics. [Am. Culture: Misc.] See : Alcoholism Skid Row district of down-and-outs and bums. [Am. Usage: Brewer Dictionary, 1008] See : Failure will still be in the streets after a stadium is built.'' Antonovich says the Coliseum Commission has guaranteed about $1 million to research how to promote the venue to prospective NFL teams and has designs and plans in place to renovate the facility and add luxury boxes. Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard William Joseph "Bill" Bogaard (born 1938 in Sioux City, Iowa) is an American Democratic politician, and the current mayor of Pasadena, California, elected in 1999, and re-elected with an overwhelming majority of the vote (over 85%) in 2003. says he supports Antonovich's position, given that the county owns a portion of the Coliseum. The city had plans to seek Antonovich's support for a team for the Rose Bowl, which obviously won't happen now. ``There are a number of possibilities, of which one is to come to Pasadena's famous Rose Bowl,'' Bogaard said. ``A move to the Coliseum is from my point of view also a workable approach, and I respect Supervisor Antonovich's views. And while we see distinct advantages for coming to the Rose Bowl, I recognize the reasonableness of other views as the debate continues.'' |
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