COUNCIL JOINS COLISEUM TEAM TAX FUNDS-FREE PLAN WOULD BRING NFL TO L.A.

Byline: Rick Orlov Staff Writer

In a new attempt to lure professional football to the city, the Los Angeles City Council backed a plan Tuesday to revive the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum as a potential site - as long as tax dollars are not used.

The 14-1 vote to support the Coliseum came as Pasadena officials weigh an offer to promote the Rose Bowl as a potential home to the National Football League.

``At a time when Pasadena is moving very rapidly, it is critical we do the same thing,'' Councilman Eric Garcetti said. ``We have to get out front of that little old lady from Pasadena and make sure Los Angeles has a voice.''

Councilman Jack Weiss voted against the proposal, saying he believed Los Angeles officials are being too eager.

``We don't need to do this,'' Weiss said. ``Los Angeles is the second- largest media market in the country. If the NFL wants to come here, they will have to come on our terms.''

However, the NFL has shown itself to be above such statements in the past - even in 1999 when league officials backed the Coliseum as a site for an expansion team only to see it go to Houston when private owners outbid a Los Angeles group.

NFL owners are scheduled to meet next week in Philadelphia, but the subject of a team for the Los Angeles area is not on the agenda, officials said.

Still, Pasadena officials are considering sending a delegation to socialize with the owners.

Councilman Bernard C. Parks, who represents the district where the Coliseum is located and is spearheading the new effort to attract the NFL, also is considering a trip to the meeting.

``It all depends on whether we think something real can be accomplished by going,'' his spokesman, Bernard Parks Jr., said.

Councilman Parks has made the return of professional football to the Coliseum one of his top priorities since taking office in March. Having won council support Tuesday, he is scheduled to take the plan to the Coliseum Commission today.

A report by the Community Redevelopment Agency released last week said the Coliseum area - with its history and proximity to USC and the museums in Exposition Park - would make it ideal for professional football.

In addition to backing the Coliseum as a site, the Parks proposal bans the use of any city funds to an NFL team owner and also reactivates a special committee to oversee negotiations.

At the same time, officials acknowledged there is no specific team that has been approached about moving to Los Angeles, and NFL officials have indicated they have no plans to expand beyond the current 32 teams.

The owners of the San Diego Chargers have hinted at some interest in moving to Los Angeles, but are continuing negotiations over stadium improvements in San Diego. Other teams with leases expiring in the near future include the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints.

Interest in winning an NFL franchise has fluctuated over the past decade since the Raiders returned to Oakland and the Rams moved from Anaheim to St. Louis.

Last year, billionaire Philip Anschutz and Los Angeles Avengers owner Casey Wasserman proposed building a new football stadium in the South Park area of downtown Los Angeles. Those plans were abandoned, however, in the face of competition from the Coliseum and Rose Bowl.

Mike Roth, a spokesman for Anschutz Entertainment Group, said Tuesday that there are no plans to revive the stadium plan.

``That is a thing of the past,'' Roth said. ``There are no plans now for a new stadium by us.''

An NFL representative did not return phone calls Tuesday, but owners have expressed concern in the past about returning to the Coliseum because of their experiences during the Raiders years.

``A lot of the NFL owners don't know what it's like around the Coliseum,'' Garcetti said. ``We need to spend time educating them to correct their perception of what South Central and South Los Angeles is like.''

Council members Nick Pacheco and Ruth Galanter voted to back the Coliseum, but said the city should be open to other sites as well.

Holding up a diagram, Pacheco said the city could offer a site north of Union Station for a stadium.

``It would be part of the greening of the Los Angeles River, where we could build a new stadium that would be close to Union Station and offer a tremendous opportunity,'' Pacheco said.

Galanter said the city's goal should be to work with the NFL on any site within the city limits.

Mayor James Hahn, who has met with NFL officials in the past, said he also supports the Coliseum, but opposes the use of any tax dollars to bring a team to the city.