NO BED OF ROSES FOR NFL PASADENA HAS SUPPORT TO SAY NO.

Byline: Billy Witz Staff Writer

PASADENA - Overwhelmed by the pull of electricity from a row of TV cameras, the lights at the Pasadena Senior Center flickered and the speakers crackled Monday night, briefly putting a stop to the Pasadena city council meeting.

It turned out that the building wasn't the only one short on juice.

Pasadena's bid to bring an NFL team to the Rose Bowl was short-circuited just before mid-night when councilman Steve Madison - seen as the crucial swing vote - said he would not support the proposed project.

``I am not going to support (the NFL).'' Madison said. ``The impacts are too great. The risks are too uncertain. Believe as we might, I am not sufficiently persuaded we can control the risks.''

Madison's vote, along with those of mayor Bill Bogaard and councilman Steve Haderlein and Sid Tyler, gave opponents four of the council's eight votes, enough to kill the project.

Madison, who hadn't stated his position publicly until four hours into the meeting, had supported the project early on.

For the second consecutive meeting, the council appeared ready to put off a vote on a statement of overriding considerations, the key document in an environmental impact report, which states that the benefits of a project outweigh the negative impacts.

At 10:30 p.m., the council was barely halfway through the 50 public speaking requests and there was little indication it was nearing a vote.

The council spent two hours discussing sometimes picayune matters such as the California Environmental Quality Act, raising questions over proposed deal points, and suggesting that the city pursue Plan B for securing the Rose Bowl's future.

All this when the only matter before it was essentially whether or not to proceed.

Ironically, it was left to Steve Madison, the council member with the least incentive to put the matter to a vote, who noted: ``I fear we're getting bogged down in the process.''

Madison hasn't publicly expressed how he'll vote, but he has been the target of intense opposition to the project from his constituents in District 6, which is comprised of many of the well-organized and well-heeled residents who live near the Rose Bowl.

In the last two weeks, several neighborhood activist groups have sent out mailers branding Madison a sellout, saying he plans to vote for the project over the objections.

Those opponents were out in force Monday, making up the majority of the standing-room-only crowd of about 200 at the facility.

They were often delighted to hear from councilman Steve Haderlein, who early in the meeting urged the council to study other options to secure the Rose Bowl's future beside the NFL.

When Haderlein said: ``They wouldn't provide us exclusive negotiations. Why would we? The NFL deal as it currently stands is not a good one for Pasadena,'' the room erupted.

The ovation even drew an admonishment from Mayor Bill Bogaard, himself a NFL opponent, who said: ``I ask you to restrain your excitement.''

Former mayor Bill Thomson, a member of the Rose Bowl Operating Company board, said: ``If you're going to talk about going forward with both projects simultaneously, that's one thing. If you're talking about devoting time and attention to Plan B, then make a decision that you're only going to go with Plan B.

The public would appreciate that more than ... paralysis by analysis. The proposal to put the NFL on hold and go with plan B fits in that category.''

A delay in voting would not be expected to have any impact with the NFL, which would not likely eliminate the Rose Bowl.

The league is also considering the Coliseum and Anaheim, but is not in a hurry to make a decision on a stadium site in Los Angeles until it settles collective bargaining and revenue sharing matters. Those aren't expected to be resolved until late summer or early fall.

Billy Witz, [phone]

billy.witz(at)dailynews.com