FanHouse LA Coliseum

If the Los Angeles City Council is taking USC's threat to move to the Rose Bowl seriously, they certainly are not showing it. Last week, Councilmmbers Jack Weiss--who represents UCLA territory--and Greig Smith, who attended USC, introduced an emergency non-binding resolution to encourage the University and Coliseum Commission to come to a deal, and asking for the State to restructure the historically inept body which oversees the venue.

Under the so-called "Rule 16", the Council shall hear emergency motions at their next meeting, whch would have been last Friday--as was suggested in a press release from Weiss' office. But only the Council President can decide what falls under that rule. City Hall insiders tell FanHouse that City Council President Eric Garcetti refused to agendize the motion, sending it to committee where it will die a slow death, for fear of alienating Councilman Bernard Parks, whom FanHouse has identified as the biggest obstacle to reaching a deal between USC and the Coliseum Commission.

Yesterday, FanHouse pointed out how Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa could forge a coalition to keep the USC Trojans in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum by bringing together his two votes with the three members appointed by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Based on comments from the Mayor's office, it looks like he is amenable to working with Villaraigsoa to terminate a USC move to the Rose Bowl. Sean Clegg, deputy mayor to Villaraigosa told the Los Angeles Times that the Mayor has contacted Schwarzenegger and discussed working together to forge a compromise with USC. Their five votes alone would be enough to seal a deal between the warring university and Coliseum Commission.

Meanwhile, USC students have started their own protests over the proposed move to the Rose Bowl. They promise not to use any concessions at the stadium when the Trojans host the UCLA Bruins on Saturday, a practice I thought had been in place since beer and wine sales were cut off at the Coliseum three seasons ago!

Although the USC Trojans must beat the UCLA Bruins to qualify for the 2008 Rose Bowl Game, the Los Angeles Times is reporting that the Trojans may be going to the Rose Bowl even more in the near future.

Since talks between the NFL and Los Angeles fell through, the University of Southern California has been negotiating a 99-year master lease with the moribundly complex intergovernmental commission which oversees the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The University was ready to pony up $100 million of its own alumni's money to pay for improvements to the historical structure just off campus.