Villaraigosa Urges USC-Coliseum Deal

In one of the most strongly-worded statements on the future of the NFL in Los Angeles, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, a UCLA alumnus, implored his colleagues on the Coliseum Commission to get over their false hopes to bring professional football to the stadium and ink a long-term deal with the University of Southern California.

"While I remain committed to bringing a professional team to Los Angeles, it is time to read the scoreboard: the Coliseum is no longer a viable option for the NFL.

"The Coliseum is and should remain the home of the USC Trojans. I am committed to seeking a long-term agreement with USC that protects the public interest, preserves jobs and benefits the entire community of South Los Angeles."

The Mayor's statements come one day after the December 6th agenda of the Rose Bowl Operating Committee revealed that the operators of the Pasadena Stadium were within days of finalizing a contract to host the home football games of the University of Southern California--moving the Trojans back to Pasadena after 82 years in the Coliseum.

Meanwhile, the University of Southern California contacted its major donors and season ticketholders in an email Wednesday evening, in which Athletic Director Mike Garrett explained, "Unfortunately, talks are at an impasse, and right now we have no lease for the Coliseum next year. As a precaution, USC has negotiated a lease with the Rose Bowl to ensure that we have an acceptable stadium in which to play our home football games for the foreseeable future. But this arrangement is not what we want. We want our football program to remain at the Coliseum. And we want the Coliseum Commission-our "landlords" who manage the stadium-to begin the long overdue rehabilitation of the Coliseum."

USC has also created a page on its website devoted to the controversey and encouraging its alumni to contact members of the intergovernmental Coliseum Commission, which operates the USC-adjacent stadium.

The Coliseum Commission is a body of appointed leaders representing the City of Los Angeles, the County of Los Angeles and the State of California. Representing the County are Supervisors Yvonne Braithwaite-Burke and Don Knabe--both USC alumni--and Zev Yaroslavsky.

On the City side are the University's Councilman Bernard Parks, also an alumnus, lawyer Barry Sanders, head of the failed L.A. 2016 Olympic bid, and Candy Spelling, the widow of Beverly Hills 90210 producer Aaron Spelling, and mother of Donna Martin.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's appointees are lawyer William Chadwick, Commission Chairman David Israel and Fabian Wesson, wife of former State Assembly Speaker and current Los Angeles City Councilman Herb Wesson.

And you thought Chicago politics were incestuous!

FanHouse understands that Parks has been the main stick in the mud holding up an agreement for USC as a vocal advocate brining the NFL into his district, and that the three County Supervisors are loathe to give up their power on the Commission. However, If Villaraigosa two appointees plus Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's three could still constitute the majority needed to keep the Men of Troy in the Coliseum.