Tagliabue to Meet With CA Governor

LOS ANGELES -- NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue is scheduled to meet with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger today, raising the prospect of professional football returning to the Southland after an absence of more than a decade.

Tagliabue will follow up on his meeting with the governor with meetings tomorrow with Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle. The two mayors are locked in a fierce competition to attract the NFL to their respective cities.

Tagliabue is not expected to make a decision anytime soon on which of the two cities -- if either -- will host an NFL team.

The drive to bring an NFL team back to Los Angeles has been led by Councilman Bernard Parks, whose 8th Council District includes the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Exposition Park.

Parks' plan calls for building a $500 million modern stadium inside the facade of the historic Coliseum, home of the 1932 and 1984 Summer Olympics, the Los Angeles Raiders from 1982-94 and the Los Angeles Rams from 1946-79.

There have been several proposals to bring an NFL team back to the Los Angeles area involving various venues, including the Rose Bowl, the Coliseum, an area near Dodger Stadium, downtown and Carson, but none have gained much traction.

USC's football team plays its home games at the Coliseum, but an NFL team hasn't played there since the Raiders returned to Oakland following the 1994 season.

"The city is economically, politically and structurally ready for a football team," said Parks's chief of staff, Bernard Parks Jr. "The city is waiting for the NFL's approval, instead of the NFL waiting on us, as has been the case in the past."

Anaheim's plans call for building a new football stadium within the city's "Platinum Triangle," bound by The Grove concert hall, Angel Stadium and the Arrowhead Pond, city spokesman John Nicoletti said.

Anaheim city officials have already approved an environmental impact report that would allow the $500 million proposed stadium to be built in the parking lot of Angels stadium.

"We're pleased that the commissioner is coming to the Anaheim-Los Angeles market to learn what the cities are doing to bring an NFL stadium here," Nicoletti said. "The mayor plans to share the plans that the city has in place, the growth of the Platinum Triangle, and the city's growth since the last time the city hosted an NFL team."

The Rams moved to St. Louis following the 1994 season after a 15-year stint in Anaheim.

Both cities have made strides in improving transportation routes and building new homes and businesses near their prospective stadium sites.

Last month, the Los Angeles City Council agreed to a plan that would allow for up to $25 million in local tax revenues generated by the Coliseum's renovation to pay for redevelopment projects around the stadium.

Parks said another lure for the NFL will be the creation of the Exposition light rail line, which is expected to have a stop at the Coliseum to accommodate football fans.

Nicoletti said Anaheim city officials recently approved zoning changes within the Platinum Triangle to allow for new development, including 11 high- rises for retail, restaurant and residential use.

In addition, the city already has a rail line with Metrolink and Amtrak trains that pass near the proposed stadium.

Parks and other representatives from Los Angeles are scheduled to attend the NFL owners' meeting Nov. 15 and 16 in Kansas City, Mo., to make their pitch for bringing a team to the Coliseum.

Nicoletti said Anaheim does not plan to send representatives to the owners' meeting, unless they are asked to attend.

Last month's scheduled owners' meeting was rescheduled due to the death of New York Giants owner Wellington Mara.

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