Rose Bowl files restraining order to block UCLA move to SoFi Stadium

The city of Pasadena and the Rose Bowl Operating Co. on Monday sought a preliminary injunction and temporary restraining order in Los Angeles County Superior Court aimed at preventing UCLA from leaving the Rose Bowl or terminating its stadium lease until ongoing litigation against the school is resolved.

The filing asserts that the plaintiffs would suffer “immediate and irreparable harm if the status quo is not preserved during the pendency of this trial.” A hearing is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday morning.

Last week, the plaintiffs filed a lawsuit to force the Bruins to honor the terms of the lease that requires them to stay at the Rose Bowl until the end of the 2043 season.

UCLA responded in a statement that it was still evaluating options for its football venue, although a person familiar with the university’s thinking on the matter later confirmed to the Times that if the Bruins decided to move to SoFi Stadium, they would want to do so for the 2026 season.

In their Monday filing, the plaintiffs argued that “there is no way to sugarcoat it: UCLA has confirmed its imminent departure, seriously destabilizing plaintiffs’ core operations. Those operations are structured around and dependent on UCLA. Without confirmation that UCLA intends to honor its contractual commitments – at least for the duration of this litigation – plaintiffs are deprived of the ability to plan and manage the stadium schedule and their ongoing business operations, including cultivating and securing future business partners and opportunities, staff retention, and maintaining trust among the many vendors and sponsors who rely on UCLA Football.

“The precedent that UCLA is setting is equally troubling. Public-private partnerships in stadiums and arenas, and the financing that makes them possible, rely on long-term, enforceable contracts, with terms that typically track the public debt incurred. UCLA’s attempt to break its contract decades early seriously undermines these structures.”