Rose Bowl, Pasadena suing UCLA for allegedly trying to relocate football games to SoFi Stadium

The City of Pasadena and the Rose Bowl are suing UCLA for allegedly attempting to break its lease and move football games to SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, according to the Los Angeles Times. The current contract is supposed to keep the Bruins at the Rose Bowl through the 2044 season.

The suit accuses UCLA of a "profound betrayal of trust" as the university seeks to relocate its football games to SoFi Stadium. Pasadena officials claim that taxpayers have funded more than $150 million in renovations, and the city refinanced $130 million in bonds for improvements.

The complaint alleges that UCLA football leaving Inglewood could cause more than a billion dollars in monetary damages to Pasadena and its residents. The suit argues that UCLA's pursuit of money will destroy a key touchstone of the community.

"This lawsuit arises in an era when money too often eclipses meaning and the pursuit of profit threatens to erase the very traditions that breathe life into institutions," the filing reads, per the LA Times. "Some commitments are too fundamental to be traded away."

The filing also includes a letter from UCLA's outside counsel, David L. Scrader, to Pasadena attorney Nima Mohebbi. In it, Schrader argues that the school has not breached its contract by having "preliminary discussions" about relocation.

Schrader also wrote that UCLA "continues to evaluate strategic goals and how to be fiscally responsible and best fulfill its mission."

UCLA has played its home games at the Rose Bowl for the last 43 years after becoming a tenant in 1982. The stadium is roughly 26 miles from campus, and the team has struggled with attendance in recent years, although the team's struggles on the field over the last couple years hasn't helped in that regard.

SoFi Stadium is roughly 13 miles from UCLA's stadium, and it already houses two NFL teams, the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers.