Pasadena taxpayers waiting for clarity on UCLA football's future at the Rose Bowl will have to wait at least six more weeks.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Joseph Lipner continued the case management conference in the city's lawsuit against UCLA to Wednesday, September 2, while he considers remaining motions in the case, according to Pasadena Now. The parties did not appear in court Wednesday, July 22, as previously scheduled; instead, the judge issued the continuance without oral argument.

The delay extends a legal fight with enormous financial stakes for Pasadena. According to the lawsuit, taxpayers funded more than $150 million in stadium renovations and refinanced approximately $130 million in bonds tied to capital improvements at the city-owned Rose Bowl. The suit alleges UCLA's departure could cost the city and its residents more than $1 billion in damages.

The City of Pasadena and the Rose Bowl Operating Company sued the University of California Regents on October 29, 2025, seeking to enforce a lease signed in 2010 and amended in 2014. The agreement contains no early termination clause and requires the Bruins to play home football games at the Rose Bowl through June 30, 2044. It also bars UCLA from playing home games at another venue in Los Angeles or Orange counties.

Plaintiffs later added Kroenke Sports & Entertainment LLC and Stadco LA LLC, entities affiliated with SoFi Stadium, as defendants, alleging they interfered with the lease.

Judge Lipner has largely sided with the city on procedural questions. In early June 2026, he permitted claims for breach of contract, anticipatory repudiation, declaratory relief, breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, and tortious interference to move forward. He dismissed only a promissory estoppel claim. He also denied UCLA's anti-SLAPP motion and earlier rejected the university's request to send the dispute to arbitration.

Discovery in the case produced text messages between Kevin Demoff, an executive with Kroenke Sports & Entertainment and the Los Angeles Rams, and former UCLA Vice Chancellor Steve Agostini. In one message, Demoff wrote to Agostini: "good luck tonight, next year at SoFi!" Another exchange discussed touring SoFi Stadium "to see how we would make next season work."

UCLA has disputed the city's claims and denied it breached the lease. The university announced in February 2026 that the Bruins would play the 2026 season at the Rose Bowl amid the litigation.

City spokeswoman Lisa Derderian declined to comment on the case or on published reports earlier in July 2026 that the two sides had entered settlement talks.

According to Pasadena Now, the September 2 conference is scheduled to address case management and discovery issues, not the merits of whether UCLA must remain at the Rose Bowl.