Fans enter the stadium ahead of last week's USC-UCLA matchup at the Rose Bowl. (James Santelli/Neon Tommy)

Pasadena's city council tentatively voted early Tuesday to double the number of events that can be held at the Rose Bowl, clearly the way for an NFL team to take advantage of the iconic stadium until a permanent home such as Farmer's Field is finished. The city sees the rent an NFL team might pay as an opportunity to close a $50 million deficit in funding for renovations to the stadium.

An NFL spokesman told the L.A. Times that the league has not held recent discussions with officials from either the Rose Bowl or the L.A. Coliseum.

Pasadena also approved an environmental impact report that examined the traffic and noise impacts, among other points, as a result of increasing the number of Rose Bowl events. Many of the 48 speakers at Monday night's meeting worried about some of those negative effects.

An NFL team could announce a move to L.A. as early as the spring, though the move would not happen in time for next season.

Like reporter Paresh Dave on Facebook, follow him on Twitter, circle him on Google+ or send him an e-mail.