San Gabriel Valley : SEASON TICKET HOLDERS, SIT TIGHT

The Rose Bowl Operating Co. said it will delay seating renovations for the 73-year-old Pasadena stadium until 1997, leaving temporarily intact 3,000 seats planned for removal.

As part of a $20-million renovation, old bench seating will be replaced with theater-type chairs, said Al Moses, president of the operating company. But making the stadium more comfortable and wheelchair accessible means the 100,000-seat arena will have to accommodate fewer fans.

Seat reconfiguration is still being designed, but most proposals would change seating where season ticket holders have seats, said Jim Steivers, chairman of the company’s construction committee.

Because renewal orders for season ticket holders go out in March, UCLA officials asked that the Rose Bowl delay seat changes until after the 1996 season, a UCLA official said.

The stadium hopes renovations will entice UCLA to sign a new lease with the Rose Bowl once its lease expires this year. So far, UCLA has been quiet on the issue, but plans for new seating, as well as a new scoreboard and concession stands, are underway, Steivers said.