City Hasn’t Given Up on Rams Yet : Pro sports: Mayor Daly reassures team VP Shaw that Anaheim is still working to keep the franchise in town.

Mayor Tom Daly met with a top Los Angeles Rams official Thursday to “keep the lines of communication open” and reassure the team that the city is still trying to keep the team in town.

Daly said John Shaw, the executive vice president of the Rams, “was neither really encouraging or discouraging” about the prospect of the team staying in Anaheim after the upcoming season.

The mayor said he did not discuss specific proposals with Shaw during the 45-minute meeting.

Shaw could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Recently, Daly and some business leaders, including sports agent Leigh Steinberg and former Disneyland President Jack L. Lindquist, have formed a “Save the Rams” committee to explore ways of enticing the football team to stay in Orange County.

Lindquist and Steinberg also have tentatively scheduled a meeting with Shaw for Tuesday. Daly said any plan to keep the Rams here must have the participation of the private sector.

Meanwhile, city officials are quietly working on plans to overhaul Anaheim Stadium to make it more profitable for the Rams and the California Angels baseball team, as well as examining ways to finance construction of a new stadium.

The Rams are soliciting offers from other cities throughout the country, including Baltimore and St. Louis, which want to lure the team away from Anaheim. Shaw has said the team’s current financial arrangement and stadium are inferior to what other cities can offer.

The Rams in May exercised a 15-month escape clause in their Anaheim Stadium lease. The notice can be revoked within that period. A source close to the Rams said the team may make a decision as early as September to move to another city.