From: cjones@physci.ucla.edu (Chad Jones)
Subject: L.A. City Council Joins Colorado Ban
X-UserAgent: Nuntius v1.1
Organization: UCLA Physiological Science
Date: 17 Dec 92 07:49:09 PST

From the 12/17/92 issue of the Los Angeles Times, retyped without
permission (of course).  What's especially interesting is the comment by
the head of CFV, who backed Amendment 2.

L.A. Hits Colorado With Bans Over Anti-Gay Measure

by Marc Lacey, Times Staff Writer

Joining a growing economic boycott of the state of Colorado, the Los
Angeles City Council on Wednesday moved to ban all official travel there
and restrict future contracts with Colorado-based companies as a protest
of the state's recently passed anti-homosexual law.

The council's unanimous vote--which follows similar travel bans passed in
New York, Atlanta, and Philadelphia--means Los Angeles will not reimburse
city employees for official trips to Colorado and will not enter into
some contracts with Colorado companies.

The protest is aimed at Amendment 2, an initiative passes Nov. 3 that
prohibits the Colorado Legislature and the state's counties and cities
from passing gay rights laws.

The council also voted to urge the U.S. Conference of Mayors to move its
annual conference, which is scheduled for Colorado Springs next June, to
the Los Angeles COnvention Center.  The executive committee of the
mayors' group will met this morning in Washington to consider relocating
the conference.

"This sends out a very clear message that we in Los Angeles will not
tolerate bigotry based on sexual preference," said Councilman Michael
Woo, who introduced the bans on travel and contracts.  "we're putting our
money where our mouth is."

The financial effect of the measures, however, was unclear and officials
acknowledged that Colorado was not a frequent travel destination for city
employees.

As for contracts, about 40 Colorado companies currently do business with
the city.  But the measure would apply only to future contracts that do
not require competitive bids, that is, agressments for professional
servicesa and other contacts lass than $25,000.

Supporters nonetheless argued that Colorado will feel the effect when the
council's action is combined with the growing number of communities and
companies endorsing the economic boycott.

"It's a powerful symbolic measure, which is critical," said Councilman
Joel Wachs.  "But it is more than just symbolic.  Moving the Conference
of Mayors to Los Angeles would take about $1 million from Colorado and
bring it here."

The head of the group that put Amendment 2 on the ballot, Will Perkins of
Colorado for Family Values, said in a telephone interview that the
council's vote is nothing mre than "blackmail."

"Boycotts can adversely affect Colorado, I know that," said Perkins, who
owns a Chrysler dealership in Colorado Springs that has been the subject
of a local boycott.  "But the fact is that the people of Colorado don't
like blackmail."

Although the boycotts must come back before the council for final
approval, one immediate effect of the council's vote is that City
Librarian Elizabeth Martinez and about a dozen members of her staff will
not attend the American Library Assn. mid-winter conference in Denver
next month at the city's expense.

Martinez, who sits on the associations's Intellectual Freedom Committee,
had planned on attending but she withdrew her request from the Library
Commission's agenda Wednesday.

In Colorado, officials are scrambling to keep the boycott from spreading.
 The Denver Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau has places an
advertisement in trade publicatons that says, "Denver is getting a black
eye."  Denver Mayor Wellington Webb toured New York City this month in an
unsuccessful attempt to stop that city from joining the travel boycott.

Colorado Springs Mayor Robert Iassc is smong those on the executive
committee of the mayors' group who will vote on moving the conference
from his city.  His spokesman, Terry McCann, said Wednesday: "People are
portraying us as ogres and we're not.  Not everyone in this state votd
for Amendment 2."

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Chad Jones                 | Do I need someone here to scold me or do I
Network Manager            | need someone who'll grab and pull me out of
UCLA Physiological Science | this four poster dull torpor pulling
cjones@physci.ucla.        | downward?                 -- 10,000 Maniacs
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