Tuesday, April 1, 2003 CVB won't have to disclose   By Jason Gewirtz, Staff writer L.B.: Visitors board members not required to fill out financial conflict statements, council says. LONG BEACH The City Council on Tuesday exempted Long Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau board directors from filing conflict-of-interest statements, reversing an earlier decision that would have required the board to file. In a 5-3 vote, the council decided that CVB board members served a different function than members of other city commissions that are required to file economic interest forms. The vote passed after the council deadlocked on an initial proposal to seek an opinion from the state's Fair Political Practices Commission. On March 4, the council mandated members of all city commissions to file Form 700s, a state form requiring people who make government decisions to list their investments, property ownership and other financial information. The forms are designed to identify potential conflicts of interest before votes occur. Members of roughly 15 city commissions and the CVB board did not file the forms before the March 4 decision. While the March 4 vote technically required all city commissions to file, the city attorney's office later asked the council to clarify its intentions for the CVB board. Unlike most other city commissions whose members are appointed by the council, the CVB board elects its own members. The bureau, however, receives an annual $3.7 million city contract to promote tourism and conventions for the city. Vice Mayor Frank Colonna requested clarification on the issue Tuesday. Despite being exempt from filing the forms, CVB board members are still required to recuse themselves from votes in which they have a potential conflict. Some council members said that was reason enough not to require the additional forms. "What we're saying to them by this is we don't trust you,' Councilman Dennis Carroll said. CVB board members have expressed concern that the requirement to file the forms could detract people from serving on the board. Several residents urged the council to include the CVB board in an effort at government transparency. Resident Bry Myown said the city should seek an opinion from the FPPC, which created the Form 700s. The FPPC in a recent case required the Huntington Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau board to file the conflict forms. Resident John Donaldson said that since the CVB board makes decisions with city money, it should be required to file the same forms as any other commission. "To say they are independent, I don't know, it's like calling a chicken a duck,' he said. Before the council's vote, Councilman Val Lerch requested the council refer the CVB issue to the council's Economic Development and Finance Committee for further study. He also sought an FPPC ruling. Lerch's motion failed on a 4-4 vote. Council members Dan Baker, Laura Richardson and Tonia Reyes Uranga joined him in supporting the measure. Colonna, Carroll and council members Jackie Kell and Rob Webb were opposed. Councilwoman Bonnie Lowenthal did not attend the meeting. Richardson later reversed her vote and agreed with Colonna, Carroll, Kell and Webb to exempt the CVB board members. Afterward, she said there are still some outstanding issues regarding the CVB's role that should be addressed before the city renews the group's annual contract in October. "In the meantime,' she said of the exemption, "it allows us to move forward.'