Buck Wargo
CITY HALL -- The Glendale Human Relations Coalition is mulling
whether to ask the city to ban giving federal block grant funds to
organizations that discriminate based on sexual orientation and age.
The coalition voted overwhelmingly Thursday to set up a four-member
committee to do a brief review and bring back suggestions on whether the
proposal should be further studied by the organization.
The Boy Scouts of America was never mentioned during the meeting, but
it is one organization that could be affected if Glendale were to expand
its criteria on the distribution of federal funds. The organization
excludes openly gay men from its ranks and was backed in its policy by a
Supreme Court decision issued in June.
In 1999, the Verdugo Hills Council of the Boy Scouts received $15,000
for its after-school program to keep kids out of trouble. The Glendale
Ararat Chapter of the Homenetmen, which is affiliated with the Boy
Scouts, receives $14,000 to $16,000 a year for its summer basketball
program.
Coalition member Tricia Roth, who will chair the committee, told the
group Thursday that Glendale follows 1964 federal guidelines that don't
allow discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national
origin. Age and sexual orientation are not covered under the guidelines
but can be broadened by cities, she said.
"It has been my observation the city has given money in the past to
organizations who discriminate, and I would like to see that not happen,"
Roth said after the meeting.
Whether Roth gets the support of the full coalition to take a position
on the city's distribution of hundreds of thousands of dollars remains to
be seen.
One member, Bob Yousefian, said it was a waste of time to the debate
the issue because the coalition is dealing with ethnic tensions and other
issues in the wake of student Raul Aguirre in May.
"Kids are getting killed," Yousefian said. "Let's worry about saving
lives."
Glendale Councilwoman Ginger Bremberg said she has no interest in
changing the city practices for how it doles out the funds. She said the
coalition is wasting its time, and that the Supreme Court has spoken.
"They are using a commission as an excuse for political correctness,"
Bremberg said. "Why don't they get to the real human relations problems."
Pat Liddell, past president of the Verdugo Hills Council, said it
would be wrong for the city to exclude the organization from getting
money.
"I would be disappointed if they were trying to do this on the basis
of the Supreme Court decision," Liddell said. "We have a number of
wonderful program to benefit the community."
