Bar Members Target Convention Venue in San Diego Boycott

Members of the San Fernando Valley Bar Association joined with other local bar associations to boycott the official venue of the State Bar of California’s annual meeting in San Diego. The members refused to stay at the Manchester Grand Hyatt because of its owner’s support of Proposition 8, the anti-gay-marriage ballot measure that narrowly won passage last year. In carefully worded language, the Valley bar association’s statement of support stopped short of calling for members to boycott the property, owned by so-called “Proposition 8 mega-donor,” Doug Manchester. The resolution that was adopted said it supported members’ decisions to boycott. The bar itself did not officially boycott the property. “The SFVBA supports the Conference of Delegates in their decision to meet at another location other than the Manchester Hyatt due to the issues raised by the LGBT boycott, and we support any member of the bar association who chooses not to support the State Bar convention,” read the resolution. “We left it up to individual members to decide for themselves,” said San Fernando Valley Bar Association CEO Elizabeth Post. “And, we also supported the delegates of the Conference of Delegates, which is made up of members of regional bar associations from all over the state, and their decision to meet at another location.” According to Post, some SFVBA members attended state bar events that were held at the Manchester Hyatt, but chose to stay in rooms at other hotels, while others boycotted the venue altogether, opting only to attend the Conference of Delegates meeting off-site. “Historically, we have been a relatively conservative bar,” said Post. “So, I think this is significant.” The resolution was adopted 15-1, with one abstention.