Council sticks to Arizona boycott, won't attend Phoenix conference

Councilman Ed Reyes, who introduced a motion that would have made an exception to the boycott, changed his mind after talking to his colleagues. "I believe in this boycott. I believe it's made a difference," he said. City Maven says it's unclear how much money the city will lose because of registration fees already paid to the National League of Cities Congress in Phoenix.

It has been about a year and a half since Reyes and then-Councilwoman Janice Hahn introduced a resolution to ban business with Arizona because of SB 1070, which allows Arizona law enforcement officers to inquire about a person's immigration status regardless of whether the person has committed a crime. When the City Attorney's Office released a draft ordinance codifying that language in June, Reyes said it contained too many exemptions and was not in line with the policy set by the council. The proposed ordinance remains in committee.

Earlier: Council voted for Arizona boycott - now it wants to be exempted