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Solvang council asks staff to study mayor’s business after councilmember raises conflict concerns
Summary
A councilmember urged staff to investigate whether the mayor’s tourism app creates a conflict of interest; the council—after legal counsel said no action could be taken tonight—directed staff to bring back a future agenda item to evaluate possible remedies and governance options.
A Solvang councilmember on Tuesday said they were surprised to learn the mayor is launching a private tourism business and asked the council to direct staff to investigate potential conflicts of interest and consider steps such as a cease-and-desist.
Councilmember (voice 7) told colleagues the mayor “is the CEO of this business that is building an application that acts as a concierge through the city of Solvang,” and said the product “is marketing to our 1,500,000 visitors” and that the mayor “is asking for those businesses to pay him $250 a month.” The speaker said that arrangement could create “areas of confusion” for local businesses and questioned whether city assets or branding could be used in ways that advantage some businesses over others.
City Attorney (voice 6) advised the council that because the issue was not on the agenda no formal action could be taken at the meeting, but a majority of council members could direct staff to place an item on a future agenda. After discussion the council indicated a majority wanted staff to return with options for handling the matter; the attorney clarified staff would research next steps rather than take immediate enforcement action.
Mayor David Brown, who later recused himself from a separate agenda item about city branding because of his business interests, said the app is “an embryonic business” and defended his transparency. Brown said the app — described during the meeting as the “Solvang Passport” — is available for anyone to download and that he had received counsel and communications about subscriptions and pricing; he said, “there's been no… conflict of interest.”
Councilmembers asked staff to return with a report explaining what actions are within the city’s authority, what disclosure requirements apply, and how any potential conflicts would be managed. The city attorney noted staff cannot enforce or investigate private businesses in the manner requested without council direction and that any formal action would need to be placed on a future agenda.
