Despite Asia snub, L.A. tourism chief has his backers. (Up Front).

Two political powerhouses are pulling for George Kirkland, head of the Los Angeles Convention & Visitors Bureau, to keep his job.

After Mayor James Hahn failed to include Kirkland on the guest list for his 10-day jaunt to Asia and after months of criticism over his performance, Bill Wardlaw and Miguel Contreras, both Hahn pals and members of the bureau's executive board, did some arm twisting and got Kirkland on the Japanese portion of the trip, according to a bureau board member.

"I don't think they realized the importance of George's stature in Japan," the board member said.

The intervention by Wardlaw, an attorney and powerful political advisor, and Contreras, head of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, is an indication that Kirkland may have more staying power than many had anticipated.

Hahn has said he is dissatisfied with the performance of the visitors bureau, which is charged with attracting conventions to the city and promoting tourism. Many in the tourism business believe the mayor will exert pressure on the agency's board to replace Kirkland.

Promoting Kirkland for the trip is seen as a way to show Hahn that Kirkland has the necessary Japanese contacts to make things happen.

"I think they realized the importance of George's stature there and his ability to deal with the Japanese authorities," said Contreras.

Japanese tourists are the No. 1 overseas travelers to Los Angeles, with more than 500,000 visiting last year.

Showcasing Kirkland's strengths is part of an informal public relations campaign Wardlaw and Contreras have waged during a pivotal time for Kirkland, according to various sources.

While a handful of downtown hotel managers have called for Kirkland's resignation, there is no indication that a replacement with Kirkland's contacts could be found.

"There are people who say they want to see George go, but who would they replace him with that has his experience and stature in the industry?" asked one board member.

On national panel

Kirkland's omission from the Asia trip surprised some local tourism and hotel officials since he has spent years cultivating contacts within the insular Japanese tourism industry.

He's so well-known in Japan that in May, Commerce Secretary Don Evans asked Kirkland to co-chair, with John Marriott of Marriott International Inc., a special task force to stimulate travel between the two countries.

After the intervention of the two LACVB board members, Kirkland ended up taking part in the day-and-a-half Japanese leg of the Asia trip.

The initial snub from City Hall, coming at a time when Japanese travel to L.A. has plummeted to nearly half its 1997 level, adds another layer of controversy to Kirkland's 12-year tenure at the embattled agency.

Privately, some board members said they were told that Hahn felt uncomfortable about bringing the tourism official along because the mayor has become doubtful about Kirkland's leadership and ability to draw big-name conventions to town.

While Kirkland was in Tokyo, he attended a dinner with Japanese tour operators after actor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Kazuhisa Ishii kicked off the "See My L.A." campaign intended to lure Japanese tourists back to Los Angeles.

"He was there to be the familiar face from Los Angeles introducing, new faces," said Michael Collins, the LACVB's executive vice president.

Kirkland did not return calls for comment.

Some local hoteliers felt Kirkland's presence was essential.

"Everybody thought it was very insulting to George not to at least invite him on the Japanese part of the trip," said John Stoddard, general manager of the Wilshire Grand Hotel and an LACVB board member.

After a post-trip press conference last week, Hahn dodged a question about Kirkland's future by quickly walking away with his staff and security guards.

Under Kirkland's watch, the bureau has been criticized for awarding bonuses to its sales staff for booking conventions that later were canceled. Convention bookings will be down by nearly half next year versus this year.

The LACVB has also been criticized for spending lavish amounts to entertain travel executives and tour operators such as an $835,000 dinner in Glasgow, Scotland, for 3,000 tour operators.

After the nine downtown hotel managers requested that Kirkland step down in early October, the LACVB president tendered his resignation to the executive board, which then rejected it.

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