GOLDBERG URGES SCOUT BOYCOTT.

Byline: Rick Orlov Staff Writer

Councilwoman Jackie Goldberg on Thursday called on the city of Los Angeles to sever its ties with the Boy Scouts of America because the youth group can exclude troop leaders and Scouts on the grounds of religion or sexual orientation.

Goldberg, who chairs the City Council's Personnel Committee, said she is concerned about the Boy Scouts' policies and whether it profits from the Los Angeles Police Department's Explorer Program.

``Some people tell me this is frivolous and we should look at all the good things the Boy Scouts does,'' said Goldberg, who is a lesbian. ``But, it is not OK with me, and I don't believe this city or this council wants to give anyone the idea we approve of the policies of the Boy Scouts.''

The LAPD Explorer Program - involving some 480 young people over the age of 14 - pays $7 per cadet to a subsidiary of the Boy Scouts called Learning for Life. That money goes for insurance, officials said.

Goldberg said she wants to know if any of that money does end up with the Boy Scouts organization, which earlier this year won a lawsuit in New Jersey in which it was allowed as a private organization to limit the participation of gays and also could prohibit membership based on religious reasons.

Joey Robinson, a spokesman for the Los Angeles council of the Boy Scouts, said his organization had not been informed of Goldberg's intention, but said the subsidiary was separate from the Boy Scouts.

``None of the issues that apply to the Boy Scouts affect the Learning for Life program,'' Robinson said. ``We can have girls, gays and people who don't have to subscribe to religious things. We definitely want to go in and explain to the council how we operate.''

Goldberg also ordered city staff to report on any other connections the city might have with the Boy Scouts, such as leases for park facilities.

The LAPD has had a relationship with the Boy Scouts for more than 30 years, Police Chief Bernard C. Parks wrote in a letter to a council committee.

The LAPD Explorer program is designed to encourage young people to seek law enforcement careers, and the association with the Boy Scouts allows for a cost-effective use of facilities, training and insurance, Parks said.

Parks said the Explorer program does not discriminate.

Goldberg said her concern is the city appearing to sanction any discrimination.

``If this was a case of discriminating against an African-American, there wouldn't even be a discussion,'' Goldberg said. ``Or of an Asian- American. Or because someone is short. We cannot tolerate any discrimination.''

Martha Matthews, an attorney from the American Civil Liberties Union, urged Goldberg also to seek a written statement from the Learning for Life group confirming it does not discriminate on any grounds.

Encino resident Gerald A. Silver said he disagreed with Goldberg's views about the organization.

``Jackie Goldberg is flat-out wrong,'' said Silver, who said he was a Cub Scout leader in North Hollywood in the 1970s. ``She is actually trying to force her will and her personal prejudices and beliefs onto the public issue, and that's not her role as a councilwoman.''

Staff Writer Orith Goldberg contributed to this report.