Head of West L.A. Chamber angers rivals with tactics.

Restaurateur Jay Handal has made a name for himself as a gadfly on L.A.'s Westside, battling dedicated bus lanes and trying to set up a convention and visitors' bureau to rival the downtown group.

Along the way, he's angered quite a few people. And now, as president of the West L.A. Chamber of Commerce, he is at it again.

This time, Handal is using the mailing lists of both the Santa Monica and Culver City chambers of commerce (he is a member of both) to attract new members to his West L.A. group.

"It's a misuse of our database," said Kathryn Dodson, president of the Santa Monica chamber. Members are supposed to use the roster to promote their own businesses, she said, not other organizations.

Handal says he did nothing wrong. "We're doing something we thought it was in our legal right to do," he said. "All we're doing is marketing to each other, which happens on a regular basis with chambers."

But even some members inside the West L.A. chamber are crying foul. "It sounds very wrong that we are using their rosters to go after their members," said board member Jack Berlin.

Dodson argues that while Handal is a member of the Santa Monica chamber through his restaurant, San Gennaro Cafe in Culver City, the West L.A. Chamber is not a member--and thus cannot use the mailing list. She said the policy protects members from excessive solicitation.

Steven Rose, president of the Culver City Chamber of Commerce. said his organization has a similar policy.

Both chambers sent out e-mails to their members, explaining their policies and apologizing.

Leadership questions

The West Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce has always been considered a bit of a black sheep, not having a distinct geographic area to cling to or a political power base, such as a city hall.

The chamber has gone through numerous identities, dating back to 1945, when it was called the Businessmen's Association of Rancho Park. In 1989, its name was changed to the Westside Chamber of Commerce to reflect its focus on Westwood, Mar Vista. Palms and West Los Angeles, and in 1996 it merged with the West L.A. Chamber of Commerce and kept that name.

Along the way, the organization has tried to absorb other communities, such as Brentwood. "They're an amoeba-like organization," Rose said.

The West L.A. Chamber began aggressively ramping up its membership under the leadership of Handal, who took over five years ago, and a new membership director. John Slowick, who arrived a year later. In the past four years, the chamber says it has grown from 77 members to nearly 1,200.

While the numbers have grown, there are questions about Handal's effectiveness.

"He's a wannabe leader," said Laura Lake, president of Save Westwood Village and owner of Lake & Lake Consulting Inc. "The point is that he doesn't seem to keep his commitments. He's not a consistent, reliable advocate for his constituency."

Handal said the organization will have no trouble raising enough revenue to meet its budget of $500,000, noting significant revenue growth by offering memberships for as low as $100 per year. The lowest prices Santa Monica and Culver City chambers charge are $275 and $225, respectively.

As for protocol, Leron Gubler, president of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, said there are no real industry rules, but chambers know not to use another's list to beef up membership. "It is something that would be frowned upon," Gubler said.

At the Culver City Chamber, Rose hopes some good will come out of the dispute. He said he has asked the Western Association of Chamber Executives to put a discussion of chamber ethics on the agenda of the association's spring meeting.

"All chamber professional managers believe members should join as many chambers as is good for them," Rose said. "But should one chamber go out and aggressively recruit other chambers' members?"

Handal said he had heard that Dodson plans to terminate his membership, but he has not received an official notice. "My attorney is just waiting for a termination letter. That would be the last straw for me," he said.

Dodson refused to comment about whether she planned to kick Handal out, saying that the board would discuss the issue.