RULE CHANGE TABLED UNTIL AFTER ELECTION.

Byline: Rachel Uranga Staff Writer

SAN FERNANDO - A proposal to strengthen the city's conflict of interest rules was temporarily quashed this week when the council majority voted to postpone any changes until after the March 8 election.

The council on Tuesday voted down a proposal 3-2 that would have prohibited council members from participating in or voting on contracts to nonprofits that they either work for or serve on as board directors.

Under California law, city officials must only recuse themselves from a vote if they serve to economically benefit from that vote or if they sit on a board where the company will benefit. If they sit on a nonprofit and there is no financial gain from their vote, they don't have to recuse themselves.

Councilman Steve Veres first proposed the rules. He argues that too often council members either sitting on the boards of nonprofits or working for them use their influence to indirectly benefit from a group's gain.

``Law and ethics are very different and it's time to start a new level of ethics here,'' Veres said."

But others thought the timing was wrong ahead of the election.

``This is being used politically. If it has real merits, we can talk about it after the election,'' said Councilwoman Nury Martinez.

Rachel Uranga, [phone]

rachel.uranga(at)dailynews.com