House of Blues Dispute Sounds Political Note : West Hollywood: Councilman accuses mayor of conflict of interest in accepting campaign donations from controversial nightclub.

What was once a neighborhood controversy over the popular nightspot House of Blues is now fueling a political fight in West Hollywood City Hall.

Neighbors have bitterly complained of traffic, noise and parking problems at the Sunset Boulevard nightclub and restaurant since it opened in May. Last week, West Hollywood City Manager Paul Brotzman took the unusual step of publicly defending his staff’s response to the complaints before a crowded and testy meeting of the Planning Commission, which is now threatening to hold hearings on revoking the club’s permit.

This week, the issue sparked a political battle when freshman City Councilman Steve Martin accused Mayor Abbe Land of a conflict of interest on the issue because she accepted almost $13,000 in cash and in-kind contributions from House of Blues and its construction manager during her unsuccessful bid last spring for state Assembly.

Martin suggested that had it not been for such donations, the city might have been more responsive to neighborhood complaints about the nightclub.

“There is the absolute appearance of a conflict of interest here,” Martin said. “It’s very difficult to believe that these contributions did not impact the city’s deliberations on House of Blues.”

Land confirmed that her campaign received the donations but denied any favoritism for House of Blues. “I don’t see it as a conflict of interest, given that I reported everything (on campaign disclosure forms) and have been quite upfront (that House of Blues must meet all of its permit requirements),” she said.

Martin, elected to the five-member City Council in April, has formed a loose coalition with two other council members, Paul Koretz and Sal Guarriello. The three have often been at odds with Land, who has wielded much influence in the city, along with Councilman John Heilman, a frequent ally.

According to campaign finance records, Land’s largest campaign contribution during the reporting period that began Jan. 1 and ended March 17 was a $5,000 donation made Feb. 8 by House of Blues. In May, House of Blues hosted a campaign reception for Land that amounted to an additional in-kind contribution of $5,389.

And Boston-based CT Management Inc., which managed the construction of House of Blues, gave the Land campaign $2,500 last December. The nightclub’s developers were thus among Land’s biggest backers during the hotly contested 42nd District Assembly primary race.

Land was not the only West Hollywood council member to receive campaign money from House of Blues. The nightspot, founded by restaurateur Isaac Tigrett, gave $3,250 to Paul Koretz, one of Land’s opponents in the Assembly primary. Koretz did not return a phone call seeking comment.

The City Council approved the basic plan for House of Blues, a couple of years ago but the club has not yet met all of the conditions for its permanent occupancy permit. Community activists have argued that the city allowed House of Blues to open without sufficient parking, which severely disrupted traffic in the area.

Last week’s 4 1/2-hour Planning Commission meeting included testimony by neighbors who blamed House of Blues patrons for a sharp increase in traffic, early morning noise and auto vandalism. The seven commissioners directed pointed questions to Brotzman and House of Blues general manager Steve Strauss about the nightclub’s impact on the neighborhood. Brotzman told the commission that the city had underestimated the popularity of House of Blues and was working to correct parking and noise problems.

The Planning Commission is scheduled to resume discussion of problems related to House of Blues on Dec. 15.

Staff writer Nancy Hill-Holtzman contributed to this story.