Beautiful California town known as ‘Danish capital of America’ tears itself apart over controversial project
The California town of Solvang, known as the 'Danish capital of America', is divided over a tourism app owned by its mayor, which has raised concerns about conflicts of interest and ethics. The app, called 'Solvang Passport', promotes selected businesses and attractions in the town, and some City Council members argue that the mayor's involvement creates an ethical problem. The controversy has led to the City Council approving stricter ethics rules, including new financial disclosure requirements and a formal process for investigating alleged ethics violations.
- ▪The Solvang City Council voted 4-1 to strengthen ethics rules for elected officials in response to the controversy surrounding the tourism app.
- ▪The app, 'Solvang Passport', is owned by Solvang's mayor and promotes selected businesses and attractions in the town, with participating businesses expected to pay $249 per month.
- ▪The controversy has raised concerns about conflicts of interest and whether a sitting mayor should operate a business targeting the same visitors as publicly funded city marketing campaigns.
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| Original publisher | California Post |
| Canonical URL | https://nypost.com/2026/06/10/us-news/solvang-californias-danish-capital-of-america-tears-itself-apart-over-mayors-controversial-tourism-app/ |
| Publication time | Wed, 10 Jun 2026 19:29:42 -0400 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-06-10T23:39:42.885Z |
| Last seen | 2026-06-10T23:39:42.885Z |
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Metro Beautiful California town known as ‘Danish capital of America’ tears itself apart over controversial project By Nina Joudeh Published June 10, 2026, 7:29 p.m. ET See more of our coverage in your search results. Add The California Post on Google A bitter fight over a tourism app owned and developed by Solvang’s mayor has divided the Danish-themed California town for months, culminating this week in a major ethics overhaul and new accusations of conflicts of interest at City Hall. The dispute centers on ”Solvang Passport” that promotes selected businesses and attractions in the popular Santa Barbara County destination — often called the “Danish capital of America.” 4 A bitter fight over a tourism app owned by Solvang’s mayor has divided the Danish-themed California town for months.
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