CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : SAN FRANCISCO : State Barred From Viewing Club Roll

The state Supreme Court refused to let state tax officials see membership records of an exclusive private club in San Francisco. The Franchise Tax Board had sought the membership list of the Pacific-Union Club to allow tax audits that would determine whether members were illegally claiming expenses at the club as tax deductions. State law forbids business tax deductions for payments to clubs that discriminate on various grounds, including age and sex. The 980-member club limits membership to those over age 25. The tax board also said the club barred women as members, but an appellate court said the evidence on that issue was not conclusive.