The city is investigating Craig Beck, the head of the city’s development services and redevelopment agency, after local media scrutinized a discounted hotel stay in Napa with lobbyist Mike Murchison.
According to the Times, City Manager Pat West put Beck on leave after the city attorney last week presented an initial review of Beck’s activities, which confirmed Beck had taken other trips with Murchison and raised more questions about their relationship.
“This is a public trust issue, and it’s fair and appropriate,” West said in an interview, according to the Times. “Certainly there was nothing illegal, but . . . I require all of my employees to conduct themselves with the highest ethical standards and I take that very seriously.”
Murchison is a lobbyist for a company that owns the Napa hotel and has been seeking approval from Beck’s office for a 125-room hotel in Long Beach, according to the article.
–