Campbell Leads Legislative Junket in N.Y.C. : Legislature: The state senator is visiting financial and cultural institutions in the Big Apple shortly before he leaves office.

Barely a month before he is expected to leave office for a high-paying private job, state Sen. William Campbell (R-Hacienda Heights) is leading a weeklong legislative junket to New York City that includes as part of the agenda a tour of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

As chairman of the Joint Legislative Budget Committee, Campbell is heading a delegation of six legislators--five senators and Assembly Speaker Willie Brown--who were sent to New York this week at taxpayer’s expense to ask investment bankers what California political leaders need to do to hold onto the AAA rating for state government bonds.

But an itinerary of the New York trip, released at the request of The Times, also shows that as part of their official duties, Campbell and his committee staff met with Metropolitan Museum President William Lueres to tour the world-renowned institution Wednesday.

Thomas A. Burns, staff director of the joint budget committee, said Wednesday evening that he arranged the museum tour at the specific request of Campbell, who has a “personal interest” in the cultural institution because he is a board member of the California Museum of Science & Industry in Los Angeles’ Exposition Park.

“It was his desire to have a better sense of how museums work,” Burns said. “If we can have quality museums in California, it will help provide better quality of life for everybody in California.”

In addition, Burns said that Campbell and his wife, Margene, have taken time off this week to see the the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall and “The Heidi Chronicles,” a Broadway production that received the 1989 Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize for the year’s best play. Tickets to the events were not put on the taxpayers’ tab, Burns added.

Informed of Campbell’s trip, a spokesman for California Common Cause accused the Orange County senator Wednesday of taking advantage of his elected position just before he steps down next month to take a new job as president of the California Manufacturers Assn., a powerful Sacramento trade group.

“I think it’s safe to say that there’s at least an appearance that there is a free ride, a final journey of sorts, for a senator who may feel that this is what the state owes him for his service,” said Mark Haarer, acting director of the public interest group.

“I don’t think we owe Senator Campbell anything at this point,” said Haarer. “What he owes taxpayers is an immediate resignation from his position and a refusal to embark on any future trips that may be of such lavish cost to all taxpayers.”

When Campbell announced his resignation Oct. 26, Common Cause criticized the senator for not stepping down immediately instead of early January as he plans. Campbell told reporters that he wanted to stay on to “clear up” a number of legislative endeavors.

One of those is the New York trip, which Burns explained Wednesday is an annual trek taken by a number of state legislators to huddle with members of the New York financial community that assign ratings and help sell state government bonds. Campbell’s joint legislative committee began making arrangements for the trip three years ago, and preparations for this week’s excursion to New York City were made in August, Burns said.

Accompanying Campbell this week are Sen. Robert G. Beverly (R-Manhattan Beach); Sen. Alfred E. Alquist (D-San Jose); Sen. Nicholas C. Petris (D-Oakland); Sen. Ken Maddy (R-Fresno); and Assembly Speaker Brown. Several of the senators brought their wives along.

The group began arriving in New York Saturday and Sunday, and each senator is booked in suites that cost at least $350 a night in the exclusive Park Lane Hotel, a hotel clerk confirmed Wednesday.

During the week, the group has been scheduled to meet with representatives of the Fitch Investors Service bond-rating firm and four bond houses, including Drexel Burnham Lambert. In addition, Campbell’s group has scheduled meetings with officials from the Pfizer Corp., Philip Morris and U.S. Tobacco to discuss the firms’ concerns about the state’s increased tobacco tax.

Such meetings, said Maddy, are crucial for keeping up good relations and communication with bond house officials, whose highest AAA rating on state government bonds helps save taxpayers millions of dollars in annual interest payments.

In return, the Legislature’s fiscal leaders also learn plenty from the New York financial community, he said. “We learn a tremendous amount, we learn how we should and can react in order to keep California strong and viable,” Maddy said.

Asked if the same would apply to Campbell, who has already announced he is leaving public office, Maddy said: “I don’t begrudge him the fact that he’s back here or that he’s going to be a great benefit to California in his new role.”

Burns also said the public would benefit indirectly by financing Campbell’s visit this week.

“I think Sen. Campbell is going to provide service to the Legislature as an adviser and a longtime friend to the members,” said Burns, who added that expenses for Campbell’s wife would not be paid by the state.

Despite the schedule of important meetings, Campbell’s group also has plenty of time to enjoy itself. With bond houses in the morning and corporate executives at dinner, the itinerary called for the lawmakers to take every afternoon off.

On Wednesday, for example, the group met with Kidder, Peabody & Co. representatives over breakfast and then went on to the museum for the tour.

“We went to about noon (and) everybody went their separate ways,” said Maddy. “My wife and I did some shopping.”

The schedule for Campbell’s group also calls for the legislators to stay an extra night and return home Friday morning, although their last official meeting with Drexel Burnham is scheduled at 11 a.m. today.

Aide Burns said he allowed for the extra night in New York City because he didn’t want the lawmakers getting snarled in Los Angeles air and automobile traffic.

“If you leave here (Thursday night), you get into Los Angeles at 5 or 6 at night and it’s a bitch to try to get across Los Angeles,” said Burns.