Long Beach development chief put on paid leave
The top development official for the city of Long Beach has been placed on paid administrative leave while the city investigates trips he has taken with a lobbyist with business before his office.
Craig Beck, head of the development services and redevelopment agency, has been under scrutiny since local media started reporting about his discounted stay at a Napa hotel during a vacation last month with lobbyist Mike Murchison.
City Manager Pat West said he decided to put Beck on leave Friday after the city attorney presented an initial review of Beck’s activities, which confirmed that Beck had taken other trips with Murchison and which raised more questions about their relationship.
“This is a public trust issue, and it’s fair and appropriate,” West said in an interview. “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 LodgeWorks, which owns the AVIA Napa Hotel and has been seeking approval through Beck’s office for a 125-room hotel in downtown Long Beach.
Beck could not be reached for comment, but he has told the Press-Telegram that he unknowingly received a discounted room from LodgeWorks and that he repaid the full amount when he returned home.
He has worked for the city 21 years, spending just over a year and half as the head of redevelopment, West said.
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