LONG BEACH - A well-known lobbyist and a top city official traveled together before a discounted Napa vacation last month came to light, City Attorney Bob Shannon said Wednesday.

The trips involved Craig Beck, director of the Redevelopment Agency and Department of Development Services, and Mike Murchison, a lobbyist who represents clients seeking to develop hotels and other projects that by their nature go through Beck's office. Beck and his wife went to Napa with Murchison on Nov. 13 to 14, when, Beck said, he unknowingly received a room discount that he later repaid.

Shannon said Beck told him about the trips in a brief preliminary interview.

"My understanding is that there have been other trips," Shannon said. "Murchison is a friend of his, and there were other trips, and that's not in dispute."

Shannon said that Beck was adamant that none of the trips other than to Napa were discounted or paid for by Murchison or his clients. Shannon declined to discuss specifics, such as dates, costs and destinations.

City policy and law do not bar appointed officials from traveling with lobbyists or accepting gifts, though the gifts must be declared when greater than $50. Also, Long Beach's ethics guide states that city officials may not accept any gift intended to influence them in the performance of their official duties.

Assistant City Manager Suzanne Frick acknowledged Wednesday that she had heard of two possible trips taken by Beck and Murchison - one to Temecula and another to Aspen, Colo. - that are being investigated, but said she couldn't confirm that they had taken place.

"What we don't know is exactly what happened, who paid for what, and all of the circumstances, and we won't know those answers until the conclusion of the review," Frick said. "It's now shifted into a personnel matter and a human resources review, and we're not at liberty to discuss the review."

No other city officials are being investigated for taking trips with Murchison, Frick said.

When asked Wednesday, before Shannon had disclosed the result of his interview with Beck, about other rumored trips, Beck said, "I don't feel it's in my place to put out any rumor on the street."

Beck added that he was working closely with the city manager, the Department of Human Resources and the city attorney to address the matter.

"This is an internal personnel matter," he said. "I've done nothing illegal, and I look forward to this being cleared."

Beck could not be reached for comment late Wednesday afternoon after the Press-Telegram spoke to Shannon.

Shannon said he plans to do an in-depth interview with Beck and will give a report to City Manager Pat West.

Other employees will be interviewed as well in the course of the investigation, but it was unknown whether others had traveled with Murchison or other lobbyists, Shannon said.

"We're going to be talking to a number of people," he said.

Frick said West won't decide what policy or disciplinary action to take, if any, until the review is completed.

The Press-Telegram reported last week that during Beck and Murchison's trip to Napa last month Beck received a discount at the Avia Napa Hotel, which is owned by LodgeWorks, the company that owns the Avia Long Beach Hotel in the Pike at Rainbow Harbor and is seeking permission to build a second hotel across the street.

Murchison represents LodgeWorks in Long Beach.

At Tuesday's City Council meeting, the Long Beach Coalition for Good Jobs and a Healthy Community, a labor advocacy group that has filed a lawsuit against LodgeWorks' second hotel project, called for a moratorium on new tourism-related development until the city attorney's investigation is completed.

Frick responded Wednesday that while Beck makes recommendations on development projects to the City Council, the Redevelopment Agency board and the Planning Commission, those entities make the final decisions.

"Those stop-gaps are still in place," Frick said. "We are not anticipating nor do we think it's necessary to have any kind of moratorium."

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