Murrison trip still under state scrutiny

The California Fair Political Practices Commission has not closed its investigation into upcoming travel plans by Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Teri Murrison, the head of the watchdog agency said Monday.

“The matter is still being looked into,” said FPPC Executive Director Roman Porter. “We hope to make a determination soon.”
 

If found guilty of violating the state’s Political Reform Act, a misdemeanor, Murrison could be hit with a maximum fine of $5,000. The act is a sunshine law designed to make public any conflicts of interest public officials may have. 

At issue is whether Murrison violated the act by routing her travel expenses for an upcoming property rights conference in Denver through the county in an attempt to avoid the act’s gift reporting requirements. 

Funding for Murrison’s trip, estimated at $500 to $1,000, is expected to come via the Texas-based American Stewards of Liberty, a nonprofit group that decries what it sees as unjust intrusions by the federal government when it comes to public land matters.

The FPPC opened an investigation into Murrison’s travel plans following an Oct. 21 Union Democrat story on her request that the county forward her cash for traveling to the Denver conference. The event, at which Murrison will be a speaker, runs Thursday through Saturday.

The Board of Supervisors approved Murrison’s request on Oct. 20 by a 4-1 vote, with Supervisor Liz Bass dissenting. Bass said Murrison should pay for the trip herself.

Bass is among critics of the group who say the American Stewards of Liberty has an anti-environment bent. Murrison, meanwhile, says the group can help the county negotiate with federal land managers on national forest issues.

Murrison said she was acting on a recommendation by the County Counsel’s Office by requesting her trip funds be routed through the county. She added that her plan was to avoid controversy by making the trip public.

Assistant County Counsel Carlyn Drivdahl said her office indeed gave Murrison the advice, which, she said, actually came from the FPPC.

The travel issue previously arose in 2008, Drivdahl said, when Murrison was planning to attend a November 2008 conference in Texas that was being organized by the Stewards of the Range, now the American Stewards of Liberty.

Via the FPPC’s technical assistance hotline, the county was referred to a portion of the state’s governmental code that stated, as summarized by a recent memo to Murrison explaining travel policy: “When the county pays for a supervisor’s transportation, necessary lodging and subsistence, it is not considered a gift. These payments by the county are neither subject to (the Political Reform Act’s) gift limits nor reportable on the supervisors statement of economic interests.”

Whether or not the county is reimbursed by a group for the supervisor’s travel expenses is moot, the County Counsel’s Office added in the memo.

The memo summarizes the county’s former stance on travel, which was behind Murrison’s request last month and had enabled her to go on her trip to Texas last November on the county’s dime, with reimbursement coming later.

Assistant County Counsel Christopher Schmidt also attended the 2008 conference, but the county was not reimbursed for his travel expenses, according to the County Counsel’s Office. Drivdahl said the county can pay for an official’s travel expenses if the travel has a reasonable governmental purpose.  

Drivdahl noted that the county’s travel policy is now being reconsidered following recent advice from the FPPC. She said the agency has now told her that Murrison should report her two trips (the former one wasn’t reported either), but they won’t count against her gift limits.

Drivdahl also expressed frustration about the ongoing FPPC investigation, saying an investigator at the state agency had indicated the investigation against Murrison had been dropped Monday.
 “All we’re trying to do is to give the best advice to officials who file these forms,” she said. “It’s not in anyone’s best interest to skirt the rules.”