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Los Alamitos council adopts censure for Council Member Tricia Murphy after outside investigator's findings
Summary
The Los Alamitos City Council on Dec. 16 adopted a resolution censuring Council Member Tricia Murphy after an outside investigator found it 'more likely than not' she used her council position to seek financial records from the Los Alamitos Community Foundation; public commenters urged an outside audit and called the action retaliatory.
The Los Alamitos City Council on Dec. 16 adopted a resolution censuring Council Member Tricia Murphy following the findings of an outside investigator that examined her attempts to obtain financial records tied to the Los Alamitos Community Foundation and TNT Fireworks.
In a summary of the investigator's report read to the council, attorney Shailene Bennett, a managing partner with the law firm Liebert Cassidy Whitmore who assisted the city, said the investigator "found it more likely than not that Council Member Murphy used her position as a council member to obtain records that she was not otherwise entitled to receive." Bennett also told the council the documents at issue were confidential between TNT and the foundation and that the city had no legal right of access to those records.
Why it matters: The resolution cites the city council handbook, the code of conduct, governance protocols and code of ethics and represents a formal reprimand that the city's outside counsel said was intended to distance the council from conduct the investigator judged inappropriate. Bennett told the council the city retained investigator Karen Kramer in July after letters from TNT Fireworks and the Los Alamitos Community Foundation raised the matter.
Public reaction: Several residents urged the council not to adopt the censure and asked for an independent financial review. Carol Churchill said the "resolution is based on retaliation, not facts," and Shawna Trud, reading a petition from neighbors, praised Murphy's record of "integrity, honesty, transparency, and financial responsibility." A resident who gave only her first name, Melinda, asked the council to commission an outside third-party audit of the financial records rather than pursue censure.
Staff and recordkeeping: The city manager told the council the city clerk received a Dropbox link from Council Member Murphy after the 3:00 p.m. deadline the evening of Dec. 16 that contained approximately 90 pages of additional documents; staff did not have time to print hard copies but said the files will be made part of the public record.
Vote and outcome: A motion to adopt the censure resolution was made and seconded; council members voiced support and opposition during roll call and the council adopted the resolution "with the majority of council." The meeting record does not specify an individual roll-call tally.
What the investigator found: Bennett summarized that investigator Karen Kramer interviewed Rich Legaspi (a TNT area manager), Council Member Murphy and several council members; Kramer reportedly concluded Legaspi was a credible witness and questioned Murphy's stated entitlement to the foundation's records as a former director, calling those claims "nonsensical." The report, as summarized by Bennett, also flagged concerns about the foundation's financial management.
What's next: The council adopted the resolution and adjourned. Council members did not identify subsequent procedural steps for enforcement or appeal on the record during the special meeting.
