Aug 11 2010

Controversy Over Bell Salaries Continues to Grow

basta bellCalifornia’s Attorney Aeneral has ordered officials from the city of Bell to turn over financial records, including personal records relating to pay and pension benefits. The extremely high salaries of Bell City officials were made public by an LA Times investigation based on requests filed under the California Public Records Act. Among the highest earners was Chief Administrative Officer Robert Rizzo, with a $787,683 a year salary. Including benefits, Rizzo’s compensation for this year would have reached $1.5 million. According to the LA Times, even part-time city employees were making up to $100,000 a year. In contrast, the median annual income of Bell is less than $35,000. The pay scandal prompted outrage among Bell residents, and caused the city manager, police chief and assistant city manager to resign. City council members making $96,000 a year agreed to cut their pay by 90%, and mayor Oscar Hernandez announced that he will finish his term without pay. City officials were able to obtain the lucrative pay contracts after converting Bell to a “charter” city in a 2005 special election. As a charter city, Bell officials no longer had to adhere to the pay limit that is enacted in “general law” cities. In addition to the demand for financial records, Attorney General Edmund Brown’s investigation has recently expanded to include Bell resident allegations of election fraud. A Los Angeles County grand jury has also served subpoenas seeking financial documents, and Bell’s new interim city attorney said Saturday that the city will launch its own investigation.

GUESTS: Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times reporter, Cristina Garcia, one of the leading activists of the Bell Association to Stop the Abuse (BASTA)

Find out more about BASTA at www.basta4bell.com.

One response so far

One Response to “Controversy Over Bell Salaries Continues to Grow”

  1. JOEon 11 Aug 2010 at 11:15 am

    Time to dust off the old pitchforks and torches

  • Program Archives