Maywood to lay off all city employees, dismantle Police Department

The city of Maywood will lay off all city employees and begin contracting police services with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department effective July 1, officials said.

In addition to contracting with the Sheriff's Department, the Maywood City Council voted unanimously Monday night to lay off an estimated 100 employees and contract with neighboring Bell, which will handle other city services such as finance, records management, parks and recreation, street maintenance and others. Maywood will be billed about $50,833 monthly, which officials said will save $164,375 annually.

"We will become 100% a contracted city," said Angela Spaccia, Maywood's interim city manager.

Deputies from the East Los Angeles Sheriff's Station will begin patrolling the 1.2-square-mile city by the end of the month, said Capt. Bruce Fogarty of the Sheriff's Contract Law Enforcement Bureau. The annual cost of providing those services for the small city is estimated at $3.6 million, Fogarty said.

At a council meeting Monday night, city leaders said they were forced to dismantle the Police Department and lay off city workers because they lost insurance coverage as a result of excessive police claims filed against the department. They also blamed years of financial abuse and corruption from the previous council.

"We're limited on our choices and limited on what we can do," Councilman Felipe Aguirre told the standing- room-only crowd.

Frustrated and enraged residents blame the council for the city's predicament, and for not following an insurance agency's recommendations, which council members had agreed to last August. The recommendations included hiring a permanent city manager.

Some suggested that city leaders should step down.

"You guys had the power to change it and you didn't," said City Treasurer Lizeth Sandoval, 28, who addressed the council as a resident. "You single-handedly destroyed the city."

Sandoval, a city employee, will be laid off as part of the cuts.

Local activists, who refer to themselves as "A Group for a Better Maywood," announced their intention to recall four of the council members: Felipe Aguirre, Edward Varela, Vice Mayor Veronica Guardado and Mayor Ana Rosa Rizo. The same group sought a similar recall in 2008 and failed.

-- Ruben Vives

More coverage: City hires others to run muncipality

 

 

 

 

Comments

[enigmaforever]

Gee, I wonder if the over two billion spent on legal fees, and incarceration of illegals for other crimes, and the estimated over 2 billion spent on welfare, health care, and education of the illegals children could have helped these taxpaying citizens? Arizona took action to protect their citizens.

[Buster]

Classic.
A microcosm of the demise of America.
The ultimate expression of the the modern American MBA.
The city management team has farmed out everything.
It now does absolutely nothing.
AND IT STILL EXPECTS TO GET PAID!!!

[dt520]

"We will become %100 a contracted city"

...so is that the politically correct way of saying a 100% useless city?

[Fox Mulder]

How many of the 94.3% latinos are illeagal? that could be one of the reasons the town went broke---what percent of the latino town pop are on Gov. subsidies ie welfare, foodstamps etc, or even pay taxes! with a pop of 27,000 people where does the tax money go?
someones pocket? why have a council? with no city employee's too order around.

[Jimmy]

Why don't the Hollywood elite that EACH have millions upon millions save this town?

Because they are busy making more millions and saying everyone else is selfish!

Where is Angelina, Brad, the dude from the Borne Series (that loves everything about Obama's hate for the west) and the what's his name that markets salad dressing? Robert Redford - I used to like him. What a jerk!

Now Kevin Costner has actually tried to help and has invested a ton of his own cash but no one in Hollywood likes that!

[Ron]

Barry Os paradise!

[Christopher Peterson]

why contract anything out? just shut it all down and let it be. people can get along just fine without govt idiots trying to run everything.

[John Galt]

They blame it on insurance, but look at the make up of the city. These are people that take more than they give and expect the system to work. The Federal Government needs to learn the same lesson, but they are busy buying votes and could care less about America. At least this city will limit future Employee Pensions and Wages that are killing all the cities and counties of California. The Public Employee Union has ripped off the tax payers and now California is upside down financially. Democrats in Sacramento are killing the "Golden State" by stealing every dime they can get for programs no tax payer can afford. Want to cure the problem, start by voting as many out as possible in November. Then, chop from the top and stop giving free stuff to non-citizens. Go into the public schools and dump all these administrators and get rid of the Department of Education and Teachers Union. The schools are taking over 40% of California's budget and that is still not enough as far as they are concerned. What business wants to move to California and deal with the laws, rules, regulations, greens, taxes, liberals, progressives, and Democrats. The rule of law is against anyone trying to make a living, saving a little money, and having liberty and freedom. Wake Up California, but I think it's already too late. How does it feel having hat in hand as you go to Washington and beg for a hand out. You politicians should all be ashamed!

[David_from_San_Diego]

This article states that approximately HALF of Maywood's residents are enemy aliens:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/03/29/eveningnews/main1454489.shtml

So we know that Maywood is about to receive some HUGE "grants" from the federal government. Just wait a few days or weeks ... it will happen.

[Tom Dee]

Two points
1). All cities should privitize / contract out work. Less expensive and no issues with civil service employees.

2). Why is there this little city with no money in the middle of LA. Simply annex to LA and reduce cost of services.

[Ben]

96.4% Latino, 48.6% foreign born that live in this city; what does THAT tell you? There are only 2.8% whites who live there; wonder if they get called racist a lot? sarcasm

This country is in trouble with these millions of invaders and all Obama wants to do is LEGALIZE them so they'll vote for him!

[Jason]

And California cities have the nerve to preach to other states about how to run their business. You couldn't pay me to live in California.

[ML]

Straight out of "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand. Read this book; it is a wonderful fiction story of Looters versus Producers. Chaos happens across the land because the Looters don't know how to do anything right, while they hamper the efforts of the Producers to make everything run well. Setting: America. Written in the 1950's by a former Russian who escaped during the Bolshevik takeover. She saw what collectivism and socialism did to her country and her family and friends. She tried to warn America with "Atlas Shrugged." There IS a very happy ending, so I highly recommend you buy it. Amazon.com has it cheap. It's a GREAT summertime book to read. My husband and daughter both read it recently and could not put it down. "Atlas Shrugged!" Who is John Galt?

[JoeAmerica]

This is great news... I would move there but only if they can get the State Government to do the same thing.

[Marc M]

You can't spend what you do not have.

California-style politics are destroying this country.

[isaac]

And the Council finished the meeting by voting to Boycott Arizona!

[sovereignthink]

Going Bankrupt is going to cause a consolidation of rackets and cartels at the local level.

the Corporate charter used to actual protect the individual and the equity of the public domain.

Since 1895 when the corporation recieved 'Natural Person' status and protections, they have become 'Super Natural'.

The Trusts were not 'busted', the monopolies bought up the lot and we never recovered from the great depression.

This is just another great Sheering.

[luckyfreeman69]

save the taxpayers and landlords toss everybody else out. Property owners are the most important person in the city.

[luckyfreeman69]

Its about time somebody smartened up (NOT AN AMERICAN TAXPAYER) time to pack your bags and go.

[luckyfreeman69]

This is just a start you will all soon learn who is the most important person in the cities across the nation. Just who do you think pays all your salaries??? Did you use my water today maybe you had a glass of water and washed your face, possibly you even had to relieve yourself on a couple ocassions. Did you turn the lights on OH I forgot to mention I bet you had the air conditioner on all day so WHO PAID FOR IT. Well let me tell you it was not you... As usual it was the landlords!!!!!!!!

[Joe]

All these bigots come to comment on this board.
They miss the whole picture with their myopic views.
They make me ashamed to be an American.

[Newman]

Who Cares.
I'm leaving California.

[Oscar T]

I have read most of these commentaries and some people just need to look at the issue at hand. I am just as angry as the next guy.
One of the main reasons why the CITY has failed was due to the tax paying Citizens blind eye. They are the ones that gave the city the power and did nothing to stop the corruption. I was born and raised in Maywood in the 70's and 80's and have witnessed the downward spiral first hand. The zoning laws were adjusted in the 80's so some of the city council members could rent out their property to multiple families. On the same note most of the laws were never enforced in regards to housing. The sanctuary City needs to wake up! 48% are illegal .....give me a break, try 60-70% are illegal. I am not sure if the population numbers are accurate, did they count the families that live in converted garages.
I am Latino and love My Country(USA) and know that it will take a strong movement in order for our cities to wake up. We need to obey and enforce the law.
God Bless us All !!!!!

[harleyone]

"...city leaders said they were forced to dismantle the Police Department and lay off city workers because they lost insurance coverage as a result of excessive police claims filed against the department."
Now check this out, "The Maywood Police Department was restructured by the new council. A new chief and new officers were hired. Later it turned out that many of the new officers had previously been fired from other law enforcement agencies for a variety of infractions. The Maywood P.D. was known as the "Department of Second Chances."

Among those hired was a former L.A. Sheriff's deputy terminated for abusing jail inmates; a former LAPD officer fired for intimidating a witness; and an ex-Huntington Park officer charged with negligently discharging a handgun and driving drunk.

Even the L.A. Times called the Maywood Police Department a "haven for misfit cops." Their story alleged that a veteran officer was extorting sex from relatives of a criminal fugitive; that another officer tried to run over the president of the Maywood Police Commission; and that another officer has impregnated a teenage police-explorer scout..." Human Events 6/25/2010
Is there any doubt in any thinking persons mind the liberal philosophy is just that philosophical, (all learning EXCLUSIVE of technical precepts and practical arts), theory, ideology no "practical arts". These people shouldn't be running the water much less cities, counties, states, and the Federal governmnet. They DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING.

[OYO]

Wait a minute... don't they keep telling us how much illegal aliens contribute to society? All their hard work and tax dollars? How could they possibly be broke? So much for their sanctuary city, corrupt politics and Mexican mafia payouts.

Perhaps the city will finally start to get cleaned up. To those who residents who don't have drivers' licenses and tags on their cars, LASO will be coming to see you. Better have that fake paperwork polished up, because ICE will be coming to visit you, too.