Bell city manager might be highest paid in nation: $787,637 a year

Top city officials in the small, relatively poor city of Bell might be the highest paid in the nation,  according to documents reviewed by The Times.

In addition to the $787,637 salary of Chief Administrative Officer Robert Rizzo, Bell pays Police Chief Randy Adams $457,000 a year, about 50% more than Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck or Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca and more than double New York City's police commissioner. Assistant City Manager Angela Spaccia makes $376,288 annually, more than most city managers.

Experts in city government said they were amazed at the salaries the city pays, particularly Rizzo's. "I have not heard anything close to that number in terms of compensation or salary," said Dave Mora, West Coast regional director of the International City/County Management Assn., and a retired city manager.

By comparison, Manhattan Beach, a far wealthier city with about 7,000 fewer people, paid its most recent city manager $257,484 a year. The city manager of Long Beach, with a population close to 500,000, earns $235,000 annually. Los Angeles County Chief Executive William T Fujioka makes $338,458.

Top officials have routinely received hefty annual raises in recent years. Rizzo's contract calls for 12% raises each July, the same as his top deputy, according to documents obtained under the California Public Records Act.

Rizzo, who has run Bell's day-to-day civic affairs since 1993, was unapologetic about his salary.

"If that's a number people choke on, maybe I'm in the wrong business," he said. "I could go into private business and make that money. This council has compensated me for the job I've done."

Read the full story here.

-- Jeff Gottlieb and Ruben Vives

HOW MUCH DO THEY MAKE?

• Bell City Manager Robert Rizzo $787,637

• President Barack Obama $400,000

• Los Angeles County Chief Executive William T Fujioka $338,458

• Los Angeles City Administrative Officer Miguel Santana $256,803

• Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa $232,425

• Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi $223,500

• Dana Point City Manager Douglas Chotkevys $203,483

(Dana Point has the same population as Bell)

• Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger $173,987

(Schwarzenegger has declined to take his salary)

• Speaker of the Assembly John A. Pérez $109,584

Source: Times reporting

Comments

[Tee]

And what's with the media photos of Rizzo??? Has anyone captured any live footage of this man lately? Does he come and go through an underground garage via limo?

There need to be some action taken with this situation. None of these workers should be bringing home that kind of bank. What kind of illegaly activity are they engaging in??? Something's smelly in Denmark.

[Maria Rosa]

Why would the reporter leave out the Housing Authority of the City of LA ( HACLA)Executive director? He makes over $450,000 a year

[Mike]

Nice. I work for government, have a PhD, got a $15,000 pay cut of my $ 65, 000 salary and I am still OK with it. Not sure how these people can even look into a mirror in the morning in this economy. It makes me sick.

[Chris Norman]

TO ALL:

How many of you who posted on this forum will actually "DO" anything about the problems you are complaining about?

I was recently in California to interview a team of people for a temp contract position in Orange. We hired about 12 people. I had people with 15 years of experience with a BS in Mechanical Engineering interviewing for an $18 an hour job! California is in fiscal trouble, furloughing teachers while they pay massive salaries for public service.

I for one am astonished that anyone in public office could make more than $180K a year. My Father was a State Judge in Texas for 22 years he never made NEARLY that kind of money.

Wake up people: The real problem is that fat cats make policy to keep them fat and appease the public (the have nots). They are influenced by the people that have even more! All the stuff you hear on TV is just static. Here is the real deal people:

Starting about 20 years ago, Good paying manufacturing jobs started leaving the US. They were all going to China. When "Joe" used to get off work in California, he went and had a beer and burger in a local place. He spent his money and it went back into the economy right there!

Now, all those millions of manufacturing jobs are in China and Joe is now "Chung Fat Yeoh" and he spends his money eating noodles and drinking rice wine in some town in China and pumping his income into the Chinese economy.

That is why we don't have jobs, that is what started the whole decline. Next scenario: Housing: There is a decline in manufacturing jobs and now the banks will loan anyone money for a mortgage. Why does the Mortgage broker care? He does not because he simply underwrites the loan and then pawns the loan off (sells it) and he still gets his fees! Wat, even if he underwrites a horrible loan to someone who cannot pay the mortgage, he still gets his fee? YES HE DOES! That is why trillions of loans were underwritten to people who could not afford the home they bought had their homes foreclosed on! So, jobs leaving, buying more than we can afford and even more jobs leaving and unemployment rising and POOF!, the bubble burst. Its like the game of musical chairs. Whoever got caught without a chair lost.

Finally, when the very wealthy who had their money in the investment houses lost their buttocks due to this massive collapse, the government GAVE THEM BACK THEIR LOSSES by making huge payments to these companies. When asked where the money went, it turns out that it was given to them without any strings attached for traceability. Where did the money go? BACK TO THE WEALTHY INVESTORS! How could this happen? EASY, the wealthy told the politicians that they better fix it or they would be out of office!

Finally, wake up and smell the coffee! If you had 100 billion to lend, where would you lend it? the USA is stagnant...everybody has computers and cell phones. China on the other hand is a growing and emerging market. They are buying so much stuff now its not even funny.

Where did they get the ability to make cell phones and Computers? THEY GOT IT FROM OUR US FACTORIES MOVING TO CHINA! Now, they make cell phones and computers in China for China! Guess what, those factories are still owned by US companies! Apple, Dell, etc.

DO YOU REALLY THINK APPLE OR DELL OR LENOVO's (or any company for that matter) board of directors cares a rats buttocks about you? No, they see profits! Sales in China or sales in the us does not matter to them at all!

Politicians allowed US companies to outsource factories and import goods without penalty for importing. They created the "White Box" label and value added clauses to allow the product to be made in the US still and avoid the import tariff. For example: Dell imports your laptop, throws a mouse and instruction manual in the box and then seals it and ships it to you and its MADE IN USA. No import tariff!

Wake up America, our country is becoming a third world nation before our eyes! Politicians and short sighted corporations have done this to us. Guess how many plants Levi Strauss blue jeans has in the US? NONE! They are a US company with no manufacturing here. They import everything and we buy it. That means the wealth is getting transferred off shore.

WHO DO YOU THINK OWNS US? China owns the US now! Seriously, they have been buying our debt and land for years.

This has nothing to do with the Chinese people. They are decent folks just like us. The crooks are the politicians and greedy people like Robert Rizzo!