Defiant Bell mayor defends city manager's high salary, hours after official resigns

 

A defiant Bell City Council defended the hefty compensation awarded to City Manager Robert Rizzo and two other officials just hours after the three agreed to resign amid a public outcry.

In the city's first formal statement on the salary issue, Bell released a letter from Mayor Oscar Hernandez in which he praised Rizzo's service to the city and said his nearly $800,000 annual salary was justified.

"Unlike the skewed view of the facts, the Los Angeles Times presented to advance the paper's own agenda, a look at the big picture of city compensation shows that salaries of the City Manager and other top city staff have been in line with similar positions over the period of their tenure," Hernandez said in the letter.

Hernandez did address the outrage generated after The Times revealed the salaries last week, adding: "We recognize that today's economic climate and the financial hardships so many families are suffering put our past compensation decisions in a new light.  To the residents of Bell, we apologize."

As part of the resignations, Rizzo, Police Chief Randy Adams and Assistant City Manager Angela Spaccia will not receive severance packages. Rizzo will step down at the end of August and Spaccia will leave at the end of September. Adams also will leave at the end of August after completing an evaluation of the Police Department.

Rizzo earns nearly $800,000 a year, believed to make him the highest-paid city manager in California and possibly the nation. Adams makes $457,000 — 50% more than Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck — and Spaccia makes $376,288, more than the top administrator for Los Angeles County.

The decision was announced at midnight to a crowd of angry Bell residents that had been waiting anxiously since 4:30 p.m. when the City Council began its meeting. None of the administrators attended the session. The crowd erupted in applause after the announcement but immediately yelled out questions about what would happen to the council members. Four of the five are paid close to $100,000 annually. When residents' questions were not answered, they shouted, "Recall!"

"Definitely letting go of these three top officials is the first step we need to fix the city," said Cristina Garcia, a member of BASTA, or the Bell Assn. to Stop the Abuse.

Throughout the evening, several residents complained that the council was taking too long, while others clapped in unison to urge the members to come out.

"This is outrageous," said Marcelino Ceja, who has lived in the city for 17 years. "They have to hurry up. I've got kids to feed."

The emergency meeting followed several days of negotiations between the officials and attorneys for the city to reach deals.The crowd began shouting when Councilman Lorenzo Velez's request to open the meeting to the public was overruled by the city attorney, who said the city would be at legal risk if it discussed personnel matters in public.

-- Ruben Vives at Bell City Hall

Photo: Bell Mayor Oscar Hernandez listens as the resignations of the police chief, city manager and assistant city manager are announced after the City Council met behind closed doors for nearly six hours. Credit: Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times

 

Comments

[David]

What a pompous jerk. The LA Times was not "advancing their agenda" Mr. Mayor, they were being a newspaper. They were investigating. They were being the public bloodhound and searching out the things that need attention. It's what newspapers used to do, and I applaud the LA Times for taking us back to the good ole days of investigative journalism. To all the arrogant blowhards that get rich on the public dime, you better watch their backs, the spotlight is searching and it may just land on you!

[DANIEL]

THAT TYPE OF SALARY IN A COMMUNITY THAT THE AVERAGE SALARY FOR THE WORKING CLASS IS APPROX $35,000.00 A YEAR IS ABSURD HOW DO YOU JUSTIFY THESE SALARIES AND THE MAYOR DEFENDS THEM HOW MUCH IS THE MAYOR GETTING PAID HOW CAN THESE COLD HEARTED PEOPLE LIVE WITH THEMSELVES LOOKING OUT THE WINDOWS OF CITY HALL WHILE THEIR COMMUNITY IS IN LINE FOR A FOOD GIVE AWAY EVERYONE INCLUDING THE MAYOR SHOULD RESIGN

[Will]

Absolutely reprehensible. This guy actually thinks a salary more than twice the size of the President is JUSTIFIED???????

I have a sick feeling all of them will get to reap rewards for the rest of their lives.

This Rizzo obviously is leaning on the mayor with something....nobody could be that stupid.

[Randy]

The people of Bell are all up in arms about all of the huge salaries and rightfully so. There is plenty of blame to go around here. The city council voted for and enabled the inflated salaries and were repaid with $100,000 salaries for a part time job. They must also go.
The ultimate blame has to go to the voters themselves. You should elect honest people and then keep an eye on them because temptation is always there. You can't rely on the Times to do your work for you.
These five part time and three full time positions have been costing the people of Bell about $2,000,000 per year. Can them all, hire combatant replacements and use the savings to install citywide WiFi and record and broadcast all of the meetings that can legally be recorded... Then watch them, thats your responsibility and you can not delegate that.

[Lou Bricano]

Oscar Hernandez would say something like that. Well, maybe not quite - he didn't write the letter; a flunky speechwriter wrote it.

Look for Hernandez to be recalled, or at least voted out of office in the next election, along with almost the entire city council.

[Charles]

The mayor of Bell is not only a criminal but a traitor to his people. Bell is a predominately poor Latino community. Hernandez should be ashamed of himself and should also resign. It seems it doesn't matter who we elect to represent us, eventually they all have their own agendas. Local, State and Federal government has become the ultimate form of organized crime.

[Gary Cauble]

Hahahah... Los Angeles vicinity and it's over paid employees ...

[Rose Marie]

Then California wonders where all of the money is going and why libraries have to close and school programs stopped and many other important government agenecies workers have to only work a 4 days a week. Because the money is being stolen from these big shot officials of Bell, this is horrible and I am so with the citizens of Bell, dont let those officials get away with this. God Bless Us all

[Jang]

Perhaps it's time for the mayor to resign as well...

[kaabob]

This guy wearing a Hawaiian shirt to work despite the current public uproar about his city's criminal public servants(?) speaks LOUDER than his words and dismissive body language. Trying to ignore a T.V. reporter's (from KTLA) questions about the legitimacy of paying these outrageous salaries while trying to hob knob with city residents waiting in line to get free food from the city of Bell (program intended to help the poor) speaks LOUDLY about this guy's view of voters as nothing more than ignorant poor peasants who would gladly trade votes for groceries and continue being ignorant of the city politicians raiding public tax dollars. Who needs a gun when you can steal so much more with a pen and avoid criminal charges all at the same time?

[Paul Espinoza]

Recall this shallow man.

[Ed Catain]

And they are going to let them continue working for the next several weeks? Why? So they can hit the delete key on their computers to erase all the details?

[Randy]

The people of Maywood might want to pay attention too. I wonder what the master plan was behind all of the layoff's there and the Bell "CZARS" taking over the running of your city? I wonder if the Maywood city council was planning to use the same loophole that Bell found to increase their pay.

[Paul Espinoza]

I will say again and again: RICO, RICO, RICO, RICO, RICO, RICO!!!!

[JJ]

It's disgusting that Police chief Randy Adams, formerly of Glendale and Simi Valley, would allow himself to be corrupted in this way. This is a clear lapse in integrity for a man who knows better.

[guyNextdoor]

I guess they do get paid alot, considering the President of the United States only gets paid 400,000 a year, and he runs our county. But then again, why are so many people surprised by this, we got pro-sports players making millions of dollars to toss a ball around. These people are working for the the community who voted them into office. They are trying to run a city, and keep their neighborhood safe.

Maybe we should look around and really see where money goes.

[Thomas]

pasadena jag -- Settle down. The situation in Bell is disgustingly heinous. However, the reason things changed, from when you were a 'kid' and assuming you're not a talking goat, is that communities, states, and the federal government realized that if you wanted to attract talent you needed to pay for it. Like in the private sector. Also, and I don't know what you do/did for a living, but most working people know that unions did not come into being because companies or governments were voluntarily overly generous in their pay or treatment of employees. That in the case of the City of Bell certainly changed for a while. The highest paid people in the country are not bureaucrats as you rave, but private sector Wall Streeters who make nothing but money. It is the unregulated private sector that bought the Bush2 era politicians who destroyed the largest surplus in history and gave tax breaks to the wealthy that destroyed the recent American economy who you at whom should be mad. Its unclear what your reference to 'political correctness and left wing junk' refers in this case other than some misplaced Beckian hysteria. Not living in Bell as you nor I do, although an outrageous story, it is unrelated to your or my personal taxes, or anything to do with Nancy Pelosi other than a right wing rant. Enjoy your day...

[Paul Espinoza]

This guy really knows the meaning of "la mordida".

[AnotherPerspective]

One thing to keep in mind through this whole fiasco is this:

- only 400-500 people voted in the special election that allowed all this to happen
- where were are these people that are complaining now, back then?

If you don't utilize your option to vote, then you shouldn't complain about the outcome. Don't get me wrong, I've missed some elections over time as well, but really... in a city of 40k+, only 4-500 show up to vote?

That's ridiculous.

[Michael Kirby]

FIRST; As people struggle to get ahead and suffer from joblessness and are at the verge of being homeless, these officials should have at least saved face and offered to take dramatic pay cuts, to give back to their city. At least assistance to the hardest hit by this economic down turn.
SECOND; Gripe as much as you want, not one of you if working the same position and getting paid what they did would complain? You are probbably getting mad and saying you wouldnt, lie to yourself to make yourself feel rightchous if thats what you have to do. Everyone of you including me would love make and would have took $800 thou a year and we would not feel bad about it either. BE HONEST

[Armaan]

Vet1 totally agree with you. The entire council and Mayor need to be removed from their duties. The city of Bell needs to start fresh.

[Ken]

Seems like a quick route to "Ex" Mayor.

[Liany]

I agree with Vet1: Of course, most of them are in the loop, don't tell me the mayor is not aware of city employees' salary scales! These are the crooks who are robbing the tax payers and not have a conscience. Unfortunately, close to 45% of government employees in the higher levels are Daylight Robbers! America needs an overhaul on everything that spells GOVERNMENT; or else, we'll be heading downhill at super speed. Government cannot spend money where there's no surplus: STOP HANDING OUT STIMULUS MONEY before checking out whose pockets it's going into!

[drkeefers]

One more person needs to resign: Mayor Hernandez. Bell does not deserve someone who is so utterly clueless, self-absorbed, self-entitled and immature.

[kgoddess]

Well, OF COURSE, he defended those outrageous salaries (sorry Mr. Mayor those salaries are way out of line). He had to...how else could he defend his own?