Glendale residents won’t have to pay high pension for former police chief, now Bell’s embattled top cop

 

Glendale residents can take solace in knowing they won't be on the hook for paying the high pension of Bell Police Chief Randy Adams, who retired from the Glendale police force last year.

Adams makes $457,000 as Bell's top cop, about double what he earned in Glendale.

The small working-class city of Bell has been embroiled in controversy since last week when The Times reported the high salaries of its top three employees.

A spokesman for the California Public Employees' Retirement System, the pension giant cities across the state pay into, told the Glendale News-Press on Thursday that the agency plans to audit the city of Bell to ensure the record-high salaries being paid to top city officials fall within established guidelines.

"We have some serious concerns about these issues in the city of Bell, and we actually are going to be auditing the city around the salaries and potential pensions," said CalPERS spokesman Brad Pacheco.

Even if Adams is eligible for a massive pension payout, officials said it will be Bell, not Glendale, on the hook for making up the difference through increased annual payments to CalPERS.

"Bell is going to have a very big bill for the next 20 years to pay for these retirement benefits," said Glendale City Manager Jim Starbird.

Read the full story here.

-- Melanie Hicken, Glendale News-Press

Investigating Bell:  A Times Special Report

Is a city manager worth $800,000?

Bell residents are not happy about high salaries

High salaries fuel anger in Bell

Bell council members under investigation for $100,000 salaries

Video: Why do Bell officials make so much money? The Times' Jeff Gottlieb explains.

Bell city manager might be highest paid in nation

Bell council found loophole to allow big salaries

City Manager received alcohol counseling after DUI

Photos: Protests in Bell

Comments

[andy levinson]

....the taxpayers will pay...through CALPERS...the $200 billion state retirement system, one of 59 such retirement systems in the state

CALPERS and teacher retirement CALSTRS is already funding 10,000 government retirees with pensions above $100,000.....in the so-called $100,000 pension club....and now three more will join that club

http://database.californiapensionreform.com/?vttable=calpers

[AJ]

Earning a lot of money is not a bad thing, but common, you know you are working for a small community. Common sense dictates that what these people are earning in Bell is outrageous. Even if it was supposed to be done within the legal bounds, which we do not know whteher or not was manipulated to protect them from liability, this is not justifiable. Not all Laws are Just.

If these people have good moral characters, they will do something to correct the situation instead of hiding behind the law that is supposed to protect them, which I again we do not know if was created to abuse the process.

[Chuck Wiley]

Why didn't someone at CALPERs raise concerns about these outlandish salaries for the Bell city government officials? Why did it take a newspaper reporter to uncover this debacle? And how many more cases like this haven't been uncovered.

Any wonder that faith in government is at an all-time low?

[Fred]

No one should have to pay on this fraud.

[Ruben]

This is so wrong this should not hold! it should be against the Law I hope they serve time in jail.

[Marty C]

Calpers doesnt want anyone looking too hard into how they do business and compute pensions.

The benefits are a slush fund for govt employees - esp high enders.

The pension payouts are paid by state taxpayers.