Bell city leaders approve reforms in wake of salary scandal

After nearly nine hours, the Bell City Council voted early Tuesday to roll back property taxes, cede control of the next municipal election to L.A. County and cut copying fees for public records -- the latest concessions by leaders in the wake of a salary scandal.

The set of reforms come as local and state authorities have opened investigations into City Hall finances, the high salaries of top administrators and possible election fraud.

Several hundred people descended Monday night on City Hall to attend the meeting, which continued late into the night and early-morning hours.

For the first time, the city also hired a court reporter to begin recording the meetings.

Angered by repeated disclosures of fiscal irresponsibility, residents spent hours lashing out at city leaders, demanding that they step down, with the exception of Councilman Lorenzo Velez, an early proponent of reforms who was not drawing the high salaries of his council colleagues.

One man, decked out in a colorful clown costume, referred to the group as the “City Clowncil.”

“If you have any dignity,” resident Violeta Alvarez told council members during the public comment period, “you need to resign.”

 

Last week, state Controller John Chiang said the city illegally raised its property taxes in 2007 and must return $2.9 million it has collected since then. He also ordered Bell to immediately reduce the city’s “retirement tax,” which the council increased to cover rising pension costs for its employees.

The proposed reduction would apply to the round of taxes due in November. The owner of a home in Bell with an assessed value of $400,000 would save about $360 a year because of the rollback.

The Times reported that while top city officials were earning some of the highest salaries in the nation for their jobs, residents were paying higher taxes than all but one city in Los Angeles County.

The salaries and Bell’s hefty property taxes contrast sharply with residents' financial standing. Median household income in Bell, about 10 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles, is $40,556 -- well below the countywide average of $57,152.

Former City Manager Robert Rizzo, who resigned last month with the police chief and assistant city manager, was earning nearly $800,000 a year and stands to make about $600,000 annually in retirement.

Five city employees had salaries higher than $350,000. At least two of them were present Monday night at the council meeting.

An hour before the meeting began, hundreds of community members swarmed the grounds of City Hall with signs that read: "We don't want you!" and "Rizzo's Puppets."  The rally was organized by the Bell Assn.  to Stop the Abuse, or BASTA. 

Despite disapproval by most residents, city leaders voted to designate Jamie Casso of the law firm Meyers Nave as interim city attorney and Pedro Carrillo of Urban Associates Inc. as acting city manager. Velez cast the sole dissenting vote on both items.

“Please be assured that members of my firm and I will fully investigate all legal issues surrounding the recent events without favoritism or bias to anyone,” Casso said in a statement he read aloud at the meeting.

“We are turning over every rock, opening every file cabinet and analyzing every document to find out what happened,” he added. “And then we will take appropriate action to restore dignity, trust and faith in City Hall.”

-- Ruben Vives and Jeff Gottlieb in Bell

Photo: Jesus Casas stands in support of a fellow Bell resident's comments during the City Council meeting Monday night. The council members, having already cut their own pay 90%, were discussing other reforms. Credit: Christina House / For the Los Angeles Times

Comments

[Stil want to be Chief]

The AG needs to investigate maywood. Angela Spaccia, Magdalena Prado, Aldo Perez, Ana Rizo all work for Pedro Carillo under his Urban Futures business.

[you]

One way to restore dignity to this community is to take away the nearly $600,000 the resignated will recieve. Why continue to reward these cowards when all they did was express greed. Thats almost 15x the median household income in Bell. So you have 15x the median income going to someones bankaccount that resigned because they were ripping the city off, and the city has to still pay them for the rest of there life, even after the scandal came into light. This is retarded.

[Mike]

AG needs to investigate all travel and reimbursable expenses incurred (mileage, meals, travel, etc.).

[Raj]

These Bell city official and the city manager are sick people. Please send them flowers along with a get well soon card.

[freewill]

That’s great you have the same Crooks wanting to do their jobs now that they have been caught. Nice how many of these city official have gain form city contracts or investments made for them self or family members (Mayor Hernandez?) Dose your son still buy homes from resident who are losing them, because they can’t afford the higher taxes and then, sell them to the city at a higher priced. Residents of Bell you need to stop patronizing with these Crooks and there business just gets rid of them now!

[Terry]

The old "crooks" are out and the new "crooks" are in. Nothing ever changes. Does anyone really believe they are going to "turn over every rock and open every file cabinet"? It will eventually be business as usual once the protesters give up and go home. Until we have complete compliance and transparency, the voters will never know what goes on behind closed doors. Citizens need to fill the council chamber in every city to monitor what our elected officials are up to.

[Bernard]

Need to find a way to keep these corrupted bastards from collecting their criminal pensions.

[JC]

What happened to old fashion western justice? When someone did something this bad, they were strung up from a tree! These guys should swing along w/ Bernie Madoff.

[Raymon]

Did you check you pockets after the meeting LOL

[Patricia Ades]

Those people who gave themselves high salaries should be arrested and thrown in jail - have their properties confiscated and return the money back to the people of Bell. They are no better than Mafia bosses. They're just a bunch of criminals.

[MPOA]

Maywood suffers from the same corruption. Maywood should cut all ties with Bell and get rid of crooks like Aguirre, Gordado Ana Rizo and Verela. Its time to clean house. Hopefully the Ag and DA will do their jobs and indict these criminals.

[Kittybarfola]

That's it? Just roll back taxes? What about refunding the $2.9 million in overpaid taxes that's due to the people?

[ELA DAVE]

Don't trust any lawyer.

[Richard Long]

TAR AND FEATHERS!

[Richard Long]

TAR AND FEATHERS!

[Smitty]

Funny watching people wait for the DA (Cooley) or AG (Jerry Brown) to "do something".

What the public doesn't know is the DA & AG are both "in" on the Bell pork train and "wilding" of the tax payers, and the Bell pork train didn't act in a vacuume, Bell acted in collusion with County and State officials and had state oversight and consent for everything that they did, Bell officials even have federal "protection" for the criminal activities.

Doesn't anybody wonder why there is no federal investigation?

Both Cooley & Brown are conducting "sham investigations", and Cooley, everything that happened in Bell & Maywood under Cooley's nose, with his knowledge and consent, in fact Cooley "looked the other way" for years.

[freewill]

That’s great you have the same Crooks wanting to do their jobs now that they have been caught. Nice how many of these city official have gain form city contracts or investments made for them self or family members (Mayor Hernandez?) Dose your son still buy homes from resident who are losing them, because they can’t afford the higher taxes and then, sell them to the city at a higher pricet. Residents of Bell you need to stop patronizing with these Crooks and ther business just get rid of them now!

[90201]

Unbelievable!!!!! Finally I understand why my property taxes were so high compared to my neighboring cities. This is just outrageous!

[Astonished]

I heard that both Spaccia and Rizzo have "disappeared." Anyone check the passenger lists of flights to Italy or Mexico recently?

[Prescott Bush]

When you vote think.

[Ladygoggle]

Who said crime doesn't pay?

[J. Nash]

I'm not understanding the part that says "Despite disapproval by most residents, city leaders voted to designate Jamie Casso of the law firm Meyers Nave as interim city attorney and Pedro Carrillo of Urban Associates Inc. as acting city manager".
The majority of the residents don't want these two running their city hall - yet somehow they're doing it anyway?
If you are a resident of the City of Bell and half-way presentable on camera, and can speak cogently, here's how to grab your 15 minutes... Start the recall. Loudly and right now.

[kgoddess]

Only way Bell residents are going to get rid of these corrupt, arogant clowns is to vote them out. They won't resign...they think everything they've done is just fine.

[That's right on target!!!]

The residents of Bell need to get a life- by the way become citizens of the United States of America.

[Logic and Reason]

It is weak sauce when the Council's action were only after being caught. What is yet to find?