Bell residents group wants city placed into receivership

A group of Bell residents plan to march in front of City Hall on Thursday evening to demand that the city immediately be placed into receivership.

The residents said they will come armed with brooms and shovels and a message that Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown still needs to "clean house" in Bell.

"We think corruption runs deep in the city of Bell, and we have elected leaders that are not doing their job," said Nestor Valencia, founder of the Bell Residents Club, which is planning the 6:30 p.m. march. "[Councilman Lorenzo] Velez was appointed by the same people who have been criminally charged, so essentially we don't have the confidence; the public trust is not there for these council members, [interim City Administrator] Pedro Carrillo and [interim City Atty.] Jamie Casso."

Velez is the only councilman who was not arrested in the district attorney's corruption sweep or earning a nearly $100,000 annual salary from the city.

Valencia said he believes that placing the city into receivership is the "necessary solution" for Bell. Given the challenges the City Council faces -– with one member still in jail, one resigning his position, and two members calling in sick to Monday's meeting -- Valencia said he does not believe Carrillo and Casso can effectively manage the city.

Brown filed a lawsuit asking a judge to appoint a receiver for the city. On Sept. 30, he sent a letter to the city suggesting that it agree to another proposal, a court-appointed monitor who will have "complete and unfettered access to all matters relating to the City." The city has until Friday to respond to the attorney general's office.

Bell Assn. to Stop the Abuse co-founder Cristina Garcia said she has some concerns about receivership "when we don't know when it will end or any of the logistics."

The court-appointed monitor, she said, would work with a recall effort underway and allow for local control.

Garcia said she is also working on a proposal for a "transition council." Under that proposal, two respected residents would be appointed to work with Velez until an election can be held. Those residents would not be among the candidates running for office.

-- Ruben Vives

Comments

[Mike]

Bell residents: be careful what you ask for. Be sure you thoroughly understand all the implications of placing your city in receivership. It is not a magic pill that will necessarily cure everything in a short time.

[BASTA Works for the Police Officers Union]

Let's get something straight.

Basta, the so-called grass-roots organization, works for the Police Officer's Association.

He who pays the piper picks the tune, and the cops pay Basta and the tune is get us some "money, money, mooooney."

Basta's, the so-called grass-roots organization, could care less the city of Bell is on the brink of bankruptcy. In spite of that, they still want 3% at 50 for police officers. They might as well file for bankruptcy.

Receivership may not be a panacea but it will drive away interested parties, including political mercenaries and political wannabees, looking to make a name for themselves on the backs of decent and hardworking people of Bell.

The only people against receivership are those that have a political and financial interest.

Enough with the scare tactics you so-called poets and professors.

[Garcia Has Concerns?]

Cristina Garcia has concerns about receivership?

She sure does and so does her boss and their patrons, the police.

She's concerned receivership will rain on their parade.

First, they wanted to deal with the council, so they stopped asking for resignations and loosened their demands to pay cuts.

Second, they ignored the inevitable charges and tacitly agreed to Rizzo's unqualified crony appointment to City Manager. Even Basta called Carrillo a remnant of the Rizzo regime but cut him a break after he was willing to talk contracts and pensions.

Third, they came up with a scheme to come up with three votes, Velez, Artiga (after they miscalculated he wouldn't be arrested) and one other.

Now that that plan has fallen apart with Artiga's arrest and resignation, they're hoping to keep "local control" (buzz phrase to remind Jerry Brown he'd be turning back on his campaign position) and elect their own rubber stamping majority to make passage of an unsustainable contract for a dysfunctional police department priority one.

Basta's a fraud! Their pimping for the police!

[Bell to Brown]

Message to Attorney General Brown:

Do what you said you'd do and file for receivership. Stand up for taxpayers and reverse Rizzo's wrongs with receivership.

End the corruption, cronyism and incompetence running amok in the city of Bell by calling for receivership. You said you would.

Why are you cutting deals with a criminally charged council?

Why are you cutting deals with Rizzo's and Cole unqualified crony?

Why are you zealously representing your client?

How much worse does it have to be?

Isn't Bell City Hall engulfed in political and financial flames?

Are the salaries, secret loans, illegal taxes, fees, towing charges, racial profiling, civil rights violations, cheating chiefs enough?

What more do you want to act?

Is it going to take Meg standing up for Latinos in Bell (to rebound from nannygate) for you to call for receivership to end salarygate?

C'mon Jerry. At this stage in your career....

[Mr City of Bell]

Thank godness that not all residents of city of bell are falling for all this non-sense receivership, panacea, magic pill that Nestor "born again republican" Valencia and his cult, ohh sorry club, BRC followers are pushing with .
Ahh yeah the "born again republican" , you can read all about it here
http://watchcityofbell.blogspot.com/2010/09/nestor-born-again-republican-valencia.html

It is sad that the residents want the easy way out, let the county run your lives and do a clean house. and at the same time . surreeee!! fire casso and carrillo sureee!!
do you want fries with that too ?

does anybody at City of Bell understands what receivership really means ?
its implications and consequences ? and more important :

HOW MUCH IS GOING TO COST THE RESIDENTS THIS NON SENSE RECEIVERSHIP ? FREE ? sure , since when the county of LA does things for free ..

When will the residents of bell understand that the only way out of this whole we are all in, is through us, by US, not by some empty campaign promises of receivership or monitoring ..

less government involvement, and let the residents decided for themselves

I am glad I am a libertarian ..

[Wondering if Jerry Brown will listen to the Bell People or the Bell Crooks..]

Giving the Crooks who are still in Bell's City Hall an option of Court Appointed Monitor or Receivership is like giving Croooks a choice in their sentencing. Jerry Brown- what you need to do is to listen to the people of that community. If they are begging for receivership, you need to listen to them. Are you listening to them Jerry? Or Are you in bed with those Crooks? You are the people's attorney... why aren't you fighting like hell for them? I don't see that. You seem to be too comfortable on the fence. It seems like Receivership would clean house. If that takes power away from the crooks, then that's what they need. I'm watching and I'm also voting next month.