Should officials accused of corruption have legal bills covered by Bell?
As Bell teeters on the brink of bankruptcy, three current and former officials accused of public corruption are asking the city to cover their legal costs.
The Times' Richard Winton reports ("3 accused Bell officials want cash-strapped city to pay their legal bills"):
Attorneys for Mayor Oscar Hernandez, Councilwoman Teresa Jacobo and former Councilman George Cole in court filings argue that the city should cover their legal expenses in a suit filed last year by the California attorney general's office.
Jacobo and Cole also want the city to pay their legal bills in a criminal prosecution by the L.A. County district attorney.
In the video above, Times assistant city editor Kimi Yoshino discusses the question. What do you think? Share your views below.
EDITOR'S PICKS:
California is experiencing criminal allegations within your bureaucracy, similar to what occurred in BC earlier this decade.
In 2003, Royal Canadian Mounted Police arrested 2 British Columbia bureaucrats over irregularities in the tendering process for the sale of BC Rail (which taxpayers did not even want sold)!
Since then, taxpayers have paid over $10 million to defence lawyers for these 2 while they declared their innocence. Late last year, they reversed their plea and admitted they were guilty.
If legal bills were only paid when innocence is legally established, this obscene use of taxpayer money would be avoided.
Posted by: BritishColumbiaEd | January 11, 2011 at 08:20 AM
According to our constitution you are innocent until proven guilty, if that applies to them as well and if the laws provides that they are entitle for the city to pay for their defense, why not? why are they so different than others?
Posted by: Jose Martinez | January 11, 2011 at 09:04 AM
NO, they knowingly defrauded the City and the money they have stolen should be repaid and they should pay their legal bills. If our judicial system continues their spineless ways we might as well do away with the judicial branch of government!
Posted by: SANDY | January 11, 2011 at 09:08 AM
You are kidding..right?
Posted by: simiben | January 11, 2011 at 09:14 AM
THOSE PEOPLE STOLE ENUFF MONEY TO PAY FOR THERE OWN LAWERS
Posted by: JOHN DOE | January 11, 2011 at 09:16 AM
You can't be serious - absolutely NOT!
Posted by: ru_kiddin_me | January 11, 2011 at 09:23 AM
Are you kidding? What do they want next, a ticker-tape parade too? Have these people have no shame? Not only should they pay for their lawyers fees but the city's as well! These people should not receive not one penny anymore from the city! Their CalPERS should be revoked too. It's a privilege to serve the people (which they didn't do, only themselves), not an entitlement.
Posted by: Kittybarfola | January 11, 2011 at 09:34 AM
No, they should pay their own legal bilss. These corrupt monsters should nevr be allowed to put bail and released from jail. They should be kept behind bars and put for display to be ridiculed by the public for their greediness and uncaringness for the community. They should not be bailed out by a City that is starpped for money. NO! NO! NO!
Posted by: Thomas | January 11, 2011 at 09:37 AM
I do not for the life of me believe these corrupt persons really are trying
to have the same people they have swindeled stolen from not giving one
thought to what it might of cost the honest persons they just plain out
stole from to flip the bill for their lawyers...... dont these low life crooks
have any sence of morals ?
cap
Posted by: cynthia park | January 11, 2011 at 09:38 AM
the city of Bell should not have to pay any legal costs by the former employee.
In fack they should return the money they stole, embezzled,and grossly over paid themselves.Why should the innocent citizen of Bell be made to pay for these criminal?
Posted by: john gutierrez | January 11, 2011 at 09:40 AM
And the stupid question of the day is.
Posted by: david pagel | January 11, 2011 at 09:48 AM
In China they would of been executed by now....instead they will continue feeding off the system here.
Posted by: david pagel | January 11, 2011 at 09:53 AM
THESE CROOKS....
They should have their legal bills paid for by us. The citizens they stole from.
I mean all criminals deserve a defense. And a public defender. Of course.
These are rights that these people much like other rapist are afforded under the constitution. Why would we deprive these people of legal representation. If they can not afford it. ( I hope the threshold for earnings to be appointed a public defender is lower than what we paid these crooks.) I bet it is...
At any rate I am willing to pick and pay for their attorney... But they do not get to pick and then not pay... We will give them the most honest attorney we can find, no matter the cost for such. Then these guys will really hang!!
Posted by: bb | January 11, 2011 at 10:17 AM
Tax payer money is FREE, go ahead and use it, abuse it as the government does not care !
Create a lot of paperwork so everyone get lost and pay yourself handsomely
with perks, salaries, bribes as that is the way to go in California politics.
The elected officials are entitled to enrich themselves at the cost of the public
who vote for them, so don't complain !
Everyday there is a fraud reported to abuse the tax payer money, and Gov. Brown suggests to vote for more taxes !
He should cut or eliminate any government functions that have waste, and
fraud ! BEFORE he asks people to pay more taxes !
What does it means for governing when you can not eliminate fraud and waste in the system !
Posted by: James | January 11, 2011 at 10:30 AM
The way they've obtained their job may be different from how the average person does but at the end of the day it's still a job. Put in that context and the notion that their employer (City of Bell) should flip the bill for their legal fees for stealing from the company pot is LUDACRIS!!! In what fairy tale land are they living?
Posted by: Alex G | January 11, 2011 at 10:40 AM
once elected, the city, county et al will pay for eternity for their employees.
Posted by: kuruc | January 11, 2011 at 10:52 AM
is this even a serious question?
Posted by: drew | January 11, 2011 at 11:16 AM
They defrauded the taxpayers by their actions as councilmembers. Paying themselves excesive salaries and more. No they should not have the City of Bell pay for their legal problems. Because of all their doing the city is now on the verge of going bankrupt.
Posted by: Beatriz M. Sanchez | January 11, 2011 at 11:20 AM
This question "if" indeed it's a true, and serious question, deeply saddens me to the point of nausea. IM really tired of the General Public being slapped in the face over & over.
We are not clowns, we are hard working, tax paying human beings with emotions. If there is any justice left in this corrupt city, state, country we live in this will not happen. The banking system can slap us silly based on their strength and wall st. ties, please tell me the people in Bell have some sort of guardian looking out for them.
My intuition tells me these people will have to pay their own legal bills.
Posted by: Alex Sinclair | January 11, 2011 at 11:30 AM
How incredible that these people think that they are entitled to more public money after all the misappropriations and mishandling that they have done! They are absolutely clueless as to their misdeeds.
Posted by: Indira Scuderi | January 11, 2011 at 11:32 AM
City officials should have their defense paid for when they are sued because
of an action done by the city that they had a hand in crafting, provided that the actions taken were LEGAL and normal city acts.
They should NOT have their defense paid for when the actions taken were made AGAINST the city. This is akin to having a raped woman pay for the
defense of the rapist.
They are entitled to whatever defense a common criminal is entitled to.
If they cannot pay for a lawyer, one is provided, if they can pay for a better
lawyer, then they need to pay for it themselves.
Posted by: Richard | January 11, 2011 at 11:49 AM
Yeah, sure, and while you're at it, make me the next lottery winner.
Posted by: DVS | January 11, 2011 at 12:14 PM
The citizens of Bell can't believe the arrogance of the City Council. They put us into a financal crisis and then ask us to pay for their defense. When people are arrested and cannot afford an attorney they get a public defender and deal with the consequences of their actions. You don't ask the people that you stole from to pay for their defense. In this case they should return what they stole from the citizens of Bell! Not ask for us to enable them in their criminal behavior against us. I forgot Rizzo can't help them anymore and we can't either.
Posted by: donna gannon | January 11, 2011 at 12:19 PM
No, absolutely not.
Posted by: kgoddess | January 11, 2011 at 12:19 PM
You may be innocent until proven otherwise, but that doesn't necessarily grant you the right to a public defender, which is what this amounts to. These idots have money, no matter where it was obtained from. They can afford their own representation.
Posted by: Astonished | January 11, 2011 at 12:46 PM