Bell, CA city recall election?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Anybody following this story?
My Way News - Bell City Council votes to hold recall

I'd love some insight from anyone who is familiar with it, as the AP version is pretty sparse on details. I found a good bit more in this 3-page CNN article but I'm pretty much flabbergasted by the way this seems to have played out.

Sure, there's some stuff in here that's in the realm of the run-of-the-mill impropriety, but I can't get my head around how something like the pay scale & the frequent pay raises didn't draw attention in a matter of minutes much less months or years.

Rizzo's last annual base salary was $787,638, Adams earned $457,000, and Spaccia received $336,000, according to Brown's office. Before recently cutting their pay, Bell city council members received $96,000 a year, compared with $4,800 a year earned by council members in similar-sized cities.

Since 1993, the council raised Rizzo's salary 16 times, with an average jump of 14 percent yearly, the attorney general said. In 2005, he received an increase of 47 percent. Since 2001, city council members also awarded themselves 16 percent raises yearly.

Did the entire population basically ignore the city government entirely?

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Anybody following this story?
My Way News - Bell City Council votes to hold recall

I'd love some insight from anyone who is familiar with it, as the AP version is pretty sparse on details. I found a good bit more in this 3-page CNN article but I'm pretty much flabbergasted by the way this seems to have played out.

Sure, there's some stuff in here that's in the realm of the run-of-the-mill impropriety, but I can't get my head around how something like the pay scale & the frequent pay raises didn't draw attention in a matter of minutes much less months or years.

Rizzo's last annual base salary was $787,638, Adams earned $457,000, and Spaccia received $336,000, according to Brown's office. Before recently cutting their pay, Bell city council members received $96,000 a year, compared with $4,800 a year earned by council members in similar-sized cities.

Since 1993, the council raised Rizzo's salary 16 times, with an average jump of 14 percent yearly, the attorney general said. In 2005, he received an increase of 47 percent. Since 2001, city council members also awarded themselves 16 percent raises yearly.

Did the entire population basically ignore the city government entirely?

I can't offer much perspective, other than to say it's caused a big stink out here.

[sterlingice]

There was a bunch of news about it on NPR when the story broke a month or two ago. That might be your best bet to find more out.

I still don't get how anyone noticed that some little town budget was being drained of millions a year by these dopes. That has to be close to their total receipts and that percentage of money would be needed in a small town to do stuff like pay for roads, schools, trash pickup, water treatment, etc- stuff that people would notice if it weren't being done.

SI

[Ksyrup]

Yeah, this was in the news a good bit when the story broke and they arrested a few of them.

[MrBug708]

When the city voted to be a charter city, about 400 people turned out to vote. The city is pretty apathetic.

[dawgfan]

This story brings to mind the saying that we get the government we deserve.

[QuikSand]

This story has been quite aggressively and widely covered in local government circles, for what that's worth.

[digamma]

Yes, it has been a fun story to watch out here.

And more salacious given that the Bicycle Casino is in Bell and the Commerce Casino is in nearby Bell Gardens.

[BYU 14]

Wow, Bell is not exactly a wealthy city either, generally made up of poor to lower middle income people, whci I suppose could be a factor that all this stuff has been going on as well.

[RainMaker]

Yeah, I think this stuff takes place a lot in bigger cities. Maybe not to this level, but still pilfering of the money. Saw something about how the head of the New York Public Library system makes $750,000 a year. I bet if we dug through all the positions in cities throughout the country, we'd find some crazy salaries.

[kcchief19]

Originally Posted by digamma

Yes, it has been a fun story to watch out here.

And more salacious given that the Bicycle Casino is in Bell and the Commerce Casino is in nearby Bell Gardens.

That information finally explains for me where the city got the money (or thought they had the money). Casino money is a dangerous drug for cities. They spend it like drunken sailors.