Posted on 07/27/2010 6:27:36 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
L.A. County prosecutors have launched a multipronged investigation into the city of Bell, examining allegations of voter fraud as well as conflicts of interest involving city business.
In an interview with The Times, Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley described the investigation as “rapidly expanding and full-fledged,” saying investigators have been gathering evidence since March.
Cooley’s comments indicate a larger probe than prosecutors had acknowledged up to now.
Until now, the district attorney has said it was looking at what it called high salaries paid to City Council members, who earned nearly $100,000 until they cut their own salaries on Monday. But Cooley said that part of the probe is specifically looking at whether council members received pay for meetings they didn’t attend.
Cooley declined to provide details about the voting fraud probe, other than to say it involves more than one election. Sources with knowledge of the investigation said prosecutors are looking into the use of absentee ballots during a 2009 City Council election.
Cooley’s comments come as a lawsuit filed by a former Bell police officer Monday alleged that several Bell police officers distributed absentee ballots and told residents whom to vote for in advance of that 2009 election.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimesblogs.latimes.com ...
Looks like these guys are ahead of Jerry Brown.
Good news. Those politicians deserve vigorous prosecution, IMO>
Over the years, I have contemplated why America prospers, while countries like Mexico are locked in poverty. My conclusion is that it is corruption. There is no basic common good in the leaders, and they end up acting in their own interest (corruption by defintion).
What we have here in Bell is what is now prevelant in much of the Southeast Los Angeles area. Corruption by a citizenry that brought it from south of the border.
30 years ago these areas were like Mayberry. Now they are corrupt third world areas.
Of course it is. Keep everyone's eyes on Bell, declare it an "isolated incident, nothing more to see", and continue to feather your own nest when the coast is clear.
I guess I missed the beginning of this when the story broke, but who/how did someone find out their salaries?
I THINK The LA Slimes sued them to disclose the salaries, it has been rumored the Bell Cops tipped of the slimes.
Since I can’t seem to find anywhere, what party affiliation we’re talking about here. I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say....Democrat?
They said that some of the local cops tipped off the LA Times.
They have a series of article going on this.
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jul/15/local/la-me-bell-salary-20100715
Is A City Manager Worth $800,000?
Bell isn’t a big town, or a wealthy one. But some of its top officials are paid two or three times as much as their counterparts elsewhere
July 15, 2010|Jeff Gottlieb and Ruben Vives
Bell, one of the poorest cities in Los Angeles County, pays its top officials some of the highest salaries in the nation, including nearly $800,000 annually for its city manager, according to documents reviewed by The Times.
In addition to the $787,637 salary of Chief Administrative Officer Robert Rizzo, Bell pays Police Chief Randy Adams $457,000 a year, about 50% more than Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck or Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca and more than double New York City’s police commissioner. Assistant City Manager Angela Spaccia makes $376,288 annually, more than most city managers.
Freaking unreal.
The names i heard would lead me to believe they are Hispanic Democrats.
Nam Vet
If you can make sense of this Wikipedia entry on Bell...
As of the census[20] of 2000, there were 36,664 people,.....The racial makeup of the city was 48.45% White, 1.28% Black or African American, 1.28% Native American, 1.07% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 43.09% from other races, and 4.78% from two or more races. 90.90% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell,_California
The median income for a household in the city was $29,946, and the median income for a family was $30,504. Males had a median income of $22,596 versus $17,025 for females. The per capita income for the city was $9,905. About 21.2% of families and 24.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.7% of those under age 18 and 16.7% of those age 65 or over.
In the state legislature Bell is located in the 30th Senate District, represented by Democrat Ronald S. Calderon, and in the 50th Assembly District, represented by Democrat Hector De La Torre. Federally, Bell is located in California's 34th congressional district, which has a Cook PVI of D +23[16] and is represented by Democrat Lucille Roybal-Allard.
FWIW: Adams is the retired chief of police of Glendale. He was hired to clean up corruption in Bell, and was also doing the foundational work for a proposed area-wide police agency. Having looked over the situation, he was only willing to take the job if they paid him what he was losing in retirement pay, plus the $165K Chief’s salary. Thus, the $457K figure. I don’t begrudge him an unwillingness to take on the job for nothing.
The other thing that’s a little strange about that lawsuit is that the police union and a former City Council candidate are the primary organizers of the “public protest”. Given their opposition to the incumbents now, it seems odd that the union members would have been actively supporting them by soliciting absentee ballots last year.
Hector De La Torre was one of the two Councilmembers NOT involved in the South Gate corruption scandal a few years back.
I had heard that a new council member blew the whistle when he saw what they were all making. He did not go along with it. He is not the subject of the citizens anger.
Anyone have details on this?
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