Legal Commentary...
State Funds Should NOT Be Used to Prosecute Lawsuits Against former City of Bell Officials! According to the Associate Press, officials at California's state pension fund found out about the high salaries paid to officials with the city of Bell four years ago but did nothing to stop them.
If this is accurate, then why did the State of California wait until yesterday before charging former Bell city manager, Robert Rizzo, with 53 counts of misappropriation of public funds and conflict of interest? Why did Gerry Brown, a candidate in an upcoming important public election, wait to accuse Rizzo and former assistant city manager Angela Spaccia; ex-Police Chief Randy Adams; Mayor Oscar Hernandez and fellow council members Teresa Jacobo and George Mirabel; and former council members Victor Bello and George Cole, with misappropriating millions from city coffers?
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"I have a big problem with how much money the Bell officials were making. Eyebrows should be raised when you have representatives of a small city making more than the Governor of California or President of the United States. Having said that, the local city and county have the power to enforce the laws against these individuals. There is no need for already depleted state funds and resources to be used to prosecute these people. Absent legitimate concerns that this matter cannot be handled by the city of Bell or County of Los Angeles, let's use state funds to create jobs, repair infrastructure, and support our school systems."
"You have to question the motive and timing behind this lawsuit. Even Jerry Brown concedes that the basis of this lawsuit is novel. After all, charted controlled cities have broad discretion and authority to set salaries. In my opinion, the state should become involved only after it can be shown that the City of Bell or County of Los Angeles is unable to handle this problem."
"So what's reasonable compensation? This morning on the news, Brown said any salary over $300K would be scrutinized. I have a big problem with unilaterally suggesting that if a city official is making more than a certain random amount, they should be investigated." ----------------------------
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