As Officials Face Charges, a City Tries to Move On
By JENNIFER MEDINA
NYT
BELL, Calif. — At first glance, it is difficult to tell anything is amiss at the tiny City Hall here. The waiting area is filled with people trying to argue their way out of parking tickets. A City Council meeting agenda is tacked on the bulletin board. And golden-framed portraits of council members are prominently displayed in the lobby.
But just to the right of those portraits is a gaping space where one council member’s image used to be. He was arrested in September, along with nearly all of the city’s top officials, charged with using the city’s coffers as their own, giving themselves top salaries and illicit low-interest loans.
Many of those officials have stepped down, including Robert Rizzo, the former chief administrator who was paid nearly $800,000, along with generous benefits, to run this small working-class suburb southeast of Los Angeles. So did Councilman Luis Artiga, who was paid roughly $100,000 for the part-time position. Last month, Mr. Artiga said that while he had served “with pride and honor,” he thought it was in the “best interest” of the city for him to resign.
Other city officials who were charged with malfeasance apparently disagree. Mayor Oscar Hernandez and two other council members who were arrested maintain their innocence and are still in office, although they face a recall election in March.
(More here.)
NYT
BELL, Calif. — At first glance, it is difficult to tell anything is amiss at the tiny City Hall here. The waiting area is filled with people trying to argue their way out of parking tickets. A City Council meeting agenda is tacked on the bulletin board. And golden-framed portraits of council members are prominently displayed in the lobby.
But just to the right of those portraits is a gaping space where one council member’s image used to be. He was arrested in September, along with nearly all of the city’s top officials, charged with using the city’s coffers as their own, giving themselves top salaries and illicit low-interest loans.
Many of those officials have stepped down, including Robert Rizzo, the former chief administrator who was paid nearly $800,000, along with generous benefits, to run this small working-class suburb southeast of Los Angeles. So did Councilman Luis Artiga, who was paid roughly $100,000 for the part-time position. Last month, Mr. Artiga said that while he had served “with pride and honor,” he thought it was in the “best interest” of the city for him to resign.
Other city officials who were charged with malfeasance apparently disagree. Mayor Oscar Hernandez and two other council members who were arrested maintain their innocence and are still in office, although they face a recall election in March.
(More here.)
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