The People of Bell, California Get Some Vindication…But Not Enough Yet! – The Los Angeles Times Finds Some Its Former Greatness on the Bell, California Story….But Will They Keep Working for The People? – What America Needs Is A Politician That Will Go “Brubaker” On These Bastards That Are Not Serving The People of Our Republic! – The American Republic Is In Great Danger and the American People Need to Understand That Reality Before It Is Too Late!
The People of Bell, California got some vindication early Friday morning with the forced resignations of three top administrators that were hauling down OUTRAGEOUS salaries that could never be justified for any position in government forget about a small city outside of Los Angeles.
The Los Angeles Times has done great work on this story and the Times should be applauded for going back to its news coverage of yesteryear which was almost always in the best interest of the People of the LA area and not as a co-opted partner of the government/power structures in that area of California.
The LA Times is again on this OUTRAGEOUS story with the mayor of Bell, Oscar Hernandez releasing an OUTLANDISH press release:
Bell council defiantly defends outgoing officials’ high salaries
“The Times revealed last week that Rizzo was earning a $787,637 annual salary, Adams $457,000 and Spaccia $376,288. Experts said Rizzo appeared to be the highest-paid city manager in the nation. He had nearly three years left on his contract, and it’s unclear whether the city bought it out or whether he agreed to walk away without compensation.
Bell issued its first public statement on the salary controversy Friday, with Mayor Oscar Hernandez calling Rizzo’s salary well within reason for the excellent job he did for the city of 40,000.
“Unlike the skewed view of the facts the Los Angeles Times presented to advance the paper’s own agenda, a look at the big picture of city compensation shows that salaries of the city manager and other top city staff have been in line with similar positions over the period of their tenure,” Hernandez said in a letter to the public.”
Can you believe this SOB mayor of Bell, California? Absolutely OUTRAGEOUS!
The LA Times continues…
“The League of California Cities, however, released a statement highly critical of Bell and its officials, saying the group was working on possible legislation to prevent a repeat of the Bell salary situation. “We are unaware of any city in the nation where salaries of this level are paid for comparable positions,” the league said.
In an interview, Executive Director Chris McKenzie said this was the first time he was aware of that the league had issued such a statement. “That shows how absolutely concerned we are over these practices,” he said, referring the salaries paid to Rizzo and his colleagues. “City officials across the state are up in arms over this.”
Robin Lowe, president of the league and a Hemet councilwoman, said she found Hernandez’s defense of Rizzo’s salary “nauseating.”
“I have no explanation for the city of Bell right now,” Lowe said. “The reaction I’ve had from elected officials in our organization and across the country has been one of disgust.”
In addition to the high salaries for city administrators, four of the five Bell council members are paid close to $100,000 annually — sums significantly higher than the salaries earned at other cities Bell’s size.”
Disgust and Nauseating is right! Bravo! to the Los Angeles Times for their great coverage of Bell, California and we can only hope they keep it up. There was a time when the Los Angeles Times was one of the great newspapers in the United States and it was a “Must” read for anyone that gave a Damn about the LA area, but it has far too often in recent years put the liberal bent of its owners, publishers, editors, etc., above what should be its goal: Covering the Los Angeles area and the powerful interests that often work against The People of the area. Again, Bravo to the LA Times and KEEP IT UP!
Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez has also brought his powerful insights and great writing to this story as well: The Bleeding Bell Blues, Public service means private benefit for the mega-salaried officials in Bell. Angry citizens should put the word ‘former’ before their titles. Great column Steve and keep it up!
This entire story of Bell, California is so over-the-top and these supposed “public servants” actions so far beyond the pale of civilized behavior that is hard to know who raised these people, because they clearly don’t have any concern for right and wrong and certainly don’t give a Damn about the People that they are supposed to be working for.
Of course, Bell, California is but only one example of some incredibly serious and deep problems throughout the former Golden State and since California is a huge part of the United States the actions of public officials in the state puts the entire American Republic in danger.
What America and California needs is someone that will actually start working for The People of OUR country something akin to what the character Brubaker (Robert Redford) did in the movie of the same name when he infiltrated a prison to find out what was really going on before he took over as warden. What The People of America needs are dozens of politicians across the country that are willing to tell us the truth to what all of these Bastards have been up to so that we can started to hold these SOBs accountable for what they have done before the law.
There is something deeply wrong with government on all levels in our country with often the “Government and Elected Officials” working against The People that actually own the country and put them into office. Far too often powerful interests will capture our “Elected Leaders” by stuffing their pockets with money and those same “Elected Leaders” will then just turn around and do things that are in direct opposition to what is best for The People, for Our Children and for the Country.
Everyone may not realize it, but the American Republic is in great danger today and it is in such great danger because of the selfishness and greed of many government, political and corporate “leaders” that put enriching themselves over the future of our Republic.
Yes, there is something terribly wrong in America and that “something” will take down the entire Republic, just as the very same type of things did to the Roman Empire and if WE THE PEOPLE don’t take back our country soon and hold the Bastards that have run OUR country into the ground accountable for their actions we can kiss our country goodbye.