Bell, Calif. Voters Recall Government Officials
Ann Johansson for The New York Times
None of the incoming City Council members, including Danny Harber, left, Ana Maria Quintana and Ali Saleh, have experience running a city. Bell is facing a budget gap of about $4 million.
By JENNIFER MEDINA
Published: March 9, 2011
BELL, Calif. — For residents here who have spent the last nine months railing against a city administration that bilked them for $5.5 million in inflated salaries and illegal loans, Tuesday’s election felt like a celebration, complete with dancing through the streets. The entire five-member City Council was replaced, with a historic turnout and a whopping 95 percent of voters approving the recall.
Ann Johansson for The New York Times
Violeta Alvarez was elected in Bell, Calif., where officials are accused of misusing public money.
But for the five newly elected officials, from a field of 17 candidates, the challenges have barely started. They will take office in this small city facing a budget gap somewhere around $4 million — more than 20 percent of its current budget. The city has defaulted on a $35 million bond, and interim city officials have warned that Bell faces insolvency and might not be able to pay its bills come May.
Last summer, The Los Angeles Times revealed that top Bell officials were earning salaries of nearly $800,000 and giving themselves lucrative perks like interest-free loans from city coffers. Robert Rizzo, the city administrator, all but one of five City Council members and other city officials were indicted on charges of the misuse of public money.
Some of the new Council members are longtime activists in this community southeast of Los Angeles. Others became interested in local politics when the scandal erupted last summer. But none have experience running a city.
“I expect it will be a full-time job just to figure it all out,” said Danny Harber, 66, a retired baker who won a Council spot. “You want to know what we are facing? Let me tell you something of a secret: your guess is as good as mine.”
And when they take office in April some of their problems will be pretty basic.
What will be the fate, for example, of the acting city administrator, Pedro Carrillo, who has handled day-to-day operations for months? Mr. Carrillo has been praised for keeping the city afloat for the past several months, but many criticize him for his ties to the previous administration.
The existing City Council has not met since December. When a judge ordered Council members, accused of for paying themselves for meetings that never happened, to stand trial, he prohibited them from running the city “in any shape or form.”
Mr. Carrillo has floated the possibility of dismantling the city’s police department and entering into a contract with the Los Angeles County Sheriff, as other cash-strapped cities have done.
But that plan has been met with scorn from at least three of the incoming Council members, who received the support of the police officers’ union. Instead, they say, the city should renegotiate the contract with the union and eliminate some of the department’s top brass.
Violeta Alvarez, a social services worker who also won Tuesday night, said she suspected there were scores of highly paid workers inside City Hall. There is no way for her to know for certain just yet; she does not even know how large the staff is.
“We have a lot of questions that have to get answered really quick,” Ms. Alvarez said.
Each of the Council members had a different answer to the question of Mr. Carrillo’s future. One councilman-elect said that Mr. Carrillo had promised to leave 30 days after a new Council was elected. Others said that they simply had to give him ample notice, though they could not recall whether the law required that they give 30 or 60 days’ notice.
Ali Saleh, 35, a business owner, first ran unsuccessfully for the Council two years ago. After winning Tuesday night, he said, there was no way he was going to let administrators with ties to the old regime stay in power.
“Absolutely, he has to go,” Mr. Saleh said.
Mr. Carrillo said that he had never agreed to a firm timeline and that the city would be well served by a smooth transition with him working with the new Council.
“We said we were going to do our best to perform triage, and there is not a day we haven’t done that,” Mr. Carrillo said. “Sometimes campaign rhetoric is just that, and when they actually take office they might be very surprised by what they think then.”
More details about the case against the former city manager, Mr. Rizzo, and other officials have emerged in the past three weeks, as prosecutors have argued in court that they should stand trial for misappropriation of funds.
Only one of the current Council members fought the recall. Teresa Jacobo, who faces charges of misappropriating funds, got only 5 percent of the vote. Lorenzo Velez, the only current councilman not charged in the scandal, ran for re-election but received just 613 votes.
The final stretch of the campaign was tinged with tragedy when Miguel Sanchez, a teacher and candidate, died suddenly on Friday while he was running with two other candidates. One of them, Nestor Valencia, was elected Tuesday.
Mr. Valencia said he urged the replacement Council to move slowly rather than suddenly dismiss longtime city workers. But he said that he would move to cut high salaries and generous pensions.
“We cannot take this stuff lightly,” Mr. Valencia said. “I think anybody who is in Bell knows what is at stake here. We are talking about getting back the trust of the city. That’s going to take a lot.”
Mr. Valencia ran on a slate that opposed three of the winners, and he criticized Ana Maria Quintana, another winner in Tuesday’s election, as a newcomer. Ms. Quintana grew up in neighboring town and moved into Bell last year.
On Wednesday, she said she hoped the Council could move quickly past the campaign.
“If we don’t all start this and work together, we’re going to be right back where we started,” she said.
Each winner repeatedly said he was eager to take the city back to the unified mood that was pervasive when Mr. Rizzo and other city officials were arrested last summer.
But when Mr. Valencia was asked if he was worried whether that kind of unity could be sustained, he paused.
“I didn’t say I’m not worried,” he said. “I have a lot to worry about.”
Last summer, The Los Angeles Times revealed that top Bell officials were earning salaries of nearly $800,000 and giving themselves lucrative perks like interest-free loans from city coffers. Robert Rizzo, the city administrator, all but one of five City Council members and other city officials were indicted on charges of the misuse of public money.
Some of the new Council members are longtime activists in this community southeast of Los Angeles. Others became interested in local politics when the scandal erupted last summer. But none have experience running a city.
“I expect it will be a full-time job just to figure it all out,” said Danny Harber, 66, a retired baker who won a Council spot. “You want to know what we are facing? Let me tell you something of a secret: your guess is as good as mine.”
And when they take office in April some of their problems will be pretty basic.
What will be the fate, for example, of the acting city administrator, Pedro Carrillo, who has handled day-to-day operations for months? Mr. Carrillo has been praised for keeping the city afloat for the past several months, but many criticize him for his ties to the previous administration.
The existing City Council has not met since December. When a judge ordered Council members, accused of for paying themselves for meetings that never happened, to stand trial, he prohibited them from running the city “in any shape or form.”
Mr. Carrillo has floated the possibility of dismantling the city’s police department and entering into a contract with the Los Angeles County Sheriff, as other cash-strapped cities have done.
But that plan has been met with scorn from at least three of the incoming Council members, who received the support of the police officers’ union. Instead, they say, the city should renegotiate the contract with the union and eliminate some of the department’s top brass.
Violeta Alvarez, a social services worker who also won Tuesday night, said she suspected there were scores of highly paid workers inside City Hall. There is no way for her to know for certain just yet; she does not even know how large the staff is.
“We have a lot of questions that have to get answered really quick,” Ms. Alvarez said.
Each of the Council members had a different answer to the question of Mr. Carrillo’s future. One councilman-elect said that Mr. Carrillo had promised to leave 30 days after a new Council was elected. Others said that they simply had to give him ample notice, though they could not recall whether the law required that they give 30 or 60 days’ notice.
Ali Saleh, 35, a business owner, first ran unsuccessfully for the Council two years ago. After winning Tuesday night, he said, there was no way he was going to let administrators with ties to the old regime stay in power.
“Absolutely, he has to go,” Mr. Saleh said.
Mr. Carrillo said that he had never agreed to a firm timeline and that the city would be well served by a smooth transition with him working with the new Council.
“We said we were going to do our best to perform triage, and there is not a day we haven’t done that,” Mr. Carrillo said. “Sometimes campaign rhetoric is just that, and when they actually take office they might be very surprised by what they think then.”
More details about the case against the former city manager, Mr. Rizzo, and other officials have emerged in the past three weeks, as prosecutors have argued in court that they should stand trial for misappropriation of funds.
Only one of the current Council members fought the recall. Teresa Jacobo, who faces charges of misappropriating funds, got only 5 percent of the vote. Lorenzo Velez, the only current councilman not charged in the scandal, ran for re-election but received just 613 votes.
The final stretch of the campaign was tinged with tragedy when Miguel Sanchez, a teacher and candidate, died suddenly on Friday while he was running with two other candidates. One of them, Nestor Valencia, was elected Tuesday.
Mr. Valencia said he urged the replacement Council to move slowly rather than suddenly dismiss longtime city workers. But he said that he would move to cut high salaries and generous pensions.
“We cannot take this stuff lightly,” Mr. Valencia said. “I think anybody who is in Bell knows what is at stake here. We are talking about getting back the trust of the city. That’s going to take a lot.”
Mr. Valencia ran on a slate that opposed three of the winners, and he criticized Ana Maria Quintana, another winner in Tuesday’s election, as a newcomer. Ms. Quintana grew up in neighboring town and moved into Bell last year.
On Wednesday, she said she hoped the Council could move quickly past the campaign.
“If we don’t all start this and work together, we’re going to be right back where we started,” she said.
Each winner repeatedly said he was eager to take the city back to the unified mood that was pervasive when Mr. Rizzo and other city officials were arrested last summer.
But when Mr. Valencia was asked if he was worried whether that kind of unity could be sustained, he paused.
“I didn’t say I’m not worried,” he said. “I have a lot to worry about.”
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