Among those charged was Robert Rizzo, the former city manager of Bell, whose compensation package led the way with annual salary and benefits totaling more than $1.5 million. Prosecutors accused him of illegally writing his own employment contracts and steering nearly $1.9 million in unauthorized city loans to himself and others. He was booked into Los Angeles County Jail and was being held on $3.2-million bail.
The charges follow months of nationwide outrage and renewed debate over public employee compensation since The Times reported in July that the city's leaders were among the nation's highest paid municipal officials.
Cooley described Rizzo as the "unelected and unaccountable czar" of Bell, accusing him of going to elaborate lengths to keep his salary secret. Prosecutors alleged that Rizzo gave himself huge pay raises without the City Council's approval.
"This was calculated greed and theft accomplished by deceit and secrecy," Cooley said.
Rizzo's attorney, James W. Spertus, said the charges came as no surprise and were politically motivated by Cooley, who is running for California attorney general.
"The allegations are mistaken," Spertus said. "They are factually untrue in many readily provable ways."
Cooley denied that his election effort played any part in the decision to file charges.
At a news conference, Cooley accused City Council members of failing to oversee Rizzo's actions, saying that they instead had collected more than $1.2 million in total pay since 2006 for presiding over city agency meetings that never occurred or lasted just a few minutes.
Many city residents greeted news of the charges with joy.
"Finally the crooks are going to suffer what the city suffered for many years," said Carmen Bella, a longtime Bell activist.
About two dozen Bell residents gathered outside City Hall to celebrate. One man used a bullhorn to broadcast the Queen rock song, "Another One Bites the Dust," while others laughed, cheered and applauded.
But at least one resident wondered what would happen to his embattled city.
"Who's going to call the shots?" asked Hassan Mourad, 32. "That's the most important thing right now."
-- Richard Winton and Jack Leonard
Photo: Booking shots of Robert Rizzo, former city manager, and Bell Mayor Oscar Hernandez. Credit: L.A. County Sheriff's Department.
Photos: Arrests in Bell
- Outlaw’s A Goner; Is Chuck’s Cancellation Tightrope Walk Coming To An End?
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- Syfy’s ‘Eureka’ Scores Most-Watched Summer Season Ever And 4th Consecutive Summer Of Total Audience Growth
- ‘Cake Boss’ Returns With New Episodes
- “World News with Diane Sawyer” Experiences the Most Total Viewer Growth Among Evening Newscasts Week to Week
- The Season 14 Premiere Week of “The View” is Daytime’s No. 2 Talk Show in Total Viewers and Women 25-54
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Weekly Search & Social <b>News</b>: 09/28/2010 | Search Engine Journal
Hey there gang, it's time for another '7 Days of Search and Social' . Did ya miss me? Sure ye did. I was ill last week so for the first time, in a long time,
Obama: Fox <b>News</b> Has A Point Of View That 'Is Ultimately <b>...</b>
President Obama hit out hard at Fox News in an interview with Rolling Stone. In the interview, which was released Tuesday, Rolling Stone editor Jann Wenner asked Obama, "What do you think of Fox News?
Obama: Fox <b>News</b> Has A Point Of View That Is 'Ultimately <b>...</b>
President Obama has given a lengthy interview to Rolling Stone publisher Jann Wenner for the upcoming issue of the magazine. The cover story is titled Obama Fights Back and boy does he ever. At least where Fox News is concerned.
halloween costumesWeekly Search & Social <b>News</b>: 09/28/2010 | Search Engine Journal
Hey there gang, it's time for another '7 Days of Search and Social' . Did ya miss me? Sure ye did. I was ill last week so for the first time, in a long time,
Obama: Fox <b>News</b> Has A Point Of View That 'Is Ultimately <b>...</b>
President Obama hit out hard at Fox News in an interview with Rolling Stone. In the interview, which was released Tuesday, Rolling Stone editor Jann Wenner asked Obama, "What do you think of Fox News?
Obama: Fox <b>News</b> Has A Point Of View That Is 'Ultimately <b>...</b>
President Obama has given a lengthy interview to Rolling Stone publisher Jann Wenner for the upcoming issue of the magazine. The cover story is titled Obama Fights Back and boy does he ever. At least where Fox News is concerned.
Among those charged was Robert Rizzo, the former city manager of Bell, whose compensation package led the way with annual salary and benefits totaling more than $1.5 million. Prosecutors accused him of illegally writing his own employment contracts and steering nearly $1.9 million in unauthorized city loans to himself and others. He was booked into Los Angeles County Jail and was being held on $3.2-million bail.
The charges follow months of nationwide outrage and renewed debate over public employee compensation since The Times reported in July that the city's leaders were among the nation's highest paid municipal officials.
Cooley described Rizzo as the "unelected and unaccountable czar" of Bell, accusing him of going to elaborate lengths to keep his salary secret. Prosecutors alleged that Rizzo gave himself huge pay raises without the City Council's approval.
"This was calculated greed and theft accomplished by deceit and secrecy," Cooley said.
Rizzo's attorney, James W. Spertus, said the charges came as no surprise and were politically motivated by Cooley, who is running for California attorney general.
"The allegations are mistaken," Spertus said. "They are factually untrue in many readily provable ways."
Cooley denied that his election effort played any part in the decision to file charges.
At a news conference, Cooley accused City Council members of failing to oversee Rizzo's actions, saying that they instead had collected more than $1.2 million in total pay since 2006 for presiding over city agency meetings that never occurred or lasted just a few minutes.
Many city residents greeted news of the charges with joy.
"Finally the crooks are going to suffer what the city suffered for many years," said Carmen Bella, a longtime Bell activist.
About two dozen Bell residents gathered outside City Hall to celebrate. One man used a bullhorn to broadcast the Queen rock song, "Another One Bites the Dust," while others laughed, cheered and applauded.
But at least one resident wondered what would happen to his embattled city.
"Who's going to call the shots?" asked Hassan Mourad, 32. "That's the most important thing right now."
-- Richard Winton and Jack Leonard
Photo: Booking shots of Robert Rizzo, former city manager, and Bell Mayor Oscar Hernandez. Credit: L.A. County Sheriff's Department.
Photos: Arrests in Bell
- Outlaw’s A Goner; Is Chuck’s Cancellation Tightrope Walk Coming To An End?
- You Can’t Handle The Whole Truth’s Ratings
- With Lone Star Cancelled, The Good Guys Looks To Be Next
- Even Medium Seems Safe, For Now
- Falling Behind The Pack, Expect Life Unexpected To Be Cancelled
- ESPN’s Monday Night Football Attracts Fifth Most-Watched Program in Cable Television History and Cable’s Biggest Audience of 2010
- Monday Cable Ratings : ‘Packer-Bears’ Huge; ‘WWE Raw,’ ‘Weeds,’ ‘The Big C,’ ‘Buried Life’ & Much More
- Cable News Ratings for Monday, September 27, 2010
- Monday Finals: Castle Adjusted Down; Chuck, Rules, Hawaii Five-0, 90210 Adjusted Up
- Syfy’s ‘Eureka’ Scores Most-Watched Summer Season Ever And 4th Consecutive Summer Of Total Audience Growth
- ‘Cake Boss’ Returns With New Episodes
- “World News with Diane Sawyer” Experiences the Most Total Viewer Growth Among Evening Newscasts Week to Week
- The Season 14 Premiere Week of “The View” is Daytime’s No. 2 Talk Show in Total Viewers and Women 25-54
- Lone Star Cancelled; Season Three Of “Lie To Me” To Premiere Monday, October 4
- truTV’s Hot Summer Leads to Biggest Third Quarter Ever and Sets Stage for Record-Breaking Year
- HLN’s Morning Express With Robin Meade Tops MSNBC’s Morning Joe For Sixth Straight Quarter Among 25-54
- Sunday Cable Ratings: ‘Boardwalk Empire’ Falls; ‘Rubicon’ Stays Low + Glades, Mad Men, Kardashians, Dexter & Lots More
- USA Wins 3rd Quarter Making History Again, 17th Win In A Row
- Galavisión: The Undisputed Leader Among Spanish-Language Cable Networks
- ‘Anderson Cooper 360′ Falls 40+% vs. 2009 Q3, Has Its Lowest Quarter Ever For Viewership & Adults 25-54
Weekly Search & Social <b>News</b>: 09/28/2010 | Search Engine Journal
Hey there gang, it's time for another '7 Days of Search and Social' . Did ya miss me? Sure ye did. I was ill last week so for the first time, in a long time,
Obama: Fox <b>News</b> Has A Point Of View That 'Is Ultimately <b>...</b>
President Obama hit out hard at Fox News in an interview with Rolling Stone. In the interview, which was released Tuesday, Rolling Stone editor Jann Wenner asked Obama, "What do you think of Fox News?
Obama: Fox <b>News</b> Has A Point Of View That Is 'Ultimately <b>...</b>
President Obama has given a lengthy interview to Rolling Stone publisher Jann Wenner for the upcoming issue of the magazine. The cover story is titled Obama Fights Back and boy does he ever. At least where Fox News is concerned.
eric seiger dermatologyWeekly Search & Social <b>News</b>: 09/28/2010 | Search Engine Journal
Hey there gang, it's time for another '7 Days of Search and Social' . Did ya miss me? Sure ye did. I was ill last week so for the first time, in a long time,
Obama: Fox <b>News</b> Has A Point Of View That 'Is Ultimately <b>...</b>
President Obama hit out hard at Fox News in an interview with Rolling Stone. In the interview, which was released Tuesday, Rolling Stone editor Jann Wenner asked Obama, "What do you think of Fox News?
Obama: Fox <b>News</b> Has A Point Of View That Is 'Ultimately <b>...</b>
President Obama has given a lengthy interview to Rolling Stone publisher Jann Wenner for the upcoming issue of the magazine. The cover story is titled Obama Fights Back and boy does he ever. At least where Fox News is concerned.
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_18/b4032066.htm
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_18/b4032066.htm
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_18/b4032066.htm
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/1999/10/25/267811/index.htm
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/1999/10/25/267811/index.htm
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/1999/10/25/267811/index.htm
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_18/b4032066.htm
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