Outrage over local salaries (OneNewsNow.com)

Council member salaries generate outrage

Becky Yeh - OneNewsNow California correspondent - 7/31/2010 4:10:00 AM

payment Residents of a California city are outraged after learning of the high salaries their city council members make by working for a town where many live in poverty.

Residents of Bell, a tiny city just south of Los Angeles, are demanding that the high-paid council members resign or face a recall campaign. The outcry follows an announcement revealing that the police chief and assistant city manager were resigning because of a protest against their salaries, which comes to a combined total of about $1.6 million.

Bell council members announced Monday that they will slash their salaries, a majority of which comes from their service on agencies like the Solid Waste and Recycling Authority and Planning Commission, but the mayor of a nearby town says that is "not enough" to make things right.

Dennis Yates, mayor of Chino, is angered by the actions of Bell council members, and he agrees with the public's request. "Just lowering your salary isn't enough," he contends. "They ought to step down and resign. [Reducing the salary] is a little too late, in my opinion."

Dennis Yates (Chino) On Friday, the Bell City Council announced the resignations of Chief Administrative Officer Robert Rizzo, Assistant City Manager Angela Spaccia, and Police Chief Randy Adams. Rizzo and Adams plan to step down from their positions on the council at the end of August, and Spaccia will end her term when September comes to a close. The three will not receive severance packages.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Rizzo made $787,637 a year -- twice the amount President Obama receives. Council member Spaccia brought in $376,288, while Adams received $457,000.

"It is an embarrassment to all the council members," Yates laments. "It's kind of ludicrous, what they did."

State law requires that council members in small municipalities receive around $400 each month, unless a higher salary is voted upon by residents. In 2005, the city of Bell held an election and deemed itself a charter city, which trumped state laws that only applied to "general cities."

The charter allows council members to "create and serve on any commissions or boards they want -- at any compensation they set," according to Associated Press.

But unlike Bell, places like Chino are "general cities," which means the money is controlled by the state legislature and salaries for council members are determined by several factors -- one being the city's population. Council members may get a five-percent increase in their income every two years, but Yates will not give himself a raise due to the poor economy.

"We can give ourselves another raise, but we are obviously not going to," he assures.

He explains that his Christian upbringing and morals have kept him focused on being a public servant. "One of the Ten Commandments is 'Thou shall not steal,'" he points out. "I don't really like to poke my nose in other people's business, but 98.5 percent of council members are really dedicated public servants. You get a city like that, and it just tarnishes the reputation."

California Attorney General Jerry Brown is currently investigating to find out if high salaries for council members break California laws. His office is also looking into the incident by examining pension and benefits for the city leaders.