LOS ANGELES -- Residents in the city of Bell have filed petitions demanding the recall of four of five City Council members involved in a massive salary scandal.
The petitions were filed Wednesday by the Bell Association to Stop the Abuse or BASTA.
The petitions must first be validated and then BASTA has 90 days to collect the 2,500 signatures needed to put the recall effort on the ballet.
BASTA was formed by angry residents after the Los Angeles Times reported four council members were paying themselves nearly $100,000 a year for part-time work and their city manager was making nearly $800,000. Several other city employees also received high salaries.
After initially calling for the resignation of Luis Artiga, Oscar Hernandez, Teresa Jacobo and George Mirabal BASTA has focused on recall efforts.
Meantime -- the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office is investigating new allegations against City of Bell councilmembers who earned $97,000 a year by sitting on various city commissions that rarely, if ever, met.
Council members received only a modest sum for attending City Council meetings, $150 a month, and $60 a month for sitting on the Redevelopment Agency, according to documents first uncovered by the Los Angeles Times.
What pushed their salaries to $97,000 per year was the $1,574.65 monthly fee they received for sitting on each of the other five boards. However, those boards met only briefly over the past four years.
Bell's Surplus Property Authority met once between January 2007 and July 2010, according to city minutes. The Public Finance Authority met only three times during that period. The Housing Authority met four times in 2008. And the Solid Waste and Recycling Authority has not met since January 2005.
A review of city meeting records showed numerous instances when meetings lasted only a few minutes, with no substantial business discussed. On at least three occasions -- June 1, 2009, Feb. 4, 2008, and Jan. 6, 2006 -- the redevelopment agency met for a minute, according to the records.
David Demerjian, head of the Los Angeles County district attorney's Public Integrity Division, said it is illegal for council members to be paid for meetings that don't take place or that last just a few minutes. He said his office is investigating Bell's practices.
Since the revelation of the inflated salaries of Bell's city officials, councilmembers cut their salaries by 90%.
The petitions were filed Wednesday by the Bell Association to Stop the Abuse or BASTA.
BASTA was formed by angry residents after the Los Angeles Times reported four council members were paying themselves nearly $100,000 a year for part-time work and their city manager was making nearly $800,000. Several other city employees also received high salaries.
After initially calling for the resignation of Luis Artiga, Oscar Hernandez, Teresa Jacobo and George Mirabal BASTA has focused on recall efforts.
Meantime -- the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office is investigating new allegations against City of Bell councilmembers who earned $97,000 a year by sitting on various city commissions that rarely, if ever, met.
Council members received only a modest sum for attending City Council meetings, $150 a month, and $60 a month for sitting on the Redevelopment Agency, according to documents first uncovered by the Los Angeles Times.
What pushed their salaries to $97,000 per year was the $1,574.65 monthly fee they received for sitting on each of the other five boards. However, those boards met only briefly over the past four years.
Bell's Surplus Property Authority met once between January 2007 and July 2010, according to city minutes. The Public Finance Authority met only three times during that period. The Housing Authority met four times in 2008. And the Solid Waste and Recycling Authority has not met since January 2005.
A review of city meeting records showed numerous instances when meetings lasted only a few minutes, with no substantial business discussed. On at least three occasions -- June 1, 2009, Feb. 4, 2008, and Jan. 6, 2006 -- the redevelopment agency met for a minute, according to the records.
David Demerjian, head of the Los Angeles County district attorney's Public Integrity Division, said it is illegal for council members to be paid for meetings that don't take place or that last just a few minutes. He said his office is investigating Bell's practices.
Since the revelation of the inflated salaries of Bell's city officials, councilmembers cut their salaries by 90%.
