Citizens of Bell, California are outraged to learn in a Los Angeles Times expose that their city officials make up to $800,000 annually.
The city, which is about 10 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles, is among the poorest in the state.
The city manager, Robert Rizzo, makes $787,637 and his assistant rakes in almost $400,000, to run services for the 37,000 residents of Bell. The two men's contracts call for an amazing 12 percent annual raise.
The Los Angeles District Attorney is investigating Bell for the six-figure salaries it pays to its part-time city council. [continue reading]
Eric Ingemunson's commentary has been featured on Hannity, CNN, NBC, Inside Edition, and KFI's The John and Ken Show.
Eric was born and raised in Ventura County and currently resides in Moorpark. He earned a master's degree in Public Policy and Administration from California Lutheran University. As a conservative, Eric supports smaller government, less taxation, more individual freedom, the rule of law, and a strict adherence to the Constitution.
This is just another example of out-of-control government salaries and benefits. Also consider that once these guys retire they will become the poster boys for pension abuse, since Chief Randy Adams will no doubt pocket 90% of his annual $457,000 salary in retirement benefits. Don't forget that Adams now makes 50% more than the LAPD Police Chief. By comparison, the LAPD Chief oversees a department that has almost 13,000 employees, while Adams supervises 46 employees.
Disgusting.
Bubba:
Hmmm!.. Let's examine this tax-payer funded pension dichotomy closer.
Randy Williams' $411,000 (i.e. 90% of his $457,000 salary) is disgusting, but Mark Lunn's $300,000 (i.e. $150,000 CHP pension and soon-to-be $150,000 County Clerk-Recorder's taxpayer-funded salary) earned your vote!
Guess you draw the line at disgusting selectively, and only when the total amount of taxpayer paid compensation funding exceeds $300,000..
How selectively generous you are with the taxpayer's money. And how fortunate Mark Lunn was to have support from such a prominent fiscally-conservative blogger.
But then again, take care here.
Based on this faux-paus, there appears to be evidence that you may be a FCINO, and quite the cyber-practioner of a foolish consistency being the hobgoblin of small minds...
DonkeyBoots
DonkeyBoots,
I have been speaking out against excessive public employee pension benefits for years, long before it became a popular topic of conversation. Randy Adams (not Randy William) is an extreme example, but I'm opposed to the pension formulas that let any public employee retire at up to 90% pay for life.
I'm also opposed to the CHP pension system that provides a six figure pension benefit to Mark Lunn. My support for Lunn over Dantona has nothing to do with my opposition to the CHP pension formulas, and that political race was about the Clerk Recorder's office and not about pension reform. Even though Mark Lunn receives an overly generous pension, he has at least had the integrity to speak out against these pension formulas that are threatening the bankrupt state and local governments. Mark Lunn did not create this pension mess, and is one of very few public employees willing to speak out against these lavish pension benefits.
And furthermore, I am not being "selectively generous" with taxpayers money. I have repeatedly and consistently opposed these massive RETROACTIVE pension giveaways. But the bottom line was that Lunn was a far better qualified candidate than Jim Dantona. Dantona is a sleaze who himself has repeatedly been trying to get on the government payroll.
When approached by the City of Bell regarding the Chief of Police job, the ethical thing for Randy Adams to do would have been to advise Bell that it could not afford him, but that there were any number of quality Law Enforcement managers who had the ability and desire to be Bell's Chief of Police for the Chief's salary reported to be $175,000.
In defense of his $457,000 salary demand, Adams reportedly stated the he was being brought in to clean up a Department that had former officers who were currently doing prison time. This is a ludicrous justification, as any competent police manager should be able to audit a 70-person agency and implement the necessary changes to restore ethical performance to the organization.
If Randy has any self-respect he will resign from his embarrassingly overpaid position and take his more than lucrative retirement.
Randy Adams should do time for aabuse of the workmens compensation system. Officers are put through the paces for ligitament injuries. However chiefs and there command staff get uncontested pensions without being subject to the same B/S as the troops. I hope he goes to jail.