Judge rejects monitor for scandal-plagued Bell

A judge rejected a request by the state attorney general's office to appoint a monitor to control finances in scandal-plagued Bell until residents can elect a new City Council next year.

Superior Court Judge Robert H. O'Brien said in his five-page ruling issued Monday that he was not convinced prosecutors needed a monitor to get access to information for their lawsuit, and that appointing a monitor without clearly defined duties would invite a stream of motions seeking to clarify the role.

"Thus, it is not apparent at this point that a monitor is needed," O'Brien wrote, noting his decision could be subject to further review if circumstances change.

Messages left with the attorney general's office and Bell's interim city attorney, Jamie Casso, were not returned.

Casso had said the city was willing to accept a monitor if certain limitations were imposed, such as blocking the monitor from attorney-client records and meetings legally closed to the public.

State Attorney General Jerry Brown had pressed Bell to appoint an independent monitor since shortly after the Los Angeles Times reported in July that officials in the modest city, where one in six people live in poverty, were paying themselves huge salaries.

Four of the five members of Bell's part-time City Council were paid about $100,000 a year. Former City Manager Robert Rizzo had a total compensation package of $1.5 million a year when numerous perks like vacation, insurance and other benefits were added to his $787,637 annual salary.

The police chief was paid $457,000 a year, and the assistant city manager received $376,288 a year.

Since the scandal broke, the police chief, city manager and assistant city manager have been fired, and one of the four highly paid council members has resigned. The other three are the subject of a March 8 recall, and all four face criminal charges of misappropriating public funds.

Auditors from the state controller's office have concluded the city illegally collected nearly $7 million in taxes from residents, misspent millions more in bond money and misused state gas tax funds.

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