Bell, Calif. Voters Recall Government Officials

By IAN LOVETT
Published: March 9, 2011

Residents of the scandal-riddled City of Bell, Calif., have ousted their entire city government.

More than 95 percent of voters on Tuesday cast ballots to recall the mayor and three city council members who were arrested last year on corruption charges, according to preliminary results. Even the lone city council member not to be implicated in the corruption case, Lorenzo Velez, lost his seat, as voters signaled a wholesale break with the past regime.

As votes were being cast, the former city administrator, Robert Rizzo, and other city officials were in court Tuesday for a preliminary hearing to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to have them stand trial on charges of misappropriating more than $5.5 million in city funds to enrich themselves with bloated salaries and illicit loans.

The arrests rocked the working-class, mostly Latino city south of Los Angeles, where the average income is less than $40,000 — as compared with the more than $100,000 that the city council members made for their part-time work, and the more than $800,000 paid annually to Mr. Rizzo.

If preliminary results hold, Danny Harber, Ana Maria Quintana, Ali Saleh, Violeta Alvarez and Nestor Valencia will be the new city council members.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/10/us/10 ... l?_r=1&hpw