Thread: League of CA Cities pushes for public disclosure of salaries

League of California Cities pushes for public disclosure of salaries

By Ryan Lillis
rlillis@sacbee.com
Published: Thursday, Jul. 29, 2010 - 12:54 pm
Last Modified: Thursday, Jul. 29, 2010 - 5:01 pm

Officials with the League of California Cities said today they are interested in crafting state legislation that would require information on the pay of all highly-compensated public officials on the state and local levels to be made easily available to the public.

The move follows a salary scandal in the Los Angeles suburb of Bell.

The Los Angeles Times has reported that the city of Bell's city manager earned nearly $800,000, the highest salary of any government manager in the country. The city's police chief made $457,000 and an assistant city manager took in $376,288. All three resigned under public pressure.

As a result, the League of California Cities has taken the unusual step of admonishing one of its own.

At a meeting in downtown Sacramento on Thursday, members of the League of California Cities lambasted Bell officials and expressed concern that city officials across the state would be the focus of public outcry as a result of the scandal.

"What we've seen is that there really has been a violation of the public trust," said Ken Pulskamp, the city manager of Santa Clarita and the president of the League of California Cities' City Managers Department.

In a letter to Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, the league offered to help craft legislation that would publicize the pay of the highest-paid public officials in the state. League representatives have also contacted Assemblyman Hector De La Torre, D-South Gate, about the legislation.

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Schwarzenegger to Calif. cities: post salaries

By SAMANTHA YOUNG
Associated Press Writer
Published: Thursday, Jul. 29, 2010 - 12:51 pm
Last Modified: Thursday, Jul. 29, 2010 - 5:01 pm

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger challenged cities Thursday to post officials' salaries on websites if they have nothing to hide.

The Republican governor said Californians were asking what their local government officials were paid after revelations that the Southern California city of Bell paid three of its top administrators a total of $1.6 million a year.

"I think if the city officials have nothing to hide, put the information on the website so people don't even have to call," Schwarzenegger said in a budget speech to the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Such information is already public record in California, but many cities and counties don't display the information for the public to easily see.

That could change if the state Legislature moves ahead with proposals being drafted by the League of California Cities.

About 40 city managers discussed the issue Thursday at the league's annual meeting in Sacramento, where the city of Bell was atop the agenda.

"There really has been a violation of public trust," said Santa Clarita City Manager Ken Pulskamp. "We want to go above and beyond to show we are transparent, and we are open to various solutions."

The league's proposals will be forwarded to the state Legislature.

League executive director Chris McKenzie said it would be unfair to put all cities in the same category as Bell.

"We're talking about a few who unjustly enriched themselves at the expense of many," he said.

On Thursday, the Los Angeles Times reported that residents of Bell, a city where 17 percent of the 40,000 residents live in poverty, have the second highest property tax bills among the 88 cities in Los Angeles County.

With the addition of special municipal assessments, residents of Bell pay bigger bills than Malibu and Beverly Hills.

The owner of a $400,000 Bell home pays a property tax bill of about $6,200 a year. Tax records show the owner of a $400,000 home in Malibu pays about $4,400 a year.

Before he resigned, Bell's Chief Administrative Officer Robert Rizzo was the city's highest paid employee at $787,637 a year, almost twice what President Barack Obama is paid.

Four of the five members of the Bell City Council made about $100,000 before they cut their salaries earlier this week. Two of the four volunteered to serve without pay for the rest of their terms.

The Los Angeles County district attorney and the state attorney general have opened investigations into the pay of the officials.

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