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Lorenzo S. Velez, the only Bell City Council member not charged with a crime, was the only one who showed up for Monday night’s council meeting. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times / October 4, 2010) Share Related 
No quorum 
No-shows force Bell to cancel meeting 
Former Bell official Rizzo will again try to post bail Stories Bell residents to deliver recall petitions to county registrar Bell crackdowns hand statewide candidates a chance to shine Bell doubled public service taxes and funneled $1 million to Rizzo, audit finds See more stories » X Photos: Eight arrested, arraigned in scandal By Hector Becerra, Jeff Gottlieb and Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times October 6, 2010 
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Text Size la-me-bell-20101006 Lorenzo Velez stepped onto the Bell City Council dais Monday night and took his seat as the crowd cheered and applauded the only council member not charged with a crime — and the only one who showed up for the council meeting.Councilman Luis Artiga had resigned earlier in the day. Councilman George Mirabal remains in jail. And Mayor Oscar Hernandez and Councilwoman Teresa Jacobo — both charged with felonies in the public corruption case that has enveloped the city — didn't attend the meeting, saying they were ill.
That left Velez, the only council member who never received the inflated salaries paid to other top Bell officials and the only one untainted by the city's scandals. But while the image of the lone, honest sheriff plays well in movies of the Old West, a single working councilman in a scandal-rocked city can't do much. And for now, experts say, neither can Bell.
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The small, working-class city of roughly 40,000 southeast of downtown Los Angeles has been in governmental chaos ever since July, when The Times disclosed that its city administrator, Robert Rizzo, and other top officials were being paid salaries higher than any other municipal officials in the state. But in recent days, with Rizzo in jail, the municipal credit rating sinking and the City Council unable to meet for lack of a quorum, Bell's problems have deepened.
In a letter obtained Tuesday by The Times, Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown asked the city to agree to a court-appointed monitor who would have "complete and unfettered access to all matters relating to the City."
The proposed monitor would have authority to investigate "fraud, dishonesty, incompetence, misconduct, mismanagement, or any irregularity" in city government and would be able to interview any city official or employee, according to the letter, which Brown e-mailed to city officials Sept. 30. If the city agrees to the monitor, the letter implied, the attorney general's office would drop its proposal to turn city government over to an appointed receiver.
A monitor could be installed more quickly than a receiver, "and the need to protect the people in Bell was paramount," said Brown's spokesman, Jim Finefrock. The attorney general's office has given the city until Friday to agree to the monitor or else it will continue its push for a receiver.
Pedro Carrillo, Bell's interim chief administrative officer, said he flew to Sacramento recently and met for several hours with officials from the attorney general's office. "We will work diligently with all agencies to fix the errors and mistakes of the previous administration," he said.
But the monitor would not have the authority to run city agencies or set policy. For that, a working City Council is required. And to achieve that goal, legal experts say, Bell has limited options — all of them problematic.
"Running a city without a City Council is virtually impossible," said Ventura City Manager Rick Cole, a longtime writer on Southern California cities.
Legally, Carrillo, as city administrator, can pay city bills up to $50,000, according to an audit by state Controller John Chiang that was released last month. Amounts greater than $50,000 have to be approved by the council. Also, amendments or approval of resolutions, ordinances and changes to city policies would be put on hold until a quorum is available.
Many Bell residents have called on the remaining three City Council members facing criminal charges — Mirabal, Hernandez and Jacobo — to follow Artiga's lead and resign. But if that happens, three months probably would be required until a special election could be held to replace them.
Likewise, the effort to recall most council members also could force an election, but again, months off.
"I tell people, when asking for resignations be careful what you wish for because there are no good options," said Assemblyman Hector De La Torre (D-South Gate), who represents Bell. "In the meantime, the city is almost paralyzed like we saw last night."
The alternatives to waiting for a new election are largely untested and some may not be legal. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors recently backed the idea of a receiver, who would oversee the city's affairs, possibly with the power to veto the City Council or make decisions in its place if there is no quorum.
Velez said he is opposed to receivership, but would go along with it if that's what citizens demand.
"What people don't understand is that they think we're still going to participate in the handling of the day-to-day business," Velez said. "That's not so. The receiver is going to take over all of the administrative operations and I fear that the city will lose its identity."
But Patrick Whitnell, general counsel for the League of California Cities, said he has never heard of a city going into receivership, nor could he find any laws that would allow such a step.
The desert mobile home shantytown of Duroville, located on an Indian reservation in Riverside County, was placed into receivership, but Duroville was not an incorporated city with elected council members. Still, Mark Adams, who was the receiver for the shantytown, said the case in Bell seems extreme.
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Read This Later Comments (8)Add / View comments | Discussion FAQ etsnell at 10:59 AM October 06, 2010 Pullen infected teeth or removing the cancer is painful but necessary to heel. Brown has the best lawyers around and anything is better than what we have. Pull there covers and please indicte. Cassio/Carillo/Valdez/Guiterez
No one has a crystal ball and Bell well obviously be the first town in recievorship with a sitting council . We are in unchartered waters but this is better than what we had. The sleeping monster has been awakened from there siesta and will settle for only the truth. Drop the axe jerry it is time to sleigh the Monster. Enough stalling enough corruption enough is enough. Bell residents have endured but Bell residents are coming together and well endure after all they are proud and good family orientated God fearing people.
ET Snell
x=clown community activist
victorthevoter at 8:56 AM October 06, 2010So Velez is afraid the City of Bell is going to loose its identity?
I say the people want Bell to get an identity make-over. In fact, I think Bell residents want an EXTREME MAKEOVER AND RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY.
Why is it that everyone with a political and/or fiscal interest (current or future) is afraid of receivership.
Why is that everyone with a political and/or fiscal interest is more afraid of impartial experts coming in and cleaning up than incompetent insiders continuing to soil the people's house.
So Velez prefers Carrillo, who's connections to Rizzo and Cole are unquestionable but his professional qualifications are still unknown, running the place instead of an impartial, respected & trustworthy city manager?
So Velez is comfortable taking legal advice from a lawyer who did bidding for Vignali and whose firm did bond work for Bell?
Velez should not worrying about Bell's identity and start worrying about Bell's bottom line and future.
And the people of Bell need to remember that Velez was handpicked by Rizzo too.
Bell deserves better and bolder leadership for the $600 dollars they pay Velez.
victorthevoter at 8:37 AM October 06, 2010De La Torre's wrong!
The community's "not stuck on anger."
"THE COMMUNITY'S STUCK ON UPROOTING CORRUPTION, CROOKS & CRONIES," but De La Torre can't tell the difference.
The entire City of Bell complex is engulfed in political & fiscal flames & De La Torre's walking around with a gardening hose.
The same guy who wanted voters to believe he can stand up to the insurance companies can't stand up to these ruffians & call for receivership.
De La Torre's comments out of touch, & they're condescending & paternalistic.
The community isn't angry, they want Carrillo out because he's connected to Cole, Rizzo and others.
Carrillo's not trusted & you can't govern when you're not trusted. (I learned that in middle school - the one De La Torre didn't teach at.)
The community isn't angry, they want Casso out because he was handpicked by the Council, in spite of the fact his law firm did bond work for the City of Bell, and in spite of the fact that nobody else was interviewed. CASSO'S APPOINTMENT WAS AN INSIDE JOB - AND THE POA AND BASTA TACITLY SIGNED OFF.
The community isn't angry. They want new, impartial and qualified people brought in, not a bunch of connected cronieS, hacks and flacks playing musical chairs.
The community's not angry, & they're not dumb either.
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