Bell residents were outraged to discover that their poor community was going broke paying extravagant salaries to city leaders. Eight staffers have now been arrested for misappropriating funds.
City Manager Robert Rizzo was the worst of the bunch, reportedly paying himself in salary and benefits up to $1.5 million each year:
""This, needless to say, is corruption on steroids," said Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley in announcing the charges," according to the Los Angeles Times.
"Interim Bell City Manager Pedro Carrillo released a statement Tuesday saying that the charges marked a sad day for the city and showed that Rizzo and Spaccia "were at the root of the cancer that has afflicted the City of Bell.""
Read the full story: 8 Bell Leaders Arrested for Misappropriating $5.5 Million
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement
The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.
Judges permit Denver to divert 77,000 acre feet from the Colorado River for reservoir expansion
Overuse and climate change have caused the Colorado River’s water levels to plummet.
NYC DOT wants faster, more permanent street upgrades
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Trump to overrule local leaders, lease millions of acres of America’s Pacific Island territories’ seafloors to mining companies
International law says that the Indigenous people of America’s territories have a right to prior and informed consent regarding projects that impact their countries.
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Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
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