Posted on 09/21/2010 12:59:06 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
California Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown should quickly ask a judge to remove authority from the scandal-plagued Bell City Council and hand over management of day-to-day affairs to a court-appointed independent official, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors said Tuesday.
Such an action against an elected city council may be unprecedented and would move the state into uncharted legal territory.
The motion was approved 4-0, wth Supervisor Michael Antonovich absent.
It was written before Tuesday morning's arrest of eight current and former Bell city officials, which raised serious questions of how to effectively run the tiny, working-class city of 40,000 people in southeast Los Angeles.
Specifically, the motion calls on Brown to use any legal measure at his disposal, including temporary restraining orders and asking a judge to swiftly remove authority from the Bell City Council. In her motion, Supervisor Gloria Molina said the city's leaders have proven themselves "unable to govern ethically, fairly or competently."
"We're very concerned. We're trying to sort out and figure out how to bring order to this city. It seems to be in crisis," Molina, the motion's author, whose district includes the city of Bell, said at Tuesday's meeting.
Molina's motion endorses the court appointment of an "independent receiver" to take over the day-to-day management of the city. It is one of the solutions Brown suggested last week.
An independent receiver would act as a court-appointed regent for the city of Bell — basically with the powers of the City Council and city manager. An equivalent concept is a judge appointing a new, independent chief executive to a bankrupt, scandal-plagued company — a nonpartisan person who can manage its daily affairs.
The independent receiver would have the ability to hire people and enter into contracts until the residents can elect new City Council members.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimesblogs.latimes.com ...
If Jerry is for it, I am against it.
So the State should be able to move in and dissolve the body of elected officials due to a financial crisis? Yea, that sounds like a good precedent to set.
If you have followed the news at all, you would know that Bell, CA was taken over by a bunch of thieves serving themselves grossly in public office.
If you have followed the news at all, you would know that Bell, CA was taken over by a bunch of thieves serving themselves grossly in public office.
(CA: LA County) District Attorney Calls Bell Scandal 'Corruption On Steroids'
Now we need to go up and check on Oakland...
What a mess that whole state is!
String them all up, and have the citizens play human piñata with them.
How about an election? Even a recall election? Why isn’t this even being considered?
No need to recall if they are behind Bars...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.