California State Assemblyman Hector De La Torre, who authored a 2005 bill that limited some City Council salaries, expressed outrage over the salaries that Bell is paying top administrators.
"The president of the United States and other public servants who oversee much more complicated and sophisticated operations make much less than these city officials," he said. "I think that makes it really clear these salaries are overdone."
The City Council "is completely avoiding their fiduciary responsibility to the taxpayer," he asserted.
But City Manager Rizzo thought he deserves the high salary.
"If that's a number people choke on, maybe I'm in the wrong business," Rizzo told the Los Angeles Times.
"I could go into private business and make that money. This council has compensated me for the job I've done," he said.
Mayor Oscar Hernandez from the city defended the salaries, and he and other city council members told Los Angeles Times that their city was near bankruptcy when Rizzo came aboard. Since then, they said, he has put Bell on sound financial footing, with its general fund nearly tripling to about 15 million dollars.
There is no law to set a limit on city officials. California state law governs how much city council members can be paid, but not the amounts that council members decide to pay city administrators.
On the Los Angeles Times website, a Brian C. commented: "If I get caught robbing a bank, I should just explain that I deserve the money."
An Alvaro Mercado commented: "Deport thieves not illegal immigrants. Idiot politicians taking advantage of uninformed citizens."
And a Laura commented: "Vote him out of office! Vote all those City Council Slackies out of office too, since they approved his big fat salary. The people of Bell need to be more involved with their community!"
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