Enough Signatures Gathered For Bell Recall

BELL (CBS) — Bell's City Council is up for an extreme makeover, now that residents have gathered enough signatures for a ballot initiative to recall three of its members who were accused of being part of the city's salary scandal.

The initiative will target Bell's mayor, vice mayor and another member of the council, according to the Long Beach Press-Telegram. A fourth member has resigned.

Petition signatures were validated by Los Angeles County election officials and now go to the city council for the calling of an election, Bell City Clerk Rebecca Valdez said. The council is expected to take up the matter Monday.

The recall drive originally targeted Mayor Oscar Hernandez, Vice Mayor Teresa Jacobo, Councilman George Mirabal and Councilman Luis Artiga. Artiga has since resigned and announced his support for the recall.

Former City Manager Robert Rizzo had a salary and compensation package of $1.5 million a year when numerous perks like vacation, insurance and other benefits were added to his $787,637 annual salary.

The City Council members targeted for recall were paid nearly $100,000 a year for their service. Eight people, including Rizzo, have been charged with misappropriating $5.5 million in city funds.

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