Vernon Fights Bill Challenging Its Cityhood

VERNON (AP) — Officials in the scandal-plagued suburb of Vernon in Los Angeles County are fighting a bill that could see the industrial area stripped of its cityhood.

The Los Angeles Times reports Thursday that the tiny city has hired a Sacramento lobbyist and is rallying support from the business community to try to beat a bill introduced by Assemblyman John Perez.

The bill would require cities with fewer than 150 residents to be discincorporated unless their county board of supervisors supports them. Vernon has about 90 residents and many are city employees or friends or relatives of city officials. Several Vernon officials were making hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.

Vernon is also issuing statements touting the city's economic value to the region in an effort to defeat the bill.

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