City Of Vernon To Hire Pricey Lawyers For Ethics Review

VERNON (AP) — Vernon plans to hire $500-an-hour lawyers to conduct an ethics review as it struggles to avoid losing its cityhood.

The Los Angeles Times says the city will announce Wednesday that it is hiring former state Attorney General John Van de Kamp and Robert M. Stern, who's the former general counsel of the California Fair Political Practices Commission. They'll have six months to complete their findings.

Van de Kamp tells the Times that he'll make an unbiased review of Vernon's city government.

The industrial city south of Los Angeles has fewer than 100 residents. It's been plagued by corruption scandals and is under investigation by the state attorney general. It's also the target of legislation that aims to dissolve the city and make it part of Los Angeles County.

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