Scandal-Plagued City Of Bell May Face Layoffs, Cutbacks

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Bell's interim city manager has proposed stabilizing the scandal-wracked Los Angeles suburb's shaky financial position with a balanced budget that eliminates several high-ranking administrative and police positions, makes other cuts and uses federal grant money to pay some police officers' salaries.

The budget, which reduces projected city expenditures by more than $5.5 million, or almost a third of what they were before, is expected to be taken up by Bell's City Council next week.

The modest, blue-collar suburb found itself as much as $4.5 million in debt as the result of a corruption scandal in which the city's previous top officials were accused of looting the treasury to pay themselves huge salaries.

Eight former Bell officials are awaiting trial on dozens of felony fraud charges.

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