Just fell down a Wikipedia rabbit hole learning about legal corruption in LA county. Essentially the grift is that historically, there were cities incorporated for the sole purpose of being industrial areas, and now serve as vehicles through which city officials can stuff their pockets through enormously high salaries (through being 'sanctuary cities' essentially giving the green light for illegal workers, having no business taxes, insanely high property taxes, outsourcing all municipal services to LA, etc). Reading these had me laughing:
Vernon:
According to media reports and other sources, former Vernon city administrator Eric T. Fresch was paid $1.65 million in 2008. In 2009 O'Callaghan was paid $785,000, Burnett, $570,000, and Harrison, $800,000. Malkenhorst Jr. was paid $290,000 in 2008. Malkenhorst Sr., who also has been charged with misappropriation of public funds, retired in 2005, and as a former employee, still receives a pension that is the highest in the state of California. Malkenhorst Sr. has been convicted of fraud and is under investigation for several other charges.
Malkenhorst pleaded guilty in May 2011 to illegally using public money to pay for personal items. Prosecutors said that from 2000 to 2005, he was illegally reimbursed for personal expenses that included meals, golfing, massages, a personal trainer, and a home security system.
In 2010, Malburg, the former mayor for fifty years, was ordered to pay more than $500,000 after being found guilty of fraud. Prosecutors stated he claimed to live in Vernon but actually had a home in the wealthy Hancock Park area of Los Angeles. Leonis Malburg and his wife, Dominica, were convicted of voter fraud and other charges.
The city held no contested or meaningfully competitive elections from 1980 to 2006. Out of five city council members serving in 2006, only one had been chosen by the voters, the other four having been appointed to their positions by city officials.
Bell:
Robert Rizzo, the City manager, received $787,637 a year, almost double the salary of the President of the United States. Including benefits, he had received $1.5 million in the last year. Rizzo's assistant, Angela Spaccia, was earning $376,288 a year, more than the top administrator for Los Angeles County. The police chief, Randy Adams, was paid $457,000, 33% more than Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck.
Bell is in a financial crisis due to the above-referenced public embezzlement scandals. Due to the actions of the former city's manager (Robert Rizzo) and the council in squandering the taxes of their constituents for their own benefit, there is a deficit of several million dollars in the general fund.
Maywood:
In September 2010, the troubled nearby city of Bell agreed to cancel the contract to handle the day-to-day operations of neighboring Maywood. Maywood has been overrun with political crises, from recalls to a city clerk accused of trying to contract a hit man to kill Councilman Aguirre. In early 2006, a newly elected Aguirre called Maywood a "sanctuary city" for illegal immigrants.
It is speculated that one-third of Maywood's residents population lives in the U.S. without documentation.
This is pretty run of the mill stuff for Dem run cities for more than 100 years. People forget that the modern dem party was built off machine politics run by the mob-union axis. In a lot of places that culture never went away.
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u/Emperor_Cleon_I Thucydides 13d ago
Just fell down a Wikipedia rabbit hole learning about legal corruption in LA county. Essentially the grift is that historically, there were cities incorporated for the sole purpose of being industrial areas, and now serve as vehicles through which city officials can stuff their pockets through enormously high salaries (through being 'sanctuary cities' essentially giving the green light for illegal workers, having no business taxes, insanely high property taxes, outsourcing all municipal services to LA, etc). Reading these had me laughing:
Vernon:
Bell:
Maywood: