There has been much in the news in the last few days about the city of Bell, CA regarding the salaries of some of its officials and its status as a charter city. Bell is different than Rancho Palos Verdes in many ways, but similar in the number of residents and one other local issue, and for that reason, I think it's worth a closer look at what happened there.
Bell's population in July 2008 was 36,657. At the same time, the RPV population was 41,106.
On November 29, 2005, during a special election with just one item on the ballot, Bell passed a measure to convert its status to a charter city. Prior to the election, all five city council members signed a ballot measure in favor of the move, as did the city manager, saying that it would give the city more local control. No one filed an argument against the measure.
According to a story in the Los Angeles Times, hardly any Bell residents voted in that election. To be exact, only 400 people cast ballots, 239 of which were absentee. Of the total votes, 336 were in favor of the proposition, and 54 were opposed. That means that fewer than one per cent of the voters made a very costly decision for the other 36,159 residents of Bell.
It was costly because that measure enabled the council to by-pass state rules that set limits on salaries of council members and the city manager. That change allowed some of those officials to take home far more than their counterparts in other cities. The city manager, who has resigned following the flap, was earning almost twice as much as the president of the United States. And, the Times estimates that he will get the highest pension in the state.
The residents of Bell were outraged when they found out just how much money was going into the pockets of city officials. And by the way, they found it out thanks to investigative work by reporters from the Los Angeles Times.
Political philosopher Alexis de Tocqueville said, years ago, that in a democracy, we get the government we deserve. Did the citizens of Bell get what they deserve? They weren't paying attention to what their elected officials were up to, so maybe they did.
Can we in Rancho Palos Verdes learn anything from all this, particularly now that RPV is considering a move to convert its status to a charter city? Reasons given for the suggested change are that it will give our city more local control. Perhaps it's time to ask our council members: "Local control over exactly WHAT?" I'm not suggesting that our council has any ulterior motives for the status change. I'm merely saying that I think that no matter what issue is on what ballot, voters everywhere, at every level, need to ask more questions and get more answers and stay informed about the activities of their local officials.
If we don't, we can wind up like Bell.
If we don't, we can wind up like Bell.
These days, when it sometimes seems as if everything is so huge and so complicated, it's easy to feel that your one vote doesn't make any difference...but it's worth noting that in Bell, 336 votes made a huge difference. It's clear that your one vote CAN make a difference at the local level, in your city, or your community.
As an added note: It's also easy to take pot shots at journalists for asking lots of questions, sometimes unfriendly questions, and nosing around where some people don't want them to look. It's worth remembering that in this case, none of us would be aware of what was going on in Bell if it were not for some nosy reporters at the Los Angeles Times.
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