Whipped Cream Difficulties

Friday’s Bell update…wasn’t much of one. Testimony has wrapped up, and the case should go to the jury this week.

There was some bickering between the prosecution and indicted council member George Cole. Cole claimed that Bell needed to pay high salaries “to bring more Latinos onto the council of the low-income, largely immigrant city”, and that’s why he voted for a pay increase. The prosecution pointed out that Victor Bello, Teresa Jacobo and George Mirabal, all of whom were also indicted, were already on the council when Cole voted for the increase.

When [Deputy Dist. Atty. Edward] Miller presented a document that ensured no employee hired or elected after June 30, 2005, would be eligible for the city’s supplemental retirement plan, he asked Cole: “Wouldn’t taking away that benefit adversely affect Latino representation on the City Council?”
Cole replied that it would.
“Did you vote for this because your friends on the City Council and yourself would be covered?” Miller asked.
“It looks like I did.”

When Miller pushed the point that the resolutions Cole and the other council members voted for would allow them a salary of $100,000 a year…

Cole then pointed out that Los Angeles City Council members had a driver, car and staff. “I never had any of those,” he said.
“Did you feel you needed a driver and a chauffeur to get around a 2½-square-mile city?” Miller asked.

Other than that, Rizzo got thrown under the bus again.

Former City Manager Robert Rizzo was depicted as a vengeful strongman, beginning with the opening statements from defense attorneys — one of whom called the former administrator “the thief, the fraud, the destructor of the city.”

Sunday’s LAT ran a story on what council meetings in Bell are like these days. Answer: much calmer. Oddly enough, however, it appears that Rebecca “testified against the other council members in return for immunity” Valdez is still the city clerk.