political science
Accountability and Transparency in Local Government
BY BILL BOGAARD
Left to Right: Bell’s Mayor Pro Tem Ana Maria Quintana, Mayor Violeta Alvarez, Council Member Nestor Enrique Valencia, Council Member Ali Saleh and Council Member Alicia Romero prepare to cut the ribbon at the opening ceremonies for La Campana, the city’s first-ever fixed-route bus service.
Bill Bogaard is mayor of the City of Pasadena and immediate past president of the League. He can be reached at bbogaard@cityofpasadena.net.
The City of Bell’s former City Manager Robert Rizzo recently pleaded no contest to more than 60 counts of public corruption. The Los Angeles Times exposed Rizzo and a handful of former appointed and elected City of Bell officials in 2010 for significant breaches of public trust, including inexcusable compensation practices and hiding information from the residents they were entrusted to serve.
Residents throughout the state were rightfully outraged — as were the League and its 467 member cities. We knew that these were the isolated acts of a few individuals and not at all reflective of the high standards of accountability and transparency that most cities strive to provide.
That’s why in the wake of the Bell scandal the League condemned the breach of public trust and took steps to facilitate public access to important city government information, such as the salaries of city managers and elected officials. In addition, the League worked to provide all California cities with the tools, guidelines and resources to become even more open and responsive to their residents.
At the same time, the League and its local government partners assisted Bell’s residents and newly elected leaders in reforming their government and rebuilding public trust.
Our goal is to help inform the public about the resources available to them and reinforce California cities’ commitment to be open, transparent and accountable to the residents we serve. Some of the tools available for
BY BILL BOGAARD
Left to Right: Bell’s Mayor Pro Tem Ana Maria Quintana, Mayor Violeta Alvarez, Council Member Nestor Enrique Valencia, Council Member Ali Saleh and Council Member Alicia Romero prepare to cut the ribbon at the opening ceremonies for La Campana, the city’s first-ever fixed-route bus service.
Bill Bogaard is mayor of the City of Pasadena and immediate past president of the League. He can be reached at bbogaard@cityofpasadena.net.
The City of Bell’s former City Manager Robert Rizzo recently pleaded no contest to more than 60 counts of public corruption. The Los Angeles Times exposed Rizzo and a handful of former appointed and elected City of Bell officials in 2010 for significant breaches of public trust, including inexcusable compensation practices and hiding information from the residents they were entrusted to serve.
Residents throughout the state were rightfully outraged — as were the League and its 467 member cities. We knew that these were the isolated acts of a few individuals and not at all reflective of the high standards of accountability and transparency that most cities strive to provide.
That’s why in the wake of the Bell scandal the League condemned the breach of public trust and took steps to facilitate public access to important city government information, such as the salaries of city managers and elected officials. In addition, the League worked to provide all California cities with the tools, guidelines and resources to become even more open and responsive to their residents.
At the same time, the League and its local government partners assisted Bell’s residents and newly elected leaders in reforming their government and rebuilding public trust.
Our goal is to help inform the public about the resources available to them and reinforce California cities’ commitment to be open, transparent and accountable to the residents we serve. Some of the tools available for