A few jobs will soon be available in Bell, CA

California city manager's pension could top $30 million
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE66K6BX20100721?type=domesticNews

By Jim Christie

SAN FRANCISCO | Wed Jul 21, 2010 5:29pm EDT

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A municipal manager in California who makes nearly $800,000 a year working for a small, poor city could draw pension payments exceeding $30 million in retirement, according to an activist who has been calling for an overhaul of the state's public pension system. That would put Robert Rizzo, chief administrative officer for the city of Bell in Los Angeles County, far ahead of other retired public workers in the state, said Marcia Fritz, who heads the California Foundation for Fiscal Responsibility.

"This guy will be our first seven-figure retiree," said Fritz, whose group has played a leading role in publicizing the issue of California's public pension liabilities. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has seized on the topic and is demanding that lawmakers reform pensions as part of a deal to plug a $19 billion deficit in the state budget. The state's public pension assets are managed by the California Public Employees' Retirement System and California State Teachers' Retirement System, global fund giants better known as Calpers and Calstrs, respectively.

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Currently, a former employee of the nearby South L.A.-area city of Vernon is California's top public pensioner, pulling in just under $510,000 a year, according to a top-ten list compiled from public record searches by Fritz's group. If Rizzo leaves his job, which irate residents of Bell are demanding, he could draw $884,692 in his first year of retirement, according to her calculations. At age 62, when Rizzo could also begin receiving Social Security payments, his annual pension would rise to $976,771, topping $1 million two years later. If he lives to age 83, his annual payout would rise to $1.48 million.

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"I don't think there is anything illegal ... The system allows this," Fritz said. "It's all by the book." Fritz noted it is not unusual for retired firefighters in California to get bigger pensions than those paid top U.S. military officers who retire much later after many more years in uniform. Bell, with a population of under 40,000, is one of the L.A. metropolitan area's poorest cities. Many of its residents are calling for Rizzo, the city manager and other top officials to resign after the Los Angeles Times reported their salaries.

Rizzo may be the most highly compensated city manager in the United States and the salaries of others in Bell's government are just as amazing. Bell's assistant city manager pulls in $376,288 a year. Its police chief is paid $457,000, or about 50 percent more than what neighboring Los Angeles pays its top cop to oversee law enforcement in the second-largest U.S. city. Additionally, some of Bell's city council members earn nearly $100,000 a year. The salaries are so big that the Los Angeles County district attorney's office is probing them. Bob Stern, president of the Center for Governmental Studies in Los Angeles, predicted tumult at Bell's city hall. "There's probably going to be a recall of city council members and terminations ASAP."

Couldn't believe it -- city manager (who's about my
age) earns $400K+ and will get an annual pension of
almost that much?

:wtf:

Where can I get one of those jobs?

Are city managers more likely than city mayors to receive higher salary due to contract negotiations vs set salaries?

Even before this I did not think hiring city managers is an appropriate method to use to administer a city. A city manager is only accountable to the city council members that do the hiring instead of to the city voters. In addition, the city manager doesn't necessarily need to satisfy a residency requirement like a city mayor. The city council could look outside the state and spend tax dollars in travel, lodging and meals.

for only the days they actually work..and the mayoral duties rotate.. We are cheap :)

Does the rotating mayor have an executive administrator? If so, then I can see it working.

Our population is about 255k now and the mayor receives about $123k. I just found out last nite that the city manager in the city I use to live in makes about $130k with a population of maybe 60k. Personally, I think $130k is too much. I really prefer having the people decide who runs the city instead of the city council. And in this case the city manager case the city council does their search across the country to find the person. Again, I would think it best to have someone from within the city to run it. There may be some advantages to go outside but I don't believe enough to outweigh anything else.

against all those who were clearly plundering a small city's budget for their personal benefit.

$884K pension / 40,000 residents = ~$20 per resident for life.

Now that is some wealth redistribution. Wish I could get a scam job where I run a city into the ground and then as payment ever resident pays me $20 for as long as I live.