Another Rizzo-era official is on its way out of Bell, after a shake-up has a formerly high-earning employee on her way out.
Lourdes Garcia, who is immune from wrongdoing in exchange for her testimony against her former boss, once earned $422,000 per year. But after the Rizzo-scandal came to light, her pay was cut by 61%, to $161,000. Now, the city is restructuring the department she has been in charge of, and she has been deemed no longer qualified to head the office.
She will not be considered for other positions in the city.
From the Los Angeles Times:
One of the top-ranking executives under former Bell City Administrator Robert Rizzo has been put on notice that she will be terminated as part of a leadership shake-up in a town that has been pushed to the financial edge by a still-unfolding public corruption case.
Lourdes Garcia, who had earned $422,000 a year as one of Rizzo’s trusted hands, becomes the latest Bell official to be forced out in the small, working-class city.
Rizzo, his chief assistant, Angela Spaccia, and five former City Council members are facing felony corruption charges, accused of looting the city treasury to pay for their oversized salaries and generous retirement benefits.
Read the full article here.