Bell, California Again...

Benefits push Bell ex-manager's annual compensation to more than $1.5 million

Robert Rizzo's vacation and sick time totaled more than 28 weeks a year, the city discloses.

By Jeff Gottlieb and Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, August 8, 2010

Former Bell City Manager Robert Rizzo, whose $787,637 salary prompted widespread outrage, received an unusually lucrative package of benefits that increased his annual compensation to more than $1.5 million, according to city records.

Rizzo's benefits package for this year, which covers time off, retirement and medical and other types of insurance, shows he was entitled to vacation and sick leave that totaled more than 28 weeks a year.

The revelations come as the L.A. County district attorney's office and California attorney general's office are investigating high salaries received by Rizzo and other top city administrators as well as City Council members, four of whom earned nearly $100,000 a year before cutting their pay two weeks ago.

The documents provided by the city set Rizzo's total annual compensation at $1,540,299.96, which included some unspecified benefits.

A Times analysis estimated that Rizzo would collect an annual pension of more than $600,000 upon retirement.

On Friday, the city released documents showing that several department heads were earning more than $200,000, including two whose total compensation topped $400,000. Documents obtained by The Times also show that the city had made payments of more than $100,000 each to two officials in addition to their reported compensation.

The newly reviewed records show that when the benefits package is added, Assistant City Manager Angela Spaccia's $376,288 salary more than doubles, to $845,960. Police Chief Randy Adams' pay jumps from $457,000 to $770,046 annually.

Spaccia was to have received $188,640 in vacation and sick pay and Adams $76,428, the records show. Adams, according to his contract, was to have received lifetime medical benefits for him and his family.