“Because of the unethical, immoral, and in some cases illegal behavior of the past city council and the city administration, the city of Bell became a national symbol of bad government,” said Saleh, who was elected in March. “But that was the old Bell. In the new Bell, we are doing things differently. We are doing things right.”

Saleh also translated that message in Spanish, occasionally stumbling over the pronunciation of words, to which Bell’s Spanish-speaking residents quickly and loudly corrected him.

Croce temporarily will hold the position that former City Manager Robert Rizzo was forced to vacate after last year’s corruption accusations of illegally inflating his salary to nearly $800,000 per year — much higher than other city managers. Seven other city leaders also were charged along with Rizzo.

“It’s a pretty daunting agenda,” Croce said, adding that he has “no doubt” the city will recover. 

Still, Bell residents are skeptical of their city leaders. All five city councilmembers were newly elected in March. Residents said the new leadership is not making progress quickly enough. 

About a dozen residents held signs that read, “Shame on you,” and, “The new council promised no new taxes.”

Among Bell residents’ grievances is that Bell, a small working-class city of about 35,000 people, pays the second highest property taxes in the country while the city has inadequate social and community services. 

Juanita Tajimaroa, who has lived in Bell about 20 years with her children and grandchildren, said community classes and services are lacking.

“There are some things that are not quite right. They’re not promoting businesses coming to Bell, and I think they can work faster on that,” Tajimaroa said.

She added that she approves of some of the council members’ work. “They have garnered a lot of resources. I respect Mr. Arne Croce; he’s a real good person to have here.”

Under Rizzo’s administration, new taxes were implemented and bonds issued that the current government is dealing with. Because the city’s records for the past two fiscal years have not been audited, the city hired new auditors and attorneys to determine Bell’s legal and financial obligations, Saleh said.

“Rather than quietly, with no public notice, increase your taxes, this council and the interim CAO concluded that transparency and the public information were very important,” Saleh said in reference to the agenda item concerning tax increases for that night’s city council meeting. That night’s agenda was a hefty 254-page document.

“This city is facing significant challenges but you’ve got to start somewhere,” said Ken Hampian, the previous interim CAO. “You start with tangible change including transparency, and transparency isn’t always easy. It means you have to confront the realities, and confront the problems straight on and make the best decisions you can.”

Transparency is exactly what Jose Moreno, a retired Bell resident, wants. “We understand that some reforms take years, but the reforms of the financial and economic conditions now, they’re unbearable,” Moreno said. “Why are we supposed to be going the same way as before? They are new council members.”