Photos: Last councilman standing in Bell

Bell Councilman Lorenzo Velez answers questions from residents after the arrests of his colleagues in a paycheck scandal. He is the only council member not charged with a crime -- an accidental hero because he didn’t collect the nearly $100,000 annual salary like his colleagues. Velez got a little over $8,000 a year.  (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Lorenzo Velez holds up a financial statement on his compensation from Bell, which amounted to a little over $8,000 a year as an appointed councilman. The councilman he replaced, Victor Bello, continued to receive $100,000 a year even after he stepped down. Bello is among eight current and former city officials who have been charged in the corruption scandal.
See full story  (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

Bell Councilman Lorenzo Velez chastises City Atty. Edward Lee, left, during an emergency City Council meeting in July. As city attorney, Lee signed off on the exhorbitant salaries paid to Bell officials and council members. Velez had no idea how much his colleagues were earning until The Times began publishing a series of articles in June that uncovered a scandal that made the town a national watchword for governmental greed.
See full story  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Councilman Lorenzo Velez, pictured at left, is the only member of the Bell City Council who is not charged in the corruption scandal. Facing charges are Vice Mayor Teresa Jacobo, second from left, Mayor Oscar Hernandez and Councilmen George Mirabal and Luis Artiga, and three former city officials.
See full story  (Liz O. Baylen / Los Angeles Times)