L.A. County judge rejects attorney general’s effort to delay suit against Bell

In another blow to the state’s case against current and former Bell officials, a Superior Court judge on Monday rejected a motion that would have let the attorney general put a lawsuit on hold while the district attorney pursues a public corruption case against eight current and former leaders in the embattled city.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Ralph W. Dau said he was unimpressed with the attorney general’s argument that the criminal corruption case could be damaged if he didn’t grant a postponement.

“Why don’t you back off and dismiss this case,” the judge told state prosecutors. He said the state could resurrect its case at a later time.

Last week, a different judge denied the attorney general’s request to appoint a monitor to watch over the city’s finances, which have been weakened by the scandals that have swept Bell.

Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown filed the sweeping civil lawsuit last summer, alleging that elected leaders and administrators in Bell had misappropriated millions from the city treasury. The suit was filed as Brown was locked in a heated race for governor.

But from the start, the case has shown signs of unraveling. In a November hearing, Dau said Brown appeared to be overreaching his authority by suing former City Administrator Robert Rizzo and others and questioned whether the case was politically motivated.

Rizzo, former Assistant City Administrator Angela Spaccia, former Police Chief Randy Adams and current and former council members were named in the sweeping lawsuit, which seeks to recover money for Bell taxpayers from the highly compensated city leaders.

Rizzo, Spaccia and most members of the current City Council are also charged with misappropriating more than $5 million from Bell, one of the poorest cities in L.A. County.

The attorney general requested the delay Monday, saying it feared the defendants would use the civil case to more easily obtain documents related to the criminal investigation. Dau acknowledged that Rizzo and the others could more easily question witnesses as civil defendants.

Rizzo’s attorney, for instance, filed notice of taking the depositions of three City Hall employees, asking them to bring along documents relating to interviews or correspondence with the district attorney.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Jennifer Lentz Snyder said prosecutors have ongoing investigations in Bell, and the questioning of city employees by defendants could disclose those probes or reveal potential secret grand jury proceedings. She said prosecutors didn’t wish to show all their cards.

Dau chastised local and state prosecutors, saying Brown “filed this civil action knowing he would face this action.

“The court observes that the situation making the attorney general uncomfortable is entirely of his own making,” Dau said in his ruling.

Peter Chang, a deputy state attorney general, said after the hearing that his office may consider an appeal.

richard.winton@latimes.com