BELL GARDENS : Council Names 2nd City Manager Within a Week
The new Bell Gardens City Council has appointed its second temporary city manager within a week to replace fired City Manager Claude Booker, a longtime political foe.
William Vasquez, redevelopment project manager in Riverside, on Monday became the new interim city manager. Vasquez, a former assistant city manager from the city of Bell, said he has taken a leave of absence from his Riverside job.
The new council on March 23 had chosen Deputy City Manager Robert Dickey as interim city manager, then decided last Friday to hire Vasquez and return Dickey to his former position. Council members said that Dickey was “overloaded with work,” but some sources said council members were concerned about Dickey’s ties to Booker.
The new council majority won a special election March 10 to replace four council members who were recalled in December. The four new members took office March 17 and ousted Booker the next day.
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