Bell Gardens : Ex-Clerk Sues; Blames Firing on Her Being Whistle-Blower
The former city clerk, fired in April after a new City Council majority took office, has filed a claim against the city, demanding to be reinstated or to be compensated for lost wages and benefits.
Leanna Keltner, who had worked for Bell Gardens nearly 24 years, claims she was fired from her $53,000-a-year job because she was a whistle-blower and was investigating voting irregularities alleged to have occurred during a special election in March.
In that emotionally charged election, four new City Council members--three of them Latino--replaced four Anglo council members who had been recalled in December.
Keltner was one of four top City Hall managers who were fired or quit after the bitter election.
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