Bell Gardens : Finance Director Resigns; 6th Official to Leave in Year
Finance Director David A. Bass has resigned, becoming the sixth city administrator to leave the contentious city since a new Latino council majority took office a year ago.
Bass has managed Bell Gardens finances, including about $11 million in annual revenue from the Bicycle Club card casino, since 1982. At the end of March, he will become the director of administrative services in Lake Forest.
Bass, 40, said he leaves the city with mixed emotions but said the last year was filled with “too many disruptions, too many allegations and innuendo” around City Hall.
“The working conditions became very difficult, and I did not see any improvement in the future,” Bass said. “It wasn’t any fun to come to work anymore.”
Bass will also give up his job as a trustee for the federal court on Bicycle Club matters. He was appointed three years ago when a portion of the club’s assets were seized by federal authorities as part of a federal drug case in Florida.
The city will appoint an interim finance director while it searches for a permanent replacement, officials said.
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