2 Top Bell Gardens Officials Put on Leave
Only two weeks after Bell Gardens voters recalled three City Council members, the newly elected council voted Wednesday to put the city manager and police chief on administrative leave.
City Hall insiders predicted the two officials will eventually be fired.
The jobs of City Manager Nabar Martinez and Police Chief Fredrick Freeman were placed in jeopardy when Councilwoman Maria Chacon launched a recall of her political opponents, Mayor Joaquin Penilla, Mayor Pro Tem David Torres and Councilman Salvador Rios.
The three councilmen, who were close allies of Martinez and Freeman, were recalled and replaced by a slate of candidates backed by Chacon and her supporters.
Chacon had questioned Martinez’s management skills and had a clash with Freeman last year that led to her arrest on charges of disturbing the peace. The district attorney declined to file charges against Chacon.
The new council, headed by newly appointed Mayor Ramiro Morales, also voted last week to rehire City Clerk Ron Hart and City Atty. Arnoldo Beltran, both of whom were fired by the previous council just weeks before the recall election.
Chacon and Morales said the previous council majority fired Hart and Beltran in an effort to delay or halt the recall election.
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