City of Bell and home rule

Sacramento wants to be the solution to the city of Bell's homegrown problems, and has proposed a bill to penalize, through a heavy state-income tax, city council members who take excessive salaries. Whether the legislation would have force in charter cities (cities formed by local referendum rather than state rules) remains unclear. The more interesting parts of the legislation are a requirement that cities vote in open session on staff contracts and stop issuing bonds if council members are earning too much money.

Meantime, the LA Times has a story laying out the evidence that Bell Councilman Luis Artiga lives in Chino, where he owns a home - a home for which he's received a homeowners' tax exemption. Council members have to live in the city they're elected to represent.