A Look at Corruption in Southern California Governments
Abstract
This article, aimed at informing voters in the Los Angeles basin of Southern California, takes a look at the origination, complexities, and corruption within governments at a local level. Attention will be given to the causes and effects of corruption among elected local representatives with a special look at how money erodes the efficiency we expect from our local officials. The document will conclude with a brief look at possible solutions to the epidemic of corruption in government.
The statement has been thrown around loosely for hundreds of years, but it’s becoming quite clear that money is the root of all evil… in government at least. While politicians continue to claim that they’re doing the will of the people, voters continue to wonder why it’s not the will of the people, but the will of “some people”? If you’re a Southern California resident, it may come as no surprise what causes elected officials to make decisions they make, and why it seems they’re ignoring the communities they are elected to represent. The importance of elected officials that are accountable to their constituents cannot be overstated. After all, any decision that your elected official makes that doesn’t make your life better, ultimately makes it worse. The remainder of this article will make clear that money is the root cause of corruption in government and show a history of money corrupting our elected leaders.
The trend towards government corruption happened at some point after our colonists first utilized elected officials in the first American colonies. As a nation, our first representative body was a welcome one which did the will of the people, mainly in spelling out property rights for property holders. The men who ran for office back then did so “from a sense of duty…” knowing that “holding office yielded few immediate benefits and some real costs” (Crews, 2007).
Over the last 4 centuries, representative concern for the public welfare and sense of duty seems to increasingly taken a back seat to violation of public trust when it comes to elected government. While corruption in government is currently near commonplace at the national level, corruption in localities can be just as bad. Take our communities here in the L.A. basin of Southern California. Corruption in local government is out of control in many of our southland communities, and efforts to curb the illegal acts have had little effect on repeat offenses. While national government officials can earn salaries well over $100,000 per year, representatives in many cities in southern California are paid a token amount, often less than $1,500 per month, with some even receiving $3,000 or less per year (Layne, 2012; Transparent California, 2015). With such power and influence in their respective cities (i.e. holding the power of the purse), Southern California representatives, losing sight of moral values, begin to corrupt the institutions that rely on them for illegal monetary gain.
One recent example in our Los Angeles basin is from Bell, California’s city council scandal. The former mayor, several city council members, and city administrator were recently convicted on graft and corruption charges stemming from misuse of public funds (Gottlieb & Vives, 2010). The scandal was culmination of decades of misuse and corruption largely because of the enormity of the corruption. Bell is a city of approximately 40,000 people, with a per capita income reported at $24,800 in 2009, yet city administrator Robert Rizzo, collected a $787,000 salary and benefits of over $1 million per year upon retirement (Gottlieb & Vives, 2010).
A few years prior and just down the street in South Gate, another elected official, Albert Robles, was the self proclaimed “King of South Gate”. This king ruled by using his office to cook up several schemes that netted him $1.4 million (FBI, 2007). The “King” went to prison at the end of it, but not before damage had been done to South Gate finances.
Neighboring Beaumont, California is facing similar scrutiny, as it appears that 7 former city officials may have cost tax payers near $43 million. Charges filed allege that the officials “had used their public offices to enrich themselves personally and secure interest-free loans for friends and colleagues with taxpayer money” (Rocha & Serna, 2016).
The list of corruption and associated actions go on and on. The mayor of Cudahy accepted bribes from a marijuana dispensary. FBI raided Palm Springs City Hall. Vernon, CA officials earning $1.6 million per year with benefits including first-class world travel and $800+ per night hotel stays (Fremd, 2010).
While only a handful of corruption cases are listed above, they represent just a tiny fraction of the cases that have been tried, or are currently scheduled for trial. In fact, the nation’s average annual number of convictions for public corruption over the past 20 years is over 1,000 PER YEAR! In 2012, California was reported as the 2nd most corrupt state in the nation.(see graphic) (DePangher, 2014).
The amount of corruption discovered and the staggering numbers of convictions over the past several years likely amounts to only a fraction of the corruption happening in cities throughout the southland. If 89 California cases were prosecuted in 2012, then there were likely hundreds of instances that flew under the radar.
What does it all mean? In order to know the cause in this complicated issue, we must focus on the common denominator in among the corruption cases. While many people might suggest lack of accountability, incompetence, or one of any number of reasons, there is only one that makes sense and fits the situation in every case studied. It’s all about the money. Yes, money is what they were stealing. Money is why they were convicted. Money is the reason they’re in jail. In fact, according to USCommonSense.org, “Examples of public corruption include bribery, fraud, perjury, and theft.” Looking carefully at that list, each of the examples has a root in money… stealing it, receiving it illegally, or lying about it. Yes, while there may be contributing factors, money is the root of all evil in local government.
Further evidence of money being the cause of the corruption comes from The Intercept article titled, “’Yes, We’re Corrupt’: A List of Politicians Admitting That Money Controls Politics” (Schwarz, 2015). The article documents quotes from various elected officials confirming the theory that money is the cause of the corruption problem in our governments.
400 some odd years ago, representatives were either wealthy, or working hard to get that way honestly. As more reps were wealthy in colonial times, there was also less temptation to break the law for monetary gain. Today, all too often, our representatives are looking to their position for wealth, and it seems that their end justifies the means. In other words, people today choose to run for office in order to gain the benefits of the office, not simply out of a “sense of duty”. Why is this money cause important? Because recognizing the importance of money in corruption is the first step towards finding mitigating solutions.
While the evidence is overwhelming, not everyone believes money to be the cause of corruption in government. Other causes as evidenced in various locations have been mentioned such as decline of personal ethical sensitivity, no sense of service, low awareness or lack of courage to denounce corrupt behavior, etc. (How To Stop Corruption, 2016). While these other causes may seem to have merit, it’s important to note that they are simply avenues by which the perpetrators arrive at the actual cause, money.
The effects of corruption in governments at all levels, both local and national, are substantial. The money lost from corruption is rarely ever recovered and the tax payers are left holding the bill for the indiscretions of their elected representatives. In severe instances, the hardship caused by the corruption leads to bankruptcy filings or other financial difficulties by the city affected. Such was the case in the Vernon, California corruption scandal where the city laid off workers, cut health insurance, and struggled to make payroll as a result of lost money from city coffers due to corruption.
In closing, finding a solution to the epidemic of corruption in our communities is a high priority for many tax payers. In addressing the issue, some believe that a change in accountability measures is needed, while others feel term limits, increases in salaries, specifying tax disbursements, or other steps are the best route to curbing corruption(Gilbert, 2006; Sandbu, 2006). Transparency International suggests actions such as reforming administration and finance management, promoting transparency, and closing loopholes (How To Stop Corruption, 2016). If we don’t get make meaningful change with regard to curbing corruption among elected officials soon, the financial damage to our cities might be catastrophic.
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