weekly salary of $3,230 with no medical or retirement benefits, replacing interim city manager Kenneth Hampian. As Governor, Jerry Brown made it more difficult for city council members to dishonestly pad their paychecks. Brown signed into law Assemblyman Cameron Smyth (R-Santa Clarita)'s legislation, AB 23, which requires city officials to publicize when they are holding concurrent or consecutive meetings, and how much the meeting attendees will receive in salaries. "The intent is to discourage the potential abuses by making public how much officials are being paid," Smyth said. "Special Election" 2011 Thirty-three percent of Bell's 10,485 registered voters turned out to vote in a recall election for the City Council members. Mayor Hernandez, Deputy Mayor Jacobo and Council member George Mirabal, were all recalled, with more than 95% of votes on each recall in favor. Danny Harber received 54% of the vote to gain Jacobo's seat. Filling the short term council seat vacated by Mirabal, was Ana Maria Quintana, with 44% of the vote. The next day it was announced that Ali Saleh, Nestor Valencia and Violeta Alvarez would fill the other three council seats. Councilman Lorenzo Velez, the only Bell official not charged with wrongdoing, was also replaced on the city council. Assembly Bill 93 allowed the City Clerk to swear in the new council and also allowed the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to validate the March 8 election results. Prior to that, the new city council had been unable to take office because there was no quorum of the former city council to swear them in. They were sworn in during the last week of March 2011. The council designated Ali Saleh as mayor. The California Fair Political Practices Commission announced on July 1, 2011, that it was investigating whether Bell's police union had violated state law when the union handed out a campaign flyer supporting their candidates in the recall election. The commission said it was also looking into whether the Bell Police Officers Association was properly noted as the source of the flyer. Three of the five council persons elected were those endorsed by the Bell Police Officers Association. Corruption hearings City Council The preliminary hearing for the alleged misappropriations and misdeeds of the Bell City council members charged, began on February 7, 2011. Councilman Lorenzo Velez, the only Bell official not charged with any wrongdoing, testified that he doesn't remember participating in any