Randy Adams

A judge has rejected an effort by Bell's former police chief to more than double his pension to $510,000 a year, saying that the City Council never approved his extravagant contract and that city officials tried to keep his salary secret. Randy Adams, who was fired as the city was engulfed in scandal, would have become one of the highest paid public pensioners in California had his request been approved. The cost of doubling Adams' pension would have fallen primarily on Ventura, Simi Valley and Glendale, where he spent most of his career.

The police chief who was ousted after it was revealed that he and other city leaders in Bell were drawing enormous salaries has sued his former employers for severance pay. Randy Adams effectively stopped working for the city shortly after The Times revealed the high salaries paid to the former chief, as well as Chief Administrative Officer Robert Rizzo and Angela Spaccia, Rizzo's assistant. Adams was paid $457,000 annually, one of the highest law enforcement salaries in the nation and nearly 50% more than Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck is paid.

Already one of California's highest paid public pensioners, former Bell Police Chief Randy Adams this week asked a state pension panel to double his retirement pay to reflect the huge salary he received during his brief stint as the top cop in the scandal-plagued city. If Adams wins his case, which is being heard in Orange County, his pension would zoom to $510,000 a year, making him the second-highest-paid public pensioner in California. On the witness stand Thursday, Adams invoked his 5th Amendment right to not incriminate himself 20 times, including when asked about his Bell salary, which was among the highest law enforcement paychecks in the nation.

Many of the former leaders of the city of Bell were back in court Tuesday, demanding that the corruption charges against them be dropped or dismissed. They are also asking why the former police chief of the city, Randy Adams, is not facing charges as well. Former City Manager Robert Rizzo -- who has been described as the mastermind of the plan to loot small city -- was among those in court Tuesday. Continue reading > > RELATED: Judge questions why Bell's former police chief isn't facing corruption charges Six former Bell council members lose appeal -- KTLA-TV Photo: Former Bell Mayor Oscar Hernandez, left, with former councilmembers George Mirabal, Victor Bello, and Teresa Jacobo in court last year.

Former Bell Police Chief Randy Adams will continue receiving generous retirement benefits even after CalPERS slashed the amount by more than $100,000. Adams, whose $457,000 salary was higher than Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck's and more than double his salary when he was Glendale's chief, will receive a pension of $287,066, according to documents obtained by The Times under the California Public Records Act. That's down considerably from the $411,300 he was expecting to receive.

Former Bell Police Chief Randy G. Adams is requesting that a judge order Bell to pay legal expenses he incurred while defending himself in a civil lawsuit and corruption investigations. Attorneys for the former chief filed a complaint against the city earlier this week in Los Angeles County Superior Court after Bell repeatedly refused to pay his expenses. "The city would not talk to us, so we're forced to take this action," said Adams' attorney, Thomas P. O'Brien. He said Adams, who was police chief in Glendale before going to Bell, is trying to recoup hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal expenses.

The number of former public employees making more than $100,000 a year in retirement from California's largest public pension system has jumped 99% in the last two years. The Orange County Register calculated that there are 12,199 retirees in the state who are firmly in the $100K club, those earning six-figure pensions through the California Public Employees Retirement system. That's up from 6,133 six-figure retirees in 1999. At the top of the chart is Bruce V. Malkenhorst, the retired city administrator of Vernon who since his retirement has been heads and shoulders above other well-compensated retirees.

CITY HALL — Nearly 30 Los Angeles County police chiefs packed Glendale's City Council Chambers Tuesday to salute the efforts of Glendale Police Chief Randy Adams as he stepped down as president of the Los Angeles County Police Chiefs' Assn. The association — which meets on a monthly basis to discuss chiefs' concerns, strategies for combating crime and other law enforcement business — presented Adams with a plaque recognizing his service. He also received recognition from the Governor's office.

Why address issues when you can attack a qualified figure? Randy Adams was absolutely right to emphasize in his letter that he is the chief of police, even to draw attention to the fact, because it allows us to consider his expertise when judging his arguments. If General Growth/Galleria has something valid to say on a subject, and a trusted authority to deliver the message, bring it on. The best debate is an open debate. All of the points in Adams' letter were valid, and I'm waiting to hear someone challenge the ideas instead of the man. ART CRAGNOTTI LAPD, retired Glendale Opinions like the police chief's should be heard If Randy Adams' letter was "an attempt to deceive the public," he certainly slipped up by asserting in the second paragraph -- and in large print -- that the views expressed therein were personal.

Randy Adams, the disgraced former police chief of several cities, including Glendale, got exactly what he deserved this week: rejection. A judge denied Adams' request to double his pension to $510,000 a year based on his yearlong stint as police chief of the tiny city of Bell, where he was fired amid an executive pay scandal and criminal investigation. Adams would have become one of the highest-paid public pensioners in California had his request been approved, but the judge said the Bell City Council never approved his extravagant contract and that city officials tried to keep his salary secret.

A judge has rejected an effort by Bell's former police chief to more than double his pension to $510,000 a year, saying that the City Council never approved his extravagant contract and that city officials tried to keep his salary secret. Randy Adams, who was fired as the city was engulfed in scandal, would have become one of the highest paid public pensioners in California had his request been approved. The cost of doubling Adams' pension would have fallen primarily on Ventura, Simi Valley and Glendale, where he spent most of his career.

Already one of California's highest paid public pensioners, former Bell Police Chief Randy Adams this week asked a state pension panel to double his retirement pay to reflect the huge salary he received during his brief stint as the top cop in the scandal-plagued city. If Adams wins his case, which is being heard in Orange County, his pension would zoom to $510,000 a year, making him the second-highest-paid public pensioner in California. On the witness stand Thursday, Adams invoked his 5th Amendment right to not incriminate himself 20 times, including when asked about his Bell salary, which was among the highest law enforcement paychecks in the nation.

The city of Bell took the unusual step Tuesday to sue its former Police Chief Randy Adams, alleging that he looked the other way when confronted with corruption in the city. Bell, a working-class city that paid outsized salaries to top administrators, filed suit Tuesday , saying Adams owes his former employer hundreds of thousands of dollars. The city wants Adams to repay his entire $457,000 annual salary and a portion of the $20 million the city estimates it lost as a result of a corruption scandal that led to the arrests of eight former civic leaders.

When he was the top cop in Bell, Randy Adams was one of the highest-paid police chiefs in the nation. Now the city wants it all back. After years of scandal that has left the city on the brink of insolvency,  officials filed suit Tuesday, saying Adams, who joined the Bell force from Glendale, owes his old employers hundreds of thousands of dollars. Bell, a working-class city that paid huge salaries to its top administrators, said Adams must repay the city his entire $457,000 annual salary and a portion of the $20 million the city estimates it lost as a result of a corruption scandal that led to the arrests of eight former civic leaders.

The police chief who was ousted after it was revealed that he and other city leaders in Bell were drawing enormous salaries has sued his former employers for severance pay. Randy Adams effectively stopped working for the city shortly after The Times revealed the high salaries paid to the former chief, as well as Chief Administrative Officer Robert Rizzo and Angela Spaccia, Rizzo's assistant. Adams was paid $457,000 annually, one of the highest law enforcement salaries in the nation and nearly 50% more than Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck is paid.

Many of the former leaders of the city of Bell were back in court Tuesday, demanding that the corruption charges against them be dropped or dismissed. They are also asking why the former police chief of the city, Randy Adams, is not facing charges as well. Former City Manager Robert Rizzo -- who has been described as the mastermind of the plan to loot small city -- was among those in court Tuesday. Continue reading > > RELATED: Judge questions why Bell's former police chief isn't facing corruption charges Six former Bell council members lose appeal -- KTLA-TV Photo: Former Bell Mayor Oscar Hernandez, left, with former councilmembers George Mirabal, Victor Bello, and Teresa Jacobo in court last year.

From the day authorities handcuffed and led away eight Bell administrators and politicians in a massive public corruption case, people in this small working-class town have wondered why it wasn't the Bell 9 instead. Missing in the line-up of defendants - from city administrator Robert Rizzo to the pastor who said his lavish paycheck for serving on the City Council was a gift from God - was the town's police chief. For running the city's 46-person Police Department, Randy Adams made more than the Los Angeles police chief or the Los Angeles County sheriff.

The number of former public employees making more than $100,000 a year in retirement from California's largest public pension system has jumped 99% in the last two years. The Orange County Register calculated that there are 12,199 retirees in the state who are firmly in the $100K club, those earning six-figure pensions through the California Public Employees Retirement system. That's up from 6,133 six-figure retirees in 1999. At the top of the chart is Bruce V. Malkenhorst, the retired city administrator of Vernon who since his retirement has been heads and shoulders above other well-compensated retirees.

Former Bell Police Chief Randy G. Adams is requesting that a judge order Bell to pay legal expenses he incurred while defending himself in a civil lawsuit and corruption investigations. Attorneys for the former chief filed a complaint against the city earlier this week in Los Angeles County Superior Court after Bell repeatedly refused to pay his expenses. "The city would not talk to us, so we're forced to take this action," said Adams' attorney, Thomas P. O'Brien. He said Adams, who was police chief in Glendale before going to Bell, is trying to recoup hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal expenses.