According to a much-anticipated watchdog report released this week, the embattled city of Vernon has made some important reforms. But former state Attorney General John Van de Kamp says, “Much more needs to be done.” Van de Kamp was hired by the city of Vernon to look at its policies and procedures. His review, which began in February, is part of Vernon’s attempt to defeat AB 46, a measure being pushed by Democratic State Assembly Speaker John Perez to dissolve the city. Perez says Vernon has no Democratic government and has been controlled by a small group of individuals for decades. Several top officials have been convicted of public corruption. And one former official who pleaded guilty to corruption got a $500,000 payoff, which the city reportedly didn’t challenge. If passed, Perez’s bill would create a process to dis-incorporate any city with less than 150 residents. There’s strong opposition from Vernon’s considerable business community, which says it’s unconstitutional for the legislature to pass a bill intended to get rid of one city. They say instead, Vernon should be reformed. But can it be done? We’ll dig into the new details revealed by the new watchdog report and hear from both sides.
Guests:
Fred McFarlane, Public Information Officer for the City of Vernon
John Van de Kamp, former state Attorney General
John Vigna, Press Secretary, Office of Assembly Speaker John A. Perez