Group items matching

in title, tags, annotations or url

According to allegation, Robert Rizzo, the former city administrator of Bell, Calif., could have been the king of swindling public sector employees not so long ago. Today, Rizzo just pleaded no contest to 69 counts in his corruption trial, according to a Los Angeles County District Attorney's office press release. And he's likely to get the "the longest prison term for public corruption" - the judge says 10 to 12 years - in the area since 2000. Came in no more than a week before a jury was to be chosen, Rizzo's plea was a surprise to everyone counting the DA. "An open plea", this is what the DA's office calls the move to the presiding judge and was not a negotiated settlement. According to the DA's statement Rizzo was part of an alleged corruption ring that reportedly included his one-time deputy and co-defendant, former assistant city manager Angela Spaccia. On Monday, her trial is scheduled to start. Furthermore, five former Bell elected officials - including a mayor, vice-mayor, and three council members - were already found guilty in March. The reports say the ring was as brazen as it was large. The five ex-officials paid themselves salaries topping off at $100,000 yearly in a city of 35,000 people, 25 percent of whom lived underneath the poverty line. An audit had found that the officials unlawfully raised local taxes and fees to fund their salaries. They were pikers as compared to what allegedly went on somewhere else. According to the report, Rizzo's paycheck reached a $1.5 million peak in a year when he had 107 vacation days and 36 sick days. His salary before he resigned in July 2010 was just under what must have seemed in comparison a paltry $800,000, according to the DA's office. Putting it into context, that's about twice what the President of the United States makes. According to television station KTLA, Rizzo was charged with a variety of schemes that cost the city millions of dollars, including writi

http://www.westhillconsulting-career.com/blog/2014/05/19/jobs-growth-oil-gas-firms-uk/ Companies in the UK oil and gas sector anticipate creating up to 39,000 jobs over the next two years. One hundred companies were surveyed, commissioned by the Bank of Scotland, since last year found expectations of employment growth had increased. A clear majority (69%) of executives in the companies were optimistic about their growth prospects in 2014/2015 while 38% of those responding said a shortage of skilled workers would be their greatest challenge. Whereas 64% of those taking part cited that the international expansion was a priority. Key areas for investment were Africa, North America, Jakarta, Indonesia and the Middle East. Westhill Consulting Career and Employment, Australia's survey says 46% of companies were planning by now for a further growth in foreign markets over the next 24 months. The research was carried out by BDRC Continental and companies were chosen to reflect a range of size, location and service type. In the previous year, a related study was carried out saying that the companies in the sector would recruit an additional 34,000 people over two years. Bank of Scotland commercial area director Stuart White, said: "The findings of this report are excellent news for the economy, demonstrating the employment-generating nature of the oil and gas industry now and in the future. "With most of the UK's oil and gas firms clustered in Aberdeen and the north-east, Scotland should reap the largest share of these new jobs, however other parts of the UK will benefit from expansion plans. "The report also highlights the growing challenges posed by the lack of a skilled workforce." Mr White said new specialist apprenticeship schemes could help address the shortfall. "The results also demo