Corruption-inspired bill targets smallest cities

Democratic Assembly Speaker John Perez, of Los Angeles, said his bill was necessary because the size of Vernon, a city in his district, has allowed rampant corruption. Officials in the city of 96 residents essentially put themselves in office and paid themselves exorbitant salaries, he said.

"There is no independent electorate whatsoever," Perez said.

AB46 passed on a bipartisan vote of 58-7 and now goes to the Senate.

Opponents said the bill would hurt businesses that operate in Vernon. They said it does not address corruption in cities of other sizes and that in some cases, residents should fix the problem themselves.