By:Chris Munzing
The D.A. is also investigating practices in the city's Department of Community Development, he said.
Rick Hinshaw, spokesman for the D.A.'s office, would not comment on what or who was being investigated.
Long Beach's corporation counsel, Charles Theofan, said Tuesday that the city had been served with a subpoena for Community Development records.
The city discovered the errant payments in February, during an internal audit by the city comptroller's office. Health benefits were being paid to, among others, some part-time employees, former employees and, in 12 cases, dead employees, according to a city spokesperson. The benefits were terminated immediately upon their discovery.
Colleen Silvia, executive vice president of the Long Beach Civil Service Employees Association, said one part-time employee in the Youth & Family Services Department had her health benefits reinstated because she had been working 40 hours a week for 18 years for the department.
Former City Manager Bruce Nyman would not comment on the issue.
Neither Theofan nor Hinshaw would comment on what they thought was being investigated or on the potential scope of the investigation. Theofan did say that the city was cooperating fully with the D.A.'s office. "Anything that's been asked for is being provided to the D.A.," he said.
The part-time employees who were removed from the city's insurance carrier will be allowed to participate in the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) program for up to three years. The employees will have to pay for the coverage themselves.
"There were [part-time] people who received health benefits for a number of reasons," said former Director of Operations Eugene Cammarato, who also ran the Community Development office. He explained that one part-time bus driver was offered a full-time position in another department but elected to remain an hourly employee after he was given health benefits. "It wasn't illegal," Cammarato said. "He was willing to stay as an hourly where he was desperately needed. The council and the city manager's office approved it. Nothing was done illegally, to my knowledge."
Cammarato added that he did not know what they would be looking for in the Community Development office.
City Council President Jim Hennessy would not comment on any particulars of the investigation. "I'm confident the district attorney's office will handle this appropriately," he said. "If there was any wrongdoing, I'm sure the district attorney will bring resolution to any injustice that was done."
Theofan said the insurance questions were not the responsibility of the current council, adding that they "dated back several years."
"The insurance benefits were discovered by a review of the city's finances I directed," former City Manager Harold Porr III said from his new office in Bronxville, where he is the city manager. "Something was improper, and it should be fixed."
