Politics & Government

Ex-Santa Monica Official Resigns in Compton

P. Lamont Ewell was serving as Compton's city manager when the mayor there has cast allegations of fraud, the Los Angeles Times reports.

A onetime Santa Monica city manager has resigned from the same post in Compton, where the mayor is alleging fraud in the city's accounting system.

The Los Angeles Times reported Saturday that P. Lamont Ewell—who was hired to fix to help fix the city's financial woes—resigned Wednesday after he suspended the city's attempts to get a line of credit to pay back millions of dollars in debt.

He told the Times that there's not much more he can do for the city while it waits for the results of an independent financial audit. [Read more about Compton's budget problems and Ewell's hiring here.]

Find out what's happening in Santa Monicawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"I don't think it's appropriate for me to sit on the city's payroll knowing that they are still struggling, when this can take its course for weeks if not months," Ewell told the Times of the audit.

Ewell was the city manager in Santa Monica from January 2006 to December 2009.

Find out what's happening in Santa Monicawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

He was hired in Compton to help with the city's financial turnaround, as it owes millions of dollars to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, the Times reported.

In Santa Monica, city officials credited Ewell with strengthening the city's financial position. Under his oversight, nearly $300 million worth of projects were launched.

To read more about Ewell's resignation from the city of Compton, read the Times story here.


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