In the midst of a financial crisis, Maywood, a small city near Los Angeles, took the radical step of firing all city employees. Policing in Maywood is now handled by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and many of the other city's services in operation are being handled by the nearby city of Bell. Mayor Ana Rizo claimed that it was either this or declaring bankruptcy. Simon Pitts discovers what went wrong in Maywood and explores why this decision was taken, and whether Maywood might be a model for other city governments facing financial hardship.