Municipal Election

A: Becoming a candidate for local office requires many steps, which are prescribed by local and state law and follow a specified timeline and sequence. Individuals who are interested in learning more about running for local office are encouraged to review the Candidate Toolkit provided by the Fair Political Practices Commission and should also review information on the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk website. More information about the administration can also be found in the Bell Gardens Municipal Code.

Q: Can I run for more than one seat?

A: No, candidates shall not file nomination papers for more than one municipal office or term of office for the same municipality in the same election.

Q: Will the positions of Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem also be up for election in 2026?

A: No, City Council candidates who run for election in November 2026 will not be running for Mayor or Mayor Pro Tem, as those are not elected positions. Pursuant to BGMC 2.04.020, the Mayor and Mayor are each selected by the City Council at either: (1) the first regular meeting in December in odd-numbered years; (2) at the time designated by applicable provisions of the Government Code for even-numbered years; or (3) at such other time as a majority of the council shall so order. The current Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem’s terms will expire annually in December, and at that time, the next Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem will be selected by the City Council.

Q: Does the City of Bell Gardens have local campaign finance limits?

A: Yes, the City of Bell Gardens aligns with the FPPC contribution limits. You can view the contribution limits on the FPPC’s website at https://www.fppc.ca.gov/learn/campaign-rules/state-contribution-limits.html.

Q: When will more information about the November 3, 2026 election be available?

A: Election information is added to this page as more election-related tasks get underway, typically beginning in June/July of the election year.

Public Official Expectations

Becoming an applicant for public office means that information about you will become a matter of public record immediately. This includes any and all documents submitted to the City during the course of the application period. As such, these documents must, by law, be available to the public for inspection and/or copying. In addition, California Government Code Section 87200 notes that members of the City Council are subject to the State's financial disclosure laws, Fair Political Practices Commission regulations and will be required to disclose their economic interests upon appointment to this office. For more information, visit https://www.fppc.ca.gov/the-law/fppc-regulations.html.

Role of the City Council

The City Council is the governing body of the City of Bell Gardens. As the legislative branch of our local government, the City Council makes final decisions on all major City matters and sets City-wide priorities and policies.

The City of Bell Gardens is a municipal corporation following the Council-Manager form of government. The City Council appoints the City Manager, as well as the members of the City's advisory boards, commissions, and committees. The City Council defines the policy direction of the City and directs the City Manager to implement these priorities and policies.

The City Council adopts ordinances and resolutions necessary for efficient governmental operations and approves the budget. The City Council is responsible for the scope, direction, and financing of City services; establishing policy based on information provided by staff, advisory boards and commissions, and the public; and implementing policy through staff under the Council-Manager form of government.

City Council Composition

The City Council consists of five (5) City Councilmembers. Each Councilmember represents the City at-large, on a four-year term and may serve no more than twelve (12) years, or three four-year terms. Any person who, either by appointment or election, serves a partial term of office as a member of the city council for any portion of a term, shall be deemed to have served a full four-year term.

Meeting Dates and Times

Meetings of the City Council are regularly held on the second and fourth Monday of each month, and special meetings may be called as needed. The City Council also has multiple committees on which Councilmembers serve and the applicant selected must be available to actively participate as a Council liaison to numerous external regional committees as assigned (list available here), in addition to their attendance at regular City Council meetings.

Please see the City of Bell Garden’s Calendar page to view the current schedule of events and meetings. To view agendas, minutes, archived meetings and watch live-streamed meetings in progress, please visit https://www.bellgardens.org/i-want-to/view-agendas.

Compensation and Benefits

Members of the City Council receive a stipend of $589.64 per month and eligible benefits.

Voter Registration

You may check your voter registration status by visiting the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk website at https://www.lavote.gov/home/voting-elections/voter-registration/register-to-vote/register.

You may register to vote by visiting the California Secretary of State website at https://registertovote.ca.gov/.

Contact and Questions

For specific Municipal Election questions, please contact (562) 806-7705 or by email at dgomez@bellgardens.org. For all other questions, please contact the City Clerk's office at (562) 806-7704 or by email at cityclerkdesk@bellgardens.org.

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