Bell, California | |
|---|---|
 Images, from top and left to right: James George Bell House, Bell Public Library, City of Bell Police sign | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Location of Bell in Los Angeles County, California. | |
  Bell Location in California Show map of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Bell Bell (California) Show map of California Bell Bell (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Coordinates:33°59′N118°11′W / 33.983°N 118.183°W /33.983; -118.183 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  California |
| County | Los Angeles |
| Incorporated | November 7, 1927[1] |
| Named after | The family ofJames George Bell |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Ali Saleh |
| • Vice Mayor | Monica Arroyo |
| • City Council | Ana Maria Quintana Alicia Romero Francis Flores |
| • City Manager | Michael L. Antwine II |
| Area | |
• Total | 2.63 sq mi (6.80 km2) |
| • Land | 2.51 sq mi (6.50 km2) |
| • Water | 0.12 sq mi (0.31 km2) 4.53% |
| Elevation | 141 ft (43 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 33,559 |
| • Density | 13,380.5/sq mi (5,166.23/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (PST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| ZIP Code | 90201, 90202, 90270[4] |
| Area code | 323[5] |
| FIPS code | 06-04870 |
| GNIS feature IDs | 1660322,2409816 |
| Website | www |
Bell is anincorporated city inLos Angeles County, California, United States. Located near the center of the former San Antonio Township (abolished after 1960), its population was 33,559 at the2020 census, down from 35,477 at the2010 census.[6] Bell is located on the west bank of theLos Angeles River and is a suburb of the city ofLos Angeles. At 2.5 square miles (6.5 km2), Bell is the thirteenth-smallest city in the United States with a population of at least 25,000.[7][8]
In 2007, the U.S. Census Bureau ranked Bell's land area at 1245 out of 1257 cities (defined as incorporated areas) and two unincorporated areas that had a population of at least 25,000 in year 2000. Ten cities in the list of 1267 cities had no land area data (e.g.,Goleta, California).
City residents voted to become acharter city in a special municipal election on November 29, 2005. Fewer than 400 voters turned out for that special election.[9] More than half of those votes were dubiously obtained absentee votes.[10] Being a charter city meant that city officials were exempt from state salary caps.[11] Ascandal ensued, in which several city officials were indicted for fraud, found guilty on numerous charges and sentenced to up to 12 years in prison, after giving themselves extraordinarily high salaries.[12]
The Gabrieliño Indians migrated to the place now called Bell in 500 B.C. Spaniards have been living in this area of California since the mid-18th century. Among the early Spanish settlers was one of California's first families, theLugos.[13]
While stationed atMission San Antonio de Padua nearSalinas, California, Francisco Lugo's first California son, Antonio María Lugo was born in 1775,[13] who would become Don Antonio María Lugo, Spanish aristocrat and soldier, who settled on 30,000 acres of land that encompasses the present-day City of Bell. In 1810, the king of Spain formally granted the land to Lugo as a reward for his military service[13] and the acreage became known asRancho San Antonio.
The grant was confirmed by the Mexican governor in 1838. By 1865, the Lugo family's fortune had dwindled and most of the Rancho was sold for less than a dollar per acre. The Lugo family did manage to retain its home, built about 1810, which is the now oldest house in Los Angeles County. The original adobe house was on Gage Avenue.[14]
Between 1870 and 1890, settlers arrived to the area and among those was the city's founder. In 1876, the pioneer residents for whom the city is named,James George Bell and his wife Susan Abia Hollenbeck Bell, and their two children, Maude Elizabeth and Alphonzo Sr. moved fromLos Angeles where they lived for a short period with Susan's brother,John Hollenbeck, in their Victorian style home – the Bell House, now a historic landmark located at 4401 East Gage Avenue.[14] On April 6, 2000, the Bell House was dedicated as a California State Historical Resource.[13]
They acquired about 360 acres (145.7 ha) of land and in the next decade, helped in its development as a small farming and cattle raising community. The Bell Family lived at theHollenbeck's "Town House" on 4th and Breed Street until they moved into the "ranch" Bell House in 1876. The Bell House was an earlyVictorian style farm house. In 1898, the town's name was changed from Rancho San Antonio to Bell, in honor of its pioneer founders.[14]
Between 1920 and 1935, an explosive growth in population occurred in the Bell area. Old and new residents built new businesses, established schools, and founded community organizations, such as the BellChamber of Commerce and the Woman's Club. An area-wide sanitation district was formed in 1923 to provide sewer facilities.
In 1924, George O. Wheeler founded theIndustrial Post, the local newspaper. By the early 1960s, theBell Industrial Post had become theBell-Maywood-Cudahy Industrial Post. It was later renamed theCommunity News, and became part of the Los Cerritos Community Newspaper Group. In 1998 it was sold again. TheCommunity News disappeared not long after[why?],[15] facilitating a chain of corrupt practiced that ultimately led to criminal convictions for city administratorRobert Rizzo, who had been hired around 1998, and six other Bell city officials.[16]
In 1925, the Alcazar Theater to show "talking pictures", was opened. It has since been demolished.[17]
In 1925,Bell High School was opened.[18]
Bell wasincorporated as a city in 1927. Since its incorporation, the city of Bell has acquired land for public parks and the recreational program. The city also has constructed an adequate sewer system, widened all major streets, built acity hall, and provided fire department buildings, with the cooperation of the city of Maywood and the County of Los Angeles, the city of Bell constructed an indoor public swimming pool atBell High School.
The city's Chamber of Commerce is located at the historicJames George Bell House, which serves as a meeting place and in addition, a museum showcasing artifacts from the city's founding family and period furniture. The house is open to the general public with free admission.
In March 2007, the city of Bell held its first contested election for city council in almost a decade.[19] The next election for City Council was held in March 2011, and included the recall of all the city council members save one, who was not re-elected.
In March 2000, it was reported that a shipment of 55Oscar statuettes was stolen from a trucking company loading dock in Bell. In addition to theLos Angeles and Bell police departments,FBIart theft experts investigated. It was the second Oscar mishap within a short period, as earlier that month 4,000 Oscar ballots were misrouted. Coincidentally, the missing Oscar ballots were found by the post office in a Bell processing center.AMPAS Executive Director Bruce Davis was quoted as jokingly warningBilly Crystal, host of that year's Oscar ceremony, not to go near Bell because it "seems to be aBermuda Triangle for Oscar things".[20]
In July 2010, when twoLos Angeles Times reporters, Jeff Gottlieb and Ruben Vives, were investigating possible malfeasance in the neighboring city ofMaywood, it was revealed that Bell city officials were receiving unusually large salaries, perhaps the highest in the United States. The salaries came into the public eye after the newspaper's investigation, based onCalifornia Public Records Act requests, showed that the city payroll was swollen with six- to seven-figure salaries.[21]Robert Rizzo, theCity manager, received $787,637 a year, almost double the salary of thePresident of the United States. Including benefits, he had received $1.5 million in the last year.[22] Rizzo's assistant, Angela Spaccia, was earning $376,288 a year, more than the top administrator forLos Angeles County.[9] The police chief, Randy Adams, was paid $457,000, 33% more than Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck.[9] All three resigned following news reports and public outcry. All but one of the members of the city council were receiving $100,000 for their part-time work, salaries which were authorized by a sparsely attended special election,[23] giving the city "Charter" status. By comparison, council members in cities similar to Bell in size make an average of $4,800 a year, prosecutors have noted.[9]
In September 2010, the California Attorney General's office filed a lawsuit against eight former and current City of Bell employees, requesting the return of what the suit calls "excessive salaries" as well a reduction in pension benefits accrued as a result of those higher salaries.[12] Allegations about irregularities in the 2009 election also were examined by theFBI andCalifornia Secretary of State office.[24] The city's highproperty taxes are also being investigated.[25]
On September 21, 2010, former city manager Robert Rizzo, Mayor Oscar Hernandez, former assistant city manager Angela Spaccia and council members George Mirabal, Teresa Jacobo, Luis Artiga, George Cole and Victor Bello were arrested and charged with misappropriation of public funds.[26][27] The mayor and council members all either resigned or were recalled. Of the eight, only Luis Artiga was found not guilty. The revelations about the salary amounts paid to city officials in Bell led media inquires into salaries paid in other cities.[28] After a review, theL.A. Times found frequent failures in audits of public agencies in other municipalities in California.[29]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.6 square miles (6.7 km2), of which 2.5 square miles (6.5 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) is water.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | 7,884 | — | |
| 1940 | 11,264 | 42.9% | |
| 1950 | 15,430 | 37.0% | |
| 1960 | 19,450 | 26.1% | |
| 1970 | 21,836 | 12.3% | |
| 1980 | 25,450 | 16.6% | |
| 1990 | 34,365 | 35.0% | |
| 2000 | 36,664 | 6.7% | |
| 2010 | 35,477 | −3.2% | |
| 2020 | 33,559 | −5.4% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[30] 1860–1870[31][32] 1880-1890[33] 1900[34] 1910[35] 1920[36] 1930[37] 1940[38] 1950[39] 1960[40][41] 1970[42] 1980[43] 1990[44]2000[45] 2010[46] 2020[47] | |||
Bell first appeared as a city in the1930 U.S. Census as part of the now defunct San Antonio Township (pop. 107,894 in 1930).[37]
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000[48] | Pop 2010[49] | Pop 2020[47] | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 2,132 | 1,728 | 1,484 | 5.81% | 4.87% | 4.42% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 307 | 214 | 124 | 0.84% | 0.60% | 0.37% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 143 | 64 | 35 | 0.39% | 0.18% | 0.10% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 368 | 229 | 237 | 1.00% | 0.65% | 0.71% |
| Native Hawaiian orPacific Islander alone (NH) | 7 | 2 | 15 | 0.02% | 0.01% | 0.04% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 38 | 69 | 101 | 0.10% | 0.19% | 0.30% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 341 | 143 | 171 | 0.93% | 0.40% | 0.51% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 33,328 | 33,028 | 31,392 | 90.90% | 93.10% | 93.54% |
| Total | 36,664 | 35,477 | 33,559 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
The2020 United States census reported that Bell had a population of 33,559. The population density was 13,380.8 inhabitants per square mile (5,166.4/km2). The racial makeup of Bell was 18.5%White, 0.6%African American, 2.7%Native American, 0.8%Asian, 0.1%Pacific Islander, 55.0% fromother races, and 22.4% from two or more races.Hispanic or Latino of any race were 93.5% of the population.[50]
The census reported that 99.8% of the population lived in households, 6 people (0.0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 61 people (0.2%) were institutionalized.[50]
There were 9,253 households, out of which 49.4% included children under the age of 18, 44.7% were married-couple households, 10.6% werecohabiting couple households, 27.0% had a female householder with no partner present, and 17.7% had a male householder with no partner present. 13.8% of households were one person, and 5.2% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.62.[50] There were 7,466families (80.7% of all households).[51]
The age distribution was 26.5% under the age of 18, 11.3% aged 18 to 24, 28.8% aged 25 to 44, 23.4% aged 45 to 64, and 10.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.7 males.[50]
There were 9,468 housing units at an average density of 3,775.1 units per square mile (1,457.6 units/km2), of which 9,253 (97.7%) were occupied. Of these, 28.4% were owner-occupied, and 71.6% were occupied by renters.[50]
The2010 United States census[52] reported that Bell had a population of 35,477. The population density was 13,545.5 inhabitants per square mile (5,229.9/km2). The racial makeup of Bell was 19,098 (53.8%)White (4.9% Non-Hispanic White),[53] 337 (0.9%)African American, 315 (0.9%)Native American, 259 (0.7%)Asian, 8 (0.0%)Pacific Islander, 13,899 (39.2%) fromother races, and 1,561 (4.4%) from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 33,028 persons (93.1%).
The census reported that 34,898 people (98.4% of the population) lived in households, 490 (1.4%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 89 (0.3%) were institutionalized.
There were 8,870 households, of which 5,327 (60.1%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 4,659 (52.5%) wereopposite-sex married couples living together, 1,879 (21.2%) had a female householder with no husband present, 1,019 (11.5%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 857 (9.7%)unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 31 (0.3%)same-sex married couples or partnerships. 967 households (10.9%) were made up of individuals, and 388 (4.4%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.93. There were 7,557families (85.2% of all households); the average family size was 4.15.
11,363 people (32.0% of the population) were under the age of 18, 4,124 people (11.6%) aged 18 to 24, 10,783 people (30.4%) aged 25 to 44, 6,811 people (19.2%) aged 45 to 64, and 2,396 people (6.8%) 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.5 males.
There were 9,217 housing units at an average density of 3,519.2 per square mile (1,358.8/km2), of which 2,570 (29.0%) were owner-occupied, and 6,300 (71.0%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6%; the rental vacancy rate was 3.3%. 11,333 people (31.9% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 23,565 people (66.4%) lived in rental housing units.
As of 2000,Mexican (67.7%) andSalvadoran (4.4%) were the most common ancestries.Mexico (73.1%) andEl Salvador (9.8%) were the most common foreign places of birth.[54] Bell also has a small Lebanese community.[55]
During 2019–2023, Bell had a median household income of $60,641, with 22.8% of its residents living below the federal poverty line. Theper capita income was $22,004.[56]
 | This section needs to beupdated. The reason given is:shows meaningless outdated details from 2010; needs detail – including a proper reference – from something much nearer current year. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(May 2025) |
By December 2010, Bell was in a financial crisis due to the above-referenced public embezzlement scandals. Due to the actions of the former city's manager (Robert Rizzo) and the council in squandering the taxes of their constituents for their own benefit, there was a deficit of several million dollars in the general fund. An audit by theLos Angeles County auditor-controller concluded that the city had to significantly downsize its budget, including the possibility of disbanding its police department and contracting with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.[57]
The City of Bell has a City Council-City Manager form of local government. City Council is composed of five council members who serve four-year terms, and the Mayor is elected every year by its fellow council members. The City of Bell contracts with Los Angeles County for Fire protection services, along with Animal control services.
The city has the following departments:
The City of Bell has 75 full-time employees across all City departments.
Fire protection in Bell is provided by theLos Angeles County Fire Department. The LACFD operates Station No. 163 at 6320 Pine Avenue in Bell as a part of Battalion 3.[58]
TheLos Angeles County Department of Health Services operates the Whittier Health Center inWhittier, serving Bell and surrounding areas.[59]
TheUnited States Postal Service operates the Bell Post Office at 6327 Otis Avenue and the Bandini Station Post Office at 5555 Bandini Boulevard.[60][61]
In theCalifornia State Legislature, Bell is inthe 33rd senatorial district, represented byDemocrat Lena Gonzalez, and inthe 64th Assembly district, represented byDemocrat Blanca Pacheco.[62]
In theUnited States House of Representatives, Bell is inCalifornia's 42nd congressional district[63] and its represented byDemocrat Robert Julio Garcia
| This section needs to beupdated. The reason given is:shows results from an election at the start of the 2010s; surely there are new people in the government, or at least show that the same people were re-elected – including a proper reference – in the latest election. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(May 2025) |
After a special election in March 2011, lifelong Bell resident Ali Saleh was named mayor by his fellow council members. Danny Harber, a retired baker and 40-year resident of Bell, was elected vice mayor.[64] Saleh vowed to remake the city whose name had become synonymous with municipal corruption into a model of good government.
Bell is served byLos Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD).
A portion of Bell lies within the limits of theMontebello Unified School District, but it has no residents.[65]
Kindergarten schools:
Elementary schools:
Middle schools:
Orchard Academy Middle SchoolsK-8 schools:
High schools:
All residents are zoned toBell High School in Bell.[71][72] The high school population is 98% Hispanic, .02% Black, and a small population of Lebanese, and Asian and Pacific Islanders.[18] The Mission of Bell High School is to: educate all students to the highest degree of their abilities socially, academically, and technologically so that they become contributing members of society. It is the home of the "Mighty Eagles".[73]
Any student who lives in the Bell or Huntington Park zones may apply toMaywood Academy High School, which opened in 2005 and moved into its permanent campus in 2006. Maywood does not have its own attendance boundary because it lacks American football, track and field, and tennis facilities.[74]
South Region Middle School 2 opened in Bell in 2010.[75]
Al-Hadi School is located in Bell.[76]
TheCounty of Los Angeles Public Library operates the Bell Library at 4411 East Gage Avenue.[77]
The city of Bell has several recreational facilities. The Bell Community Center hosts many events such as anniversaries, baptisms, birthdays, conferences, company parties, receptions, and seminars. Treder Park, located at the community center, has a gazebo, a pavilion with barbecues, and picnic tables.[78] Camp Little Bear Park and Lodge is a park designed for children 12 and under. The park includes a three-in-one area for junior players with basketball, handball, and four square courts. The park also has an outdoor amphitheater for films, a miniature golf course, an indoor lodge with classrooms and computers, picnic pavilions, play equipment, rock climbing, and a small soccer (football) turf field.[79]
Ernest Debs Park has a synthetic turf soccer field and a shaded outdoor fitness area with cardio, resistance, and strengthening equipment. The park also has one full and two half basketball courts, benches, pavilions, picnic tables, and table games.[80] Veterans Memorial Park has one junior (half) and two full-court basketball courts, batting cages, a baseball diamond with stadium seating and scoreboards, tree-shaded benches, a clubhouse with computer access, large picnic pavilions, tree-shaded picnic tables, a playground for ages 2 through 12, a rose garden in honor of U.S. soldiers, and a snack bar.[81]
The city also has a joint-use agreement with the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) for the use of the Nueva Vista Elementary Soccer Field during after-school hours to facilitate youth and adult soccer programs.[82] The Bell Futsal Park (opened in 2018) is a repurposed skate park that features one main court that can be split into 3 smaller courts.[83]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
