Lisa Guzman

City of Bell, California

City of Bell, California – founded on November 7, 1927; renewed in 2011 The Community The City of Bell is a warm and friendly town composed of young families, small businesses, and an industrial district located on the east bank of the Los Angeles River in southeast Los Angeles County. A community of just over 35,972 within 2.5 square miles the City has a rich history with the original migration of the Gabrieliño Indians and later early Spanish settlers in the mid-16th Century. The City has long roots dating back to the 1800's when pioneer families settled into the area. The City is named after the area's original settlers, James George Bell and his wife Susan Abia Hollenbeck Bell. The community voted on incorporation on November 7, 1927 to chart it's own future. Bell is home to a diverse community which includes residents of Hispanic, Latino, and Lebanese backgrounds. Over the years, the City of Bell has seen many successes, such as the building of a main high school, City Hall, community center, and beautiful parks providing an array of recreational opportunities. Bell residents have enjoyed a small, family-oriented community with many available recreational programs that the department provides. The City has faced it's challenges from hard economic times to the Bell corruption scandal in the summer of 2010. A special election was held in March 2011, and a new City Council was elected on the platform to remake the City into a model of good government. The City has charted its new future since the election of 2011 with a team of experienced municipal executives who are appointed to provide leadership to the City's workforce, assess operations, and establish contemporary policies and procedures. This team has developed a professional annual budget, classification and compensation study, job descriptions, human resource policies, and other internal infrastructure improvements.