How is Bell Gardens run?
Bell Gardens’ city government spent $139.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $3,667 per resident. Water and other utilities ($3.6 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Bell Gardens is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Montebello Unified School District
Bell Gardens’ K–12 school district, shared with Montebello, Commerce. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $24,212 per pupil, $14,474 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
California districts overall: 36% local, 52% state, 11% federal.
Downey Unified School District · $19,524 per pupil
Los Angeles Unified School District · $25,643 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
About $3,667 per resident a year, or $10.05 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: courts, inspections & corrections, at 64%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$979 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Bell Gardens’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($979 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 92 California cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,164, and the middle half spent $831–$1,742. Bell Gardens spent less than 62% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($3.3 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
California cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Bell Gardens itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 247% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Bell Gardens reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $979 · 2024: $3,667. Per resident it went from $979 to $3,667 (up 275%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 40,954 to 37,927.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $3,809 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.68% of the home’s value, vs 0.70% across California.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Bell Gardens’ rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.
Tax bills are one input to Bell Gardens’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Bell Gardens →
Who’s in charge in Bell Gardens
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Bell Gardens’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on bellgardens.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 287 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (37,927).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Bell Gardens’ votes are counted by county
California reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Bell Gardens alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Los Angeles County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat64.8%2,416,522 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican31.9%1,189,227 votesOthers: 3.3% (121,420 votes).
Most votes in Los Angeles County: Kamala D Harris
California: Harris 58.5%, Trump 38.3%
100% of Bell Gardens lies in Los Angeles County. Every 2024 race in Los Angeles County is on the county’s page.
Los Angeles County’s 2024 results →Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Bell Gardens.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: bellgardens.org ↗
- 2California AssemblyState representatives
- 3California SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of California
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Bell Gardens compares with the towns next door
Bell Gardens spent $979 per resident in 2022; the 4 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $568 to $7,020. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Bell Gardens’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Bell Gardens’ government
How much does Bell Gardens spend per resident?
About $3,667 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $979 was less than 62% of 92 California cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Bell Gardens?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,809 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.68% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.70% across California. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see bellgardens.org.
Who runs Bell Gardens’ government?
See bellgardens.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Bell Gardens yet.
How did Bell Gardens vote in 2024?
California counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Bell Gardens alone. Los Angeles County, where 100% of Bell Gardens lies, voted Harris 64.8%, Trump 31.9% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Bell Gardens?
132 full-time and 78 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $1.3M (about $15.6M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Bell Gardens in the state legislature?
State Senate District 33 (Lena Gonzalez) and Assembly District 64 (Blanca Pacheco). The Assembly district also covers seven other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Bell Gardens’ government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →