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City of Bell Gardens · Statewide General Election

Bell Gardens City Council

This is one contest. Enter your address to see every race on your November ballot, and keep track of your picks.

On the ballot

This person holds one of three seats up this cycle on Bell Gardens' 5-member City Council, elected at-large to 4-year terms with a 12-year (three-term) limit: the city budget, zoning and land-use rules, and municipal ordinances for this Southeast Los Angeles County city. The council selects one of its own members to serve as Mayor and one as Mayor Pro Tem each year -- neither post is separately elected -- and day-to-day operations run through an appointed city manager. Councilmembers receive a $589.64 monthly stipend.

Bell Gardens elects three of its five City Council seats on November 3, 2026, and it's a contested field: five candidates for three seats. Incumbents Miguel De La Rosa, Francis De Leon Sanchez, and Marco Barcena are each seeking another term, challenged by first-time candidates Samuel Perez and Jorge O. Verdin.

Each winner serves a 4-year term on Bell Gardens' City Council, which sets the budget, zoning and land-use rules, and municipal ordinances for this Southeast Los Angeles County city; councilmembers can serve no more than three terms (12 years) total. The council selects one of its own members to serve as Mayor and one as Mayor Pro Tem each year -- De La Rosa and Isabel Guillen currently hold those roles -- rather than voters electing either position directly. Councilmembers receive a $589.64 monthly stipend, and day-to-day operations run through an appointed city manager.

The other two sitting councilmembers, Isabel Guillen and Jorgel Chavez, aren't on this ballot -- their terms run through 2028. That leaves this race to decide whether all three incumbents keep their seats, or whether one or both newcomers break through.

Miguel De La Rosa

Miguel De La Rosa is Bell Gardens' sitting Mayor -- a role the City Council selects annually from among its own members, not a separately elected office -- and a City Councilmember seeking another 4-year term. His campaign committee, active since 2024, reported no new contributions in the first half of 2026.

Strengths

Sitting Mayor and Councilmember with an active campaign committee. A local Facebook community group credited him with pushing for the city's fireworks show and fireworks stands this year.

Trade-offs

No campaign platform statement for this cycle was reachable, and his committee reported zero contributions received in the first half of 2026.

Keep in mind

His current Mayor title reflects the council's own annual internal selection, not a separate election outcome -- voters choose only his Council seat.

Francis De Leon Sanchez

Francis De Leon Sanchez is a sitting Bell Gardens councilwoman -- referred to as "Dr." in some of the city's own materials -- seeking another 4-year term. BallotReady independently confirms her current term runs through December 31, 2026. No campaign platform statement or campaign-finance filing for this cycle was reachable.

Strengths

Sitting councilmember with an independently confirmed current term.

Trade-offs

No campaign platform statement for this cycle was reachable, and no campaign-finance committee for her could be found in the city's own eFile system.

Keep in mind

The "Dr." title on some of the city's own materials for her wasn't explained by any source reachable this pass -- what degree or field it refers to is unconfirmed here.

Marco Barcena

Marco Barcena is a sitting Bell Gardens councilmember seeking another 4-year term, with a campaign committee on file since 2022. His committee reported no new contributions in the first half of 2026, alongside $850 in outstanding debt -- two loans Barcena made to his own campaign in 2018 and 2022.

Strengths

Sitting councilmember with the longest-running of the three incumbents' campaign committees, on file since 2022.

Trade-offs

No campaign platform statement for this cycle was reachable, his committee reported zero contributions received in the first half of 2026, and it still carries $850 in outstanding debt.

Keep in mind

That debt is owed to Barcena himself (two self-loans), not to an outside creditor.

Samuel Perez

Samuel Perez is a first-time candidate running, in his own words, as "an independent candidate." On his campaign's Instagram and Facebook accounts, he describes his platform as standing "for Public Safety" and notes his name will appear first on the ballot. A city boards-and-commissions roster separately lists a "Samuel Perez" as vice chair of the Traffic & Safety Commission -- consistent in name, though not independently confirmed as the same person.

Strengths

The only challenger in the race with an active, visible campaign presence of his own -- Instagram and Facebook posts asking directly for voters' support.

Trade-offs

No campaign-finance committee for him could be found in the city's own eFile system, and his platform beyond "Public Safety" wasn't spelled out anywhere reachable this pass.

Keep in mind

A local Facebook community group called him and Jorge Verdin "two younger candidates" bringing fresh perspective -- one page's framing, not independently verified.

Jorge O. Verdin

Jorge O. Verdin is a first-time candidate for Bell Gardens City Council. Beyond his name on the city's own official candidate documents, no independent information about his background or platform was reachable this pass -- no campaign website or social media presence turned up anything beyond a single Facebook community group naming him alongside fellow challenger Samuel Perez as one of the race's two newcomers.

Strengths

One of two challengers in a field where three seats are open and all three sitting incumbents are running.

Trade-offs

No campaign platform, website, or social media presence was reachable this pass, and no campaign-finance committee for him could be found in the city's own eFile system.

Keep in mind

This is the thinnest-documented candidacy in the race -- what's here is essentially limited to his name on the city's own filing documents.

Source review: Strong (86/100) · 10 cited sources

Official records anchor this contest, with several source types checked for context; advocacy or endorsement sources are treated as attributed perspective.

Review note: "Bell Gardens Uncensored" Facebook group (~67,500 followers, an informal community news-sharing group, not a newsroom): one post describes Jorge Verdin and Samuel Perez together as "two younger candidates who could bring fresh ideas and a different perspective to the council"; a separate post frames Miguel De La Rosa's and Marco Barcena's campaigns as a re-election bid, with a commenter crediting De La Rosa for pushing for the city's fireworks show and fireworks stands this year -- informal local discourse, treated as such, not verified fact and Samuel Perez's own campaign Instagram (@officialsamuelperez) and Facebook posts: "Vote Samuel Perez for Bell Gardens City Council November 3, 2026 Election. Let's build a safer Bell Gardens together. I stand for Public [Safety]" and, separately, "My name is Samuel Perez, and I am running to represent you on the Bell Gardens City Council. My name will appear first on the ballot, and I am asking for your support as an independent candidate" -- the candidate's own campaign language, surfaced via a live browser search, not independently verified beyond confirming an active campaign presence may have more bias because they are advocacy voter guides compared to other formal government and nonprofit journalism sources.

  • bellgardens.org (opens in a new tab)City of Bell Gardens — Elections page (city-clerk/elections): confirms three (3) Members of the City Council, at-large, full 4-year terms, up at the November 3, 2026 General Municipal Election; names the sitting five-member council (Mayor Miguel De La Rosa, Mayor Pro Tem Isabel Guillen, Councilmember Marco Barcena, Councilmember Jorgel Chavez, Councilwoman Dr. Francis De Leon Sanchez); states Mayor/Mayor Pro Tem are selected by the council itself under BGMC 2.04.020, not separately elected; and gives the $589.64 monthly councilmember stipend and the 12-year (three-term) limit. Live browser retrieval 2026-09-02 (a direct curl/WebFetch of this same domain still 403s; a real browser session renders it cleanly)
  • bellgardens.org (opens in a new tab)City of Bell Gardens — Candidate Filing List, in ballot order per Elections Code 13112(b)(1)(C)(i), November 3, 2026 General Municipal Election (Three Members of the City Council to serve a full term of four years), updated 9/2/2026: names all five qualified candidates -- Samuel Perez, Miguel De La Rosa, Francis De Leon Sanchez, Marco Barcena, Jorge O. Verdin -- with each candidate's committee name, phone, email, Form 501 declaration-of-intent date, papers-issued and papers-filed dates, and Qualified Y/N & Date (all five Yes, qualified 8/10-8/12/2026)
  • bellgardens.org (opens in a new tab)City of Bell Gardens — "Nominees for Public Office" notice, signed by City Clerk Daisy Gomez: "the following persons have been nominated for the offices designated to be filled ... November 3, 2026 ... Member of the City Council to Serve a Full Term of Four Years, Vote for no more than three seats: Samuel Perez, Miguel De La Rosa, Francis De Leon Sanchez, Marco Barcena, Jorge O. Verdin" -- a second, independent official document naming the identical five-candidate roster
  • efile.bellgardens.org (opens in a new tab)City of Bell Gardens eFile campaign-disclosure system -- "Barcena for City Council 2022" committee (ID 1409773), FPPC Form 460 semi-annual statement covering 01/01/2026-06/30/2026, filed 07/31/2026: zero contributions received this period, $213.67 in expenditures, ending cash balance $1,874.54, $850 in outstanding debt (two self-loans from Marco Barcena himself, $700 dated 08/22/2018 and $150 dated 01/13/2022, per Schedule B). Committee on file continuously since a 07/14/2022 Form 410
  • efile.bellgardens.org (opens in a new tab)City of Bell Gardens eFile campaign-disclosure system -- "Miguel De La Rosa for City Council 2024" committee (ID 1472897), FPPC Form 460 semi-annual statement covering 01/01/2026-06/30/2026, filed 07/14/2026: zero contributions received this period, a $100.00 accrued-but-unpaid expense (Schedule F), and an unchanged $3,262.93 cash balance. Committee on file continuously since a 2024 Form 410
  • efile.bellgardens.org (opens in a new tab)City of Bell Gardens eFile campaign-disclosure system -- name searches for Perez, Sanchez, "De Leon," Francis, and Verdin (2020-01-01 through 2026-09-02) return no committee for Samuel Perez, Francis De Leon Sanchez, or Jorge O. Verdin; a separate, unrelated "Perez for City Council 2024" committee (ID 1476170, terminated 12/11/2024, treasurer based in Imperial Beach, candidate signature redacted on its Form 410) surfaced under "Perez" but could not be confirmed as the same Samuel Perez and is not attributed to him
  • instagram.com (opens in a new tab)Samuel Perez's own campaign Instagram (@officialsamuelperez) and Facebook posts: "Vote Samuel Perez for Bell Gardens City Council November 3, 2026 Election. Let's build a safer Bell Gardens together. I stand for Public [Safety]" and, separately, "My name is Samuel Perez, and I am running to represent you on the Bell Gardens City Council. My name will appear first on the ballot, and I am asking for your support as an independent candidate" -- the candidate's own campaign language, surfaced via a live browser search, not independently verified beyond confirming an active campaign presence
  • bellgardens.community.highbond.com (opens in a new tab)City of Bell Gardens Boards/Commissions member roster (HighBond community portal) -- Traffic & Safety Commission: lists a "Samuel Perez" as vice chair. Consistent in name with the council candidate but not independently cross-confirmed as the same person beyond the shared, uncommon-enough full name in a small city
  • facebook.com (opens in a new tab)"Bell Gardens Uncensored" Facebook group (~67,500 followers, an informal community news-sharing group, not a newsroom): one post describes Jorge Verdin and Samuel Perez together as "two younger candidates who could bring fresh ideas and a different perspective to the council"; a separate post frames Miguel De La Rosa's and Marco Barcena's campaigns as a re-election bid, with a commenter crediting De La Rosa for pushing for the city's fireworks show and fireworks stands this year -- informal local discourse, treated as such, not verified fact
  • ballotready.org (opens in a new tab)BallotReady -- Francis De Leon Sanchez profile: "Currently holds the office of Bell Gardens City Council until December 31, 2026" -- independent, non-official corroboration that her term expires this cycle, consistent with her being one of the three incumbents on the November 2026 ballot

Last updated September 2, 2026.