# Bellflower City Council, District 1

Compare records and positions simply between Aaron K. Drake or Wendi Morse for Bellflower City Council, District 1 at VoteOrElse.com. On the November 3, 2026 California general election ballot. This person holds District 1's seat on Bellflower's five-member City Council. The term is four years and staggered. They vote on city laws, the budget, and land use. The council picks one of its own members to serve as Mayor. That title rotates rather than being separately elected. An appointed city manager runs daily operations.

- Jurisdiction: City of Bellflower
- Election: November 3, 2026 California general election
- Publisher: Vote or Else (https://voteorelse.com) — a free, nonpartisan ballot guide for California voters. No endorsements.
- Canonical page: https://voteorelse.com/2026/bellflower-council-1
- Full ballot: this page covers one race. Every contest on a voter's own ballot, by address, with the same breakdown for each: https://voteorelse.com/
- Sources last retrieved: August 31, 2026
- Source-objectivity score: 90 out of 100 (Very strong), across 12 cited sources. This grades the mix of sources, not the candidates. Rubric: https://voteorelse.com/about#methodology

## On the ballot

- **Aaron K. Drake**
- **Wendi Morse** — Incumbent

A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot.

Two candidates are running for Bellflower's District 1 City Council seat: incumbent Wendi Morse against challenger Aaron K. Drake, a rematch of their 2024 race for the same seat. The city's other two seats up this cycle, Districts 3 and 5, each drew only one qualified candidate and aren't a contested choice on this ballot.

The winner serves a 4-year term on Bellflower's 5-member City Council, which sets city ordinances, the budget, and land use citywide, though only District 1 votes on this particular seat. The council picks one of its own members to serve as Mayor — a rotating title, not a separately elected office — and day-to-day operations run through an appointed city manager.

The choice is mostly continuity versus a fresh voice: Morse is asking to finish the agenda she set since her 2023 appointment, while Drake, a Planning Commissioner over that same stretch, is asking to bring that land-use experience to the council itself. Both campaigned on public safety in 2024 and split mainly on how far to go on rent stabilization and how closely to scrutinize the sheriff's-department budget.

## Wendi Morse

Wendi Morse is the incumbent District 1 councilmember, appointed in October 2023 after Councilmember Raymond Hamada's resignation and elected outright in November 2024 to finish his term. She's campaigning on hiring more LA County Sheriff's deputies, expanding support for people experiencing homelessness, and using developer incentives to grow the affordable-housing supply. This November is her first run for a full 4-year term, not just the remainder of someone else's.

**Strengths:** Two years of council experience already, plus deep local ties — 30 years in Bellflower, 22 in District 1, and volunteer roles with Little House Inc. and the Kiwanis.

**Trade-offs:** Undecided on capping local rent increases beyond the state limit, a step several neighboring Southeast LA County cities have already taken.

**Keep in mind:** She reached the seat by appointment, then a 2024 special election — this is the first time she's run for a full term rather than to finish one.

## Aaron K. Drake

Aaron K. Drake is a law enforcement professional and 34-year Bellflower resident who has served on the city's Planning Commission since a 2019 appointment by then-councilmember Raymond Hamada. They're campaigning on public safety and says they'd review the sheriff's-department contract line by line before committing to spend more on it. This is their second run for the District 1 seat — they lost to Morse in 2024, the same matchup that's back on this year's ballot.

**Strengths:** Four-plus years of Planning Commission experience plus 34 years living in the district, and prior service on Bellflower's Public Safety and Water Commissions.

**Trade-offs:** Backed a rent-increase cap beyond the state limit in 2024 without saying where they'd set it, and was noncommittal on the police budget pending their own review.

**Keep in mind:** Drake lost this same race to Morse in 2024; no 2026-specific platform statement was found, so the positions here carry over from that campaign.

## Sources

1. [City of Bellflower — November 3, 2026 Municipal Election (City Clerk's Office: three City Council seats, Districts 1, 3 and 5, full 4-year terms)](https://bellflower.ca.gov/government/city_clerk/elections/november_3,_2026_municipal_election.php)
2. [City of Bellflower — Public Notice, Final List of Candidates, November 3, 2026 General Municipal Election (District 1: Wendi Morse \[incumbent\] vs. Aaron K. Drake, both qualified; District 3: Sonny R. Santa Ines \[incumbent\], sole qualified candidate; District 5: Ray Dunton \[incumbent\], sole qualified candidate)](https://bellflower.ca.gov/City%20Clerk/26GME/FINAL%202026%20Candidates%20List%20(08-07-2026).pdf)
3. [City of Bellflower — Notice That There Are No More Candidates Than Offices to Be Elected in Council Districts 3 and 5 (Elections Code §10229; sets an Aug. 19, 2026 special meeting for the City Council to consider appointing Santa Ines and Dunton rather than holding those two elections)](https://bellflower.ca.gov/City%20Clerk/Public%20Notices/FINAL%20-%20POST-26GME-Notice%20of%20No%20More%20Candidates%20Than%20Offices-All%20Languages.pdf)
4. [City of Bellflower — City Council (current roster; confirms the Mayor is elected by the Council from among its own membership, not directly by voters)](https://bellflower.ca.gov/government/city_council/index.php)
5. [City of Bellflower — Wendi Morse, Council Member (official biography: District 1, appointed Oct. 2023, elected Nov. 2024, occupation and committee assignments)](https://bellflower.ca.gov/government/city_council/_wendi_morse_council_member.php)
6. [City of Bellflower — Annotated Agenda, Regular City Council Meeting, August 24, 2026 (roll call confirms Sonny R. Santa Ines as Mayor and Ray Dunton as a sitting Council Member as of that date)](https://bellflower.ca.gov/city%20council%20agendas/8.24.2026/2026-08-24%20CC%20Meeting%20Annotated%20Agenda%20(Regular).pdf)
7. [City of Bellflower — Potential Candidates & Campaign Finance Information (candidates file FPPC disclosure forms directly with the City Clerk's Office; no online filing portal, unlike NetFile-covered LA County cities)](https://bellflower.ca.gov/government/city_clerk/elections/potential_candidates_and_campaign_finance/index.php)
8. [City of Bellflower — Redistricting (confirms the Nov. 8, 2021 adoption of five council election districts)](https://www.bellflower.org/government/city_council/redistricting/index.php)
9. [Press Telegram (Southern California News Group) — Aaron Drake, Bellflower City Council District 1 candidate, 2024 election questionnaire](https://www.presstelegram.com/2024/10/15/aaron-drake-bellflower-city-council-district-1-candidate-2024-election-questionnaire/)
10. [Downey Latino News — "Proud to call Bellflower home": Wendi Morse, Candidate for Bellflower District 1 (byline Layla Hernandez)](https://downeylatinonews.com/en/2024/10/proud-to-call-bellflower-home-wendi-morse-candidate-for-bellflower-district-1/)
11. [Downey Latino News — Ask the candidates! Bellflower City Council District 1 (byline Layla Hernandez; head-to-head written-survey Q&A for Morse and Drake's 2024 race)](https://downeylatinonews.com/en/2024/10/ask-the-candidates-bellflower-city-council-district-1/)
12. [Los Cerritos Community News — Bellflower Poised to Appoint Santa Ines, Dunton to Council, Avoid Cost of Uncontested Elections (LCCN Staff Report; explains the Elections Code §10229 mechanics and the Aug. 19, 2026 special-meeting deadline for Districts 3 and 5)](https://www.loscerritosnews.net/2026/08/11/bellflower-poised-to-appoint-santa-ines-dunton-to-council-avoid-cost-of-uncontested-elections/)

## The rest of the ballot

Bellflower City Council, District 1 is one contest among the many a California voter decides on November 3, 2026 — Congress, the Legislature, county, city, and school board races differ by address. Vote or Else builds the full list for any California address and breaks down each contest the way this page does, with no account and without storing the address: https://voteorelse.com/

## How to cite this page

Vote or Else, "Bellflower City Council, District 1 — November 3, 2026 California general election," https://voteorelse.com/2026/bellflower-council-1 (sources last retrieved August 31, 2026).

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