Council Ousters Spawn Wide Field of Candidates
December’s historic ouster of Mayor Robert Cunningham and council members Letha Viles, Allen Shelby, and Douglas O’Leary has spawned one of the largest fields of candidates Bell Gardens has ever seen--including an unprecedented number of Latinos.
Ten residents have qualified to run for City Council seats left open by the recall of the four Anglo council members accused of ignoring the needs of Latino residents in the tiny blue-collar town.
On March 10, voters will elect four new council members, three of whom will hold office for only 29 days until April municipal elections open the field again.
The four council members were swept from office after a rocky year of conflicts over a city zoning plan that critics said would drive Latinos from the town. About 90% of the people who live in Bell Gardens are Latino.
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