Bell, California

Bell is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 36,664 at the 2000 census.

Bell is located on the west bank of the Los Angeles River and is situated north of South Gate. Bell Gardens lies to its east.

In March 2000, Bell gained worldwide publicity, as the media announced that a shipment of 55 Oscar statuettes were stolen from a trucking company loading dock in the City of Bell. In addition to the Los Angeles and Bell police departments, FBI art-theft experts were investigating. It was the second Oscar mishap, as earlier that month 4,000 ballots were misrouted. Coincidentally, the missing Oscar ballots were found by the Post Office in a Bell processing center. AMPAS Executive Director Bruce Davis was quoted as jokingly warning Billy Crystal (host of that year's Oscar Ceremony) not to go near Bell, because it "seems to be a Bermuda Triangle for Oscar things."

Every winter, The City of Bell hosts its annual "Bell Family Holiday Parade & Festival" which starts at Debs Park and ends at the Bell Community Center.

On November 29, 2005, in a Special Municipal Election, City of Bell residents voted to become a Charter city.

The City's Chamber of Commerce is located at the historic James George Bell House, which serves as a meeting place and in addition, a museum showcasing artifacts from the City's founding family and period furniture. The House is open to the general public with free admission.

On March 6th, 2007, the City of Bell held its first contested election for City Council in almost a decade.

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