East Palo Alto Native Ofelia Bello Enters Crowded Council Race

A nonprofit leader who was born and raised in East Palo Alto is jumping back into local politics, joining a seven-candidate field for two open seats on the East Palo Alto City Council this November. Ofelia Bello, who currently serves as executive director of the Pahali Community Land Trust, says she wants ordinary and working-class residents at the center of city decision-making as the city grapples with steep housing costs and displacement pressure.

Bello previously ran for one of three vacant council seats in 2024 but dropped out of that race, citing family and health reasons according to a statement on Facebook, as reported by Palo Alto Online. Even after stepping back from active campaigning, she still placed fifth in that nine-candidate 2024 race, according to Ballotpedia. This time, she says she intends to win.

A Local Résumé Built On Housing And Youth Advocacy

Bello has spent more than a decade leading local nonprofits and participating in city affairs, per the same Palo Alto Online report. She led Youth United for Community Action, an East Palo Alto-based nonprofit that encourages youth in low-income communities to advocate for policy change, serving as its executive director for six years. According to the Green Foothills organization, she was appointed to that role in 2019 at age 26, after completing grass-roots advocacy training through the group's Leadership Program in 2017.

She also served five years on the East Palo Alto Planning Commission and was elected to the East Palo Alto Sanitary District board, giving her direct experience with the municipal infrastructure issues that have historically constrained local housing development. The city officially absorbed that sanitary district as a subsidiary agency on October 1, 2024, following unanimous approval from the San Mateo County Local Agency Formation Commission in November 2023, according to the City of East Palo Alto.

Housing Fight Over Incentive Program Shaped Her Campaign

Bello's decision to run again is tied directly to a fight over a temporary housing development incentive program proposed in June 2026, which she and other residents protested because it would have reduced local affordable housing protections. That program was ultimately rejected after residents expressed fear over displacement, the Palo Alto Online report notes. Bello has said East Palo Alto residents had to establish guardrails against the housing market, framing her candidacy around renters' rights, affordable housing, accessible housing and city safety.

“Her decisions will prioritize ordinary and working-class people in East Palo Alto,” the outlet reported, and Bello has said residents will be at the forefront of her decisions if elected. Bello holds a master's degree in urban affairs and public policy; per the Pahali Community Land Trust, she earned her bachelor's degree from UC Santa Barbara as a first-generation college student before completing that graduate degree at the University of San Francisco.

Her Current Role Leading The Community Land Trust

Bello now works in a dual executive capacity as executive director of the Pahali Community Land Trust and program director of Community Owned Real Estate at EPACANDO, according to Silicon Valley Next. The land trust is dedicated to preserving affordable housing portfolios in East Palo Alto. That mission got a major financial boost in December 2024, when the San Francisco Foundation issued a $1 million loan to EPACANDO's Placekeeper Fund to acquire local single-family homes, convert them into the land trust and build accessory dwelling units — a purchase that included buying YUCA's own headquarters building, according to the San Francisco Foundation.

A Seven-Candidate Field For Two Open Seats

Bello is one of seven candidates competing for two seats on the council this fall. Long-serving incumbent Ruben Abrica is seeking reelection, while incumbent Martha Barragan announced in July that she will not seek another term due to health reasons, guaranteeing at least one open seat, according to the Palo Alto Daily Post. Besides Bello and Abrica, the field includes businesswoman Holifa Windom, resident Gail Dixon Wilkerson and local plumbing business owner Sam Jimenez.

The stakes of the race are underscored by the city's demographics. U.S. Census Bureau data spanning 2020 to 2024 put East Palo Alto's median household income at $113,493, while median single-family home values reached $1,102,600 and median gross rent stood at $2,244 per month. That same data shows 50.9% of the city's occupied housing units are renter-occupied, compared to 49.1% owner-occupied, helping explain why tenant protections remain such a central issue in local elections.

Part Of A Larger Pattern Of City Hall Friction

Bello's entry into the race adds another dimension to a council already navigating friction over public safety and neighborhood policy. Hoodline has previously reported on council debates over surveillance tools, and separately covered a parking permit dispute that drew residents into city hall. With the November election approaching, voters will decide how the council balances aggressive affordable housing mandates against the pace of new development in a city where the majority of households rent.