Victor Sanchez brings hometown perspective to Bellflower City Council
At an age when most people are still finding their footing, Victor Sanchez is helping shape the future of Bellflower.
“I felt this sense of ownership,” Sanchez said. “I wanted to be someone to help transform the city instead of leaving it behind.”
At 35, Sanchez, who currently serves as mayor pro tem, represents a younger generation of leadership on the Bellflower City Council, one that has come of age alongside the city’s recent transformation and is now working to help guide its next phase.
Sanchez was born in Bellflower but spent much of his early childhood in nearby Lynwood and Compton before his family was able to purchase a home in Bellflower when he was about 10 years old.
His upbringing was defined by hard work and instability. His father, a gardener who also worked on home renovations, would move the family into fixer-upper properties, repairing them while they lived there before moving on to the next project.
“There were times where we were living in a home literally with no toilet,” Sanchez recalled. “We would stay in one room while my dad fixed the rest of the house.”
The sacrifices paid off when his parents were able to establish roots in Bellflower, but the lessons of those early years stayed with him.
As the oldest of five brothers, Sanchez took on responsibility early, helping his family navigate financial challenges, particularly during the Great Recession. When the housing market collapsed, his parents lost multiple properties, forcing the family to regroup.
Sanchez responded by working multiple jobs while attending Cal State Long Beach, balancing shifts at a gas station, working with Bellflower’s recreation programs and taking overnight shifts at a care facility.
“I worked three jobs at the time,” he said. “There were days where it was just full go.”
That experience, he said, instilled resilience and a long-term mindset.
Photo by Eric Pierce
“It taught me perseverance,” Sanchez said. “And it grounded me. I know my experience isn’t unique — a lot of people in our community have gone through similar challenges.”
Sanchez’s sense of connection to Bellflower deepened during his teenage years, when he would run through the city as a member of Bellflower High School’s cross country team. Those runs exposed him to the city’s contrasts, areas that were thriving alongside others that were struggling.
“I would see boarded-up windows, businesses shut down,” he said. “It made me curious about why things were the way they were.”
That curiosity translated into an academic interest in history, economics and government, and eventually into civic engagement.
In high school, Sanchez joined Key Club, a service organization that introduced him to volunteer work and community leadership. After graduating, he continued that involvement through Kiwanis, where he found himself surrounded by longtime community leaders and professionals.
“I pushed myself to be in the room, to learn,” he said. “There’s a wealth of knowledge in those groups.”
While many of his peers were eager to leave Bellflower after high school, Sanchez felt the opposite pull.
“At the time, there wasn’t much to do here,” he said. “We were going to Downey, Cerritos, Lakewood. But for some reason, I felt like I wanted to stay and be part of making it better.”
Sanchez’s first formal step into civic involvement came at age 19, when he was appointed to a city economic development committee. As the youngest person in the room, he initially hesitated to speak up.
But when asked for his perspective, he offered a different approach to economic development, one focused on attracting unique businesses and experiences that could set Bellflower apart from surrounding cities.
Rather than competing directly with established retail centers, Sanchez suggested focusing on niche attractions that would draw people into Bellflower.
That idea, he said, helped shape the city’s approach to development in the years that followed.
“I can’t say I was the one who did it,” he said, “but I was part of the spark.”
He later served on the Parks Commission and Planning Commission, gaining experience in land use, zoning and long-term planning, areas he now views as central to effective local governance.
“Land use is really the core of what cities do,” Sanchez said.
After an unsuccessful appointment bid in 2016, Sanchez ran for City Council in 2020 and won, representing District 4.
His campaign focused heavily on listening, with Sanchez personally walking neighborhoods multiple times to hear directly from residents.
“The goal was to listen — to understand what people felt we were missing,” he said.
That approach continues to shape his work on the council, where he often emphasizes the need to balance district-level needs with citywide priorities.
District 4, he noted, has historically required additional attention, and he has made it a priority to advocate for improvements in that area while working collaboratively with colleagues.
Sanchez’s vision for Bellflower aligns with the city’s broader strategic plan, which outlines goals focused on public safety, community engagement, economic development and quality of life.
At the center of that vision is the continued evolution of downtown Bellflower.
Small business kiosks in downtown Bellflower. (Photo by Eric Pierce)
Once overlooked, the area has emerged in recent years as a walkable district anchored by independent businesses, restaurants and entertainment.
Sanchez sees the next phase of that growth tied to housing.
By adding residential units in and around downtown, he believes the city can create the consistent foot traffic needed to sustain businesses throughout the week.
“It creates that body heat,” he said. “It allows people to come out, support local businesses and build community.”
He also envisions improvements to walkability, including more pedestrian-friendly streets, bike lanes and public spaces that encourage families to spend time in the area.
Beyond downtown, Sanchez points to the importance of diversifying Bellflower’s economic base and attracting businesses that reflect the community’s demographics.
He highlighted the growth of diverse dining options as one example of how the city is evolving to meet residents’ needs. He pointed to SteelCraft as an example, an indoor-outdoor food hall downtown that offers different ethnic cuisines.
“We’re seeing businesses that make sense for our community,” he said.
Ultimately, Sanchez said his goal is simple: to ensure Bellflower remains a place where people can live comfortably, feel safe and have access to the amenities they need.
That vision mirrors the city’s stated mission of enriching quality of life and making Bellflower “an excellent place to live, work and play.”
It also extends to investments in parks, infrastructure and community programming, areas identified in the city’s strategic plan as key to long-term success.
One example is the planned redevelopment of Simms Park, which is expected to include new multi-use fields, including dedicated space for soccer — a personal priority for Sanchez, who recalls being unable to play the sport in local parks as a child.
“We’re finally getting soccer fields,” he said.
For Sanchez, public service is closely tied to his role as a husband and father.
He and his wife, whom he has been with since high school, have three young sons, and much of his thinking about city policy is shaped by their future.
“When I think about what we want in this city, I think about my kids,” he said.
He describes a neighborhood where residents still gather for block parties and regular dinners — a sense of community he hopes to preserve and expand.
Looking ahead, Sanchez remains focused on incremental progress, building on the city’s momentum while ensuring that growth benefits residents across Bellflower.
His approach reflects both his personal journey and his broader philosophy of governance: steady, community-driven and rooted in a belief that meaningful change starts at the local level.
“I believe Bellflower has the potential to be a destination,” Sanchez said. “A place where people want to be.”