Re-elected school trustee of Richmond on October 17, 2026, with 17,762 votes, third of 28 trustee candidates. A trustee from 2008 to 2014 and again since 2022, he ran with Advance Richmond on adequate funding for public education and mental health, safe and inclusive schools, life skills, financial literacy and a stronger student voice.
Rod Belleza was re-elected to the Richmond Board of Education on October 17, 2026, with 17,762 votes in the City's official count, declared on October 21, 2026, third of 28 candidates for the seven seats. The City's declaration of election by voting prints Advance Richmond as his elector organization; his colleagues Danny Chang and Dean Billings were also elected, and Willy Sinconegue, Phyllis Tang and Sophia Woo were not. Richmond News reported in 2014 that he was a sitting RITE Richmond trustee voted out that year, in 2018 that he ran with the Richmond Community Coalition and was not among the seven elected, and in 2022 that he won a seat with that coalition with 11,304 votes. The School District's page for him, read through the Internet Archive, says he was a trustee for six years and helped set up the Board's Audit Committee. In the statement he gave the City he promised to advocate for adequate funding of public education, to foster a safe and inclusive learning environment, to develop students' life skills, to promote financial literacy and to enhance students' voice. His organization's page for him adds mental health funding, and its October 2026 posts set out a school platform on open board meetings, published safety data and supports for gifted and diverse learners.
Researched by voche.me · Not a campaign-authored page
Tracked since October 18, 2026. Every change of status links to the vote, motion or report behind it.
In the statement he gave the City he promised to advocate for adequate funding of public education. His page on his organization's site adds mental health to that funding. Neither names an amount.
No vote or decision on this promise yet.
Where the promise was made: City of Richmond · candidate profile, Rod Belleza (opens in a new tab), Advance Richmond · Rod Belleza, Richmond School Board Trustee Candidate 2026 (opens in a new tab).
In the statement he gave the City he promised to foster a safe and inclusive learning environment in schools; his organization's page says the same for students and staff.
No vote or decision on this promise yet.
Where the promise was made: City of Richmond · candidate profile, Rod Belleza (opens in a new tab), Advance Richmond · Rod Belleza, Richmond School Board Trustee Candidate 2026 (opens in a new tab).
In the statement he gave the City he promised to develop students' life skills to improve their personal well-being. His answers to Richmond News, reposted by his organization on October 10, 2026, repeat it.
No vote or decision on this promise yet.
Where the promise was made: City of Richmond · candidate profile, Rod Belleza (opens in a new tab), Advance Richmond · community update of October 10, 2026, with the answers he gave Richmond News (opens in a new tab).
In the statement he gave the City he promised to promote financial literacy. His organization's page says he promoted financial literacy as a trustee.
No vote or decision on this promise yet.
Where the promise was made: City of Richmond · candidate profile, Rod Belleza (opens in a new tab), Advance Richmond · Rod Belleza, Richmond School Board Trustee Candidate 2026 (opens in a new tab).
In the statement he gave the City he promised to enhance students' voice. His answers to Richmond News, reposted by his organization on October 10, 2026, repeat it.
No vote or decision on this promise yet.
Where the promise was made: City of Richmond · candidate profile, Rod Belleza (opens in a new tab), Advance Richmond · community update of October 10, 2026, with the answers he gave Richmond News (opens in a new tab).
Advance Richmond's school platform, which the statements of Dean Billings and Danny Chang to the City describe as the statements of all its trustee candidates, promises to allow delegations from the public on agenda items and at public committee meetings, and to open the Indigenous and other board advisory committees to the public. The organization's posts of September 25 and October 2, 2026 say the two-week rule for delegation requests should go.
No vote or decision on this promise yet.
Where the promise was made: City of Richmond · candidate profile, Dean Billings (opens in a new tab), Advance Richmond · community update of September 25, 2026, on public input at board and committee meetings (opens in a new tab), Advance Richmond · community update of October 2, 2026, by Dean Billings, on the two-week delegation rule (opens in a new tab).
Advance Richmond's school platform, which the statements of Dean Billings and Danny Chang to the City describe as the statements of all its trustee candidates, promises to publish data on substance use on school grounds, racism, bullying, class evacuations and violence against staff, and to evaluate changes, pilots and outside vendors in a systematic way instead of ad hoc opinion surveys.
No vote or decision on this promise yet.
Where the promise was made: City of Richmond · candidate profile, Dean Billings (opens in a new tab), Advance Richmond · community update of September 21, 2026, by Dean Billings, on violence data in schools (opens in a new tab).
Advance Richmond's school platform, which the statements of Dean Billings and Danny Chang to the City describe as the statements of all its trustee candidates, sets the goal of first place in BC in literacy scores, math scores and graduation rates. It names no measure and no date.
No vote or decision on this promise yet.
Where the promise was made: City of Richmond · candidate profile, Dean Billings (opens in a new tab).
Advance Richmond's school platform, which the statements of Dean Billings and Danny Chang to the City describe as the statements of all its trustee candidates, promises to establish a Richmond Business Community Advisory Committee, to expand fundraising opportunities and to make school facilities easier for community organizations to rent.
No vote or decision on this promise yet.
Where the promise was made: City of Richmond · candidate profile, Danny Chang (opens in a new tab).
Advance Richmond's school platform, which the statements of Dean Billings and Danny Chang to the City describe as the statements of all its trustee candidates, promises to expand co-op programs, internships, job shadowing, business field trips and volunteer opportunities that give practical work experience.
No vote or decision on this promise yet.
Where the promise was made: City of Richmond · candidate profile, Danny Chang (opens in a new tab).
Advance Richmond's school platform, which the statements of Dean Billings and Danny Chang to the City describe as the statements of all its trustee candidates, promises to strengthen employable skills and preparation for an AI-driven economy, and to improve collaboration with the City and the provincial government.
No vote or decision on this promise yet.
Where the promise was made: City of Richmond · candidate profile, Danny Chang (opens in a new tab).
Advance Richmond's post of October 3, 2026 proposes better individual education plan processes, a Diverse Learners PAC and Advisory Committee, sustainable funding, teacher training incentives and exploring more mini-school options for gifted and diverse learners. It names no cost.
No vote or decision on this promise yet.
Where the promise was made: Advance Richmond · community update of October 3, 2026, on gifted and diverse learners (opens in a new tab).
Rod Belleza was re-elected to the Richmond Board of Education on October 17, 2026. The City's official count gives him 17,762 votes, third of 28 candidates for the seven seats, behind Ken Hamaguchi and Heather Larson of the Richmond Education Party. The City's declaration of election by voting of September 21, 2026 prints Advance Richmond as his elector organization, and the organization's post of October 18, 2026 counts him among its six candidates elected. Richmond News reported on October 19, 2026 that he told the organization's election night gathering that change had been delivered and a new board was coming, that most of his motions in the last term were defeated, and that he wanted schools safe from drugs, violence and bullying. In that speech he also said some trustees had bullied him; he named nobody, and no finding on that claim was found. He proposed a district student council as an advisory body to the Board.
Richmond News reported in 2014 that he was a sitting RITE Richmond trustee seeking a third term and that he was voted out that November, finishing ninth. The School District's page for him, read through the Internet Archive, says he was a trustee for six years and helped the district set up its Audit Committee, which assists the Board with financial reporting, risk management, audits and the budget process. The profile he submitted to Richmond News in 2011 says he was a trustee from 2008 and chaired the Audit Committee. He ran again in 2018 with the Richmond Community Coalition; Richmond News's report of that count names the seven elected and he is not among them. In October 2022 he won a seat with the coalition with 11,304 votes, seventh of 15, Richmond News reported, and the Richmond Sentinel described him and Alice Wong as trustees previously.
In 2022 he told the Richmond Teachers' Association all-candidates meeting that the district's sexual orientation and gender identity policy rests on human rights and that everyone should be free of discrimination, Richmond News reported. In his 2022 answers to the Richmond Sentinel he said he would advocate for sufficient funding for public education and, once elected, that he wanted a long-term plan for declining enrolment and surplus lands and a district intercultural advisory committee.
By his own account, in the statement he gave the City, on his organization's page and in the profiles he submitted to Richmond News in 2011 and 2014, he practised law in the Philippines before coming to Canada in 1980, is a Fellow of the Institute of Canadian Bankers, has served on Richmond advisory committees and community organizations for close to 40 years, and is a Rotarian, a Knight of Columbus and a founding member of the Richmond Bayanihan Society. The School District's page repeats the law degree, the banking fellowship and the community work. voche.me has not checked these with the institute, the clubs or any other body.
Summarized from the campaign’s published profile. These are stated positions, not an assessment of results or a complete platform.
In the statement he gave the City he promised to advocate for adequate funding of public education. His page on his organization's site adds mental health to that funding. Neither names an amount.
City of Richmond · candidate profile, Rod BellezaHis statement to the City promises to foster a safe and inclusive learning environment in schools. His organization's page says he raised substance use awareness and prevention as a trustee.
City of Richmond · candidate profile, Rod BellezaHis statement to the City promises to develop students' life skills to improve their well-being, to promote financial literacy and to enhance students' voice. On election night he proposed a district student council as an advisory body to the Board, Richmond News reported.
Advance Richmond · community update of October 10, 2026, with the answers he gave Richmond NewsHis organization's post of October 3, 2026 proposes better individual education plan processes, a diverse learners parent advisory council and advisory committee, sustainable funding, teacher training incentives and more mini-school options. It names no cost.
Advance Richmond · community update of October 3, 2026, on gifted and diverse learnersResearched on 2026-10-30 through the seven search steps listed below: the City's candidate profile, results and declarations, Advance Richmond's home page, its 2026 candidates page, his page there, its October 2026 posts and its results post, his VoteMate page, Richmond News reports of 2011, 2014, 2018, 2022 and of the 2026 campaign and result, Richmond Sentinel reports of 2022, and the School District's trustee pages through the Internet Archive's copies of June 8, 2026.
His account of his law practice, his banking fellowship and his community roles comes from his own statements and his organization's page and was not checked with any other body. The School District's site (sd38.bc.ca) answers 403 to scripts, so his recorded votes at the Board were not read; his years on the Board rest on the district's own trustee page and on Richmond News. The City's profile lists no social media account for him, and his organization's Facebook posts were read as republished on its own site. Richmond News published his answers to its 2026 candidate questions, which his organization reposted on October 10, 2026; the Richmond News page itself was not found by search, and the paper's search pages refuse scripts, so the repost is cited.
Richmond News reported his election in October 2022 with the Richmond Community Coalition, with 11,304 votes, seventh of 15 candidates. The School District's trustee page of June 2026 lists him as school liaison for Palmer Secondary, the Richmond Virtual School and five elementary schools.
Richmond News · Three new trustees elected to Richmond Board of Education, October 15, 2022The School District's page for him says he was a trustee for six years and helped set up the Audit Committee. Richmond News reported in 2014 that he was a sitting RITE Richmond trustee and that he was voted out that November.
Richmond School District · Our Trustees: Rod Belleza (Internet Archive copy of June 8, 2026)Proposed questions for a future interview. They have not been sent to the candidate, and no answers have been supplied.
No questions and answers have been supplied.
Ask Rod Belleza directly. We send it to the campaign, and publish the reply here if we get one.
Facts voche.me can state about Rod Belleza's page itself, answered directly rather than left blank.
Rod Belleza was elected School Trustee with 17,762 votes, 3rd of 28 in the official count. The City of Richmond published the count, and every candidate's total is on the results page.
No. This page is researched by voche.me from public sources, listed below, and is separate from Rod Belleza's own campaign.
Rod Belleza ran for School Trustee with Advance Richmond.
Not according to this profile. voche.me has not listed a current public office for Rod Belleza.
This profile lists 31 sourced references, each with the date voche.me checked it, in the Sources section below.
The "Questions & answers" section on this page lists questions voche.me would put to Rod Belleza in a future interview. They have not been sent yet, so the page says plainly that no answer has been supplied instead of leaving the section blank.
The 2026 Richmond municipal election, including the School Trustee race, was decided on October 17, 2026.
Announcements, event details and messages can be added here, with their source and publication date. No campaign submission has been added.
Missing information does not imply a candidate’s position. Read our editorial standards.
Find the candidate’s website, social accounts and contact information.
