MINUTES
Regular Meeting Notice
Gardena City Council
Tuesday, January 13, 2026
The Regular Meeting Notice and Agenda of the Gardena City Council of the City of Gardena, California was called to order at 7:45p.m. on January 13, 2026, in the Council Chamber at City Hall 1700 West 162nd Street, Gardena, California, Mayor Tasha Cerda presiding.
1. ROLL CALL
Present: Mayor Tasha Cerda; Mayor Pro Tem Mark E. Henderson; Council Member Rodney G. Tanaka; Council Member Paulette C. Francis; and Council Member Wanda Love. Other City Officials and Employees present: City Manager Clint Osorio; City Attorney Carmen Vasquez; City Clerk Mina Semenza; and Deputy City Clerk Becky Romero. City Treasurer Guy Mato was not present.
2. PUBLIC COMMENT ON CLOSED SESSION
3. CLOSED SESSION
There was no Closed Session.
RETURN FROM CLOSED SESSION ROLL CALL
CITY ATTORNEY REPORT OUT OF CLOSED SESSION
4. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Andreana Palanca (Anya) of St. Anthony of Padua in Gardena led the Pledge of Allegiance. Anya is a Commissioner in Student Council, plays volleyball, is part of the choir, Media Lab, and theater. She also loves crafts, fine arts, and performing arts. She loves hanging out with friends, participating in community service, listening to different kinds of music, dancing K-pop, and watching anime. Anya was the 1st place winner in GDAAP's Red Ribbon Week Poster Contest for the middle school division.
5. INVOCATION
Pastor Daniel Matsuda, of the Gardena Valley Baptist Church, led the Invocation.
6. PRESENTATIONS
6.A. South Bay Cities Council of Government's Energy and Climate Recognition Program Award
Director of Public Works Allan Rigg, accepted the Award and appropriate photos were taken.
6.B. Certificate of Commendation in Special Recognition of Retirement and Long-Time Service to the City of Gardena for Louis Alford III - Bus Operator with the Transportation Department - 23 years of service
Mr. Alford was not present to accept his Certificate of Commendation. Transportation Director, Ernie Crespo, accepted the Certificate and spoke about Mr. Alford's achievements.
6.C. Certificate of Commendation in Special Recognition of Retirement and Long-Time Service to the City of Gardena for Rita Lopez- Permit/Licensing Technician II with the Community Development Department- 20 years of service
Ms. Lopez was not present to receive her Certificate of Commendation. Community Development Director, Greg Tsujiuchi, accepted her certificate and spoke regarding Ms. Lopez's achievements.
6.D. Certificate of Commendation in Special Recognition of Retirement and Long-Time Service to the City of Gardena for John Moore - General Building Inspector with the Community Development Department - 11 years of service
Mr. Moore was not present to receive his Certificate of Commendation. Community Development Director, Greg Tsujiuchi, accepted his certificate and spoke regarding Mr. Moore's achievements and his family's long standing history with the City.
6.E. Certificates of Commendation presented to Ashley Lotman, Kali Bragg, and Josiah Davis, for their Heroic Efforts
Mayor Cerda commended the three students from Peary Jr. High School, who saved the dog that was put in one of the City of Gardena's Bigbelly trash compactors. Ashley Lotman, Kali Bragg, and Josiah Davis were present to accept their Certificates of Commendation and appropriate photos were taken.
6.F. Presentation of the "Holiday Home Decoration Contest 2025" Winners
Council Member Francis presented a video of the first, second and third place winners of the contest. Council Member Francis, who is also the Chair of the Beautification Commission, spoke regarding the contest winners.
6.G. Gardena Events Video Presentation
The video presentation highlighted the Recreation and Human Services Department's current and future events.
7. PROCLAMATIONS
7.A. "Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Week," January 12 through 19, 2026 (to be accepted by Councilmember Paulette C. Francis, Chair of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Cultural Committee of Gardena)
Council Member Francis accepted the Proclamation on behalf of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Cultural Committee of Gardena, and appropriate photos were taken.
8. APPOINTMENTS
There were no Appointments.
9. PUBLIC COMMENT ON CONSENT CALENDAR
There were no Public Comments.
10. CONSENT CALENDAR
10.A. Waiver of Reading in Full of All Ordinances Listed on this Agenda and that they be Read by Title Only
CONTACT: CITY CLERK10.B. Approval of Minutes - Regular Meeting of the City Council, December 9, 2025
CONTACT: CITY CLERK10.C. Approval of Warrants/Payroll Register, December 23, 2025
CONTACT: ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES10.D. Approval of Warrants/Payroll Register, January 13, 2026
CONTACT: ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES10.E. Monthly Investment Report, November 2025
CONTACT: ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES10.F. Personnel Report P-2026-1 01-13-26
CONTACT: ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES10.G. Acceptance and Notice of Completion for the Park Electronic Signage Project, Rowley Park, JN 529
CONTACT: PUBLIC WORKS10.H. Acceptance and Notice of Completion for the Fire Station No. 159 Roof Replacement Project, JN 569
CONTACT: PUBLIC WORKSIt was moved by Council Member Tanaka and seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Henderson to Approve the Consent Calendar items. The motion passed by a vote of 5-0 (Yea: Tanaka, Henderson, Cerda, Francis and Love).
11. PLANNING & ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY COMMISSION ACTION SHEET
11.A. DECEMBER 16, 2025 MEETING - Cancelled
11.B. JANUARY 6, 2026 MEETING - Cancelled
12. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS (LIMITED TO A 30-MINUTES PERIOD)
12.A. PUBLIC COMMENT
1) Travis Hernandez, Community Library Manager of the Masao W. Satow Library, came to give updates on activities taking place at the Gardena Mayme Dear and Masao W. Satow Libraries.
2) Paul Randall, Director of the Mama Rosa's Food Pantry; came out to speak about the pantry.
Mayor Cerda asked City Clerk Semenza if any comments had been received from the public. City Clerk Semenza stated that we received a Public Comment which has been distributed and made part of the record.
13. DEPARTMENTAL ITEMS - ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
There were no Items.
14. DEPARTMENTAL ITEMS - COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
14.A. PUBLIC HEARING: Substantial Amendment to the Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Annual Action Plan
City Manager Osorio presented the Staff Report.
Mayor Cerda opened the Public Hearing at 9:17p.m. She then asked if anyone from the public has asked to speak on this item, and if the Council had any questions or comments.
Questions and comments were made by Council Member Francis. City Manager Osorio, City Attorney Vasquez, and Community Development Director Tsujiuchi answered all questions.
Mayor Cerda then closed the Public Hearing at 9:21p.m.
A motion was made by Council Member Tanaka and was seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Henderson to Approve the proposed 2025-2026 Annual Action Substantial Amendment which includes reallocating $90,624 from the Fair Housing Services and Community Food Pantry Services Programs and $603,358 from the prior year rollover funds for a total of $693,982 to the Residential Rehabilitation Program; and Authorize the City Manager to execute and submit the plan, amendment and any other necessary and related documents to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The motion passed by a vote of 4-1 (Yes: Tanaka, Henderson, Cerda and Love; Noes: Francis).
15. DEPARTMENTAL ITEMS - ELECTED & CITY MANAGER'S OFFICES
There were no Items.
16. DEPARTMENTAL ITEMS - POLICE
There were no Items.
17. DEPARTMENTAL ITEMS - PUBLIC WORKS
17.A. Consideration of a Request to Approve the Assignment of the Amended and Restated Agreement Between City of Gardena and Waste Resources of Gardena for Solid Waste Handling Services to USA Waste of California, Inc. and Approve Consent to Assignment and First Amendment to Agreement for Integrated Solid Waste Management Services
Mayor Cerda made a motion to take 17.A out of order; a voice motion was made by Mayor Cerda and was seconded by Council Member Francis to move Item 17.A out of order. The motion passed by a vote of 5-0 (Yes: Cerda, Francis, Henderson, Tanaka and Love). This Item was presented at the top of Departmental Items.
City Manager Osorio presented the Staff Report.
Director of Public Works, Allan Rigg, introduced the executive teams from Waste Resources of Gardena, Waste Management, and the HF&H Consultants who helped negotiate the agreement. He continued to say that one thing he wanted to point out was that the services and expectations will remain the same; residents will get the same level of services, the same drivers, the same rates, the only difference is that the stickers on the trash bins will change.
City Attorney Vasquez mentioned that the Assignment is contingent based on the finalization of the agreement between Waste Resources and Waste Management; the change does not go into effect, nor do we receive any of the money that it states, until they finalize their agreement.
Mayor Cerda asked if anyone from the public has asked to speak on this item, and if the Council had any questions or comments. There were no public comments.
A presentation was made by Laith Ezzet, Senior Vice President of HF&H Consultants.
Questions and comments were made by Council Members Francis and Love, Mayor Pro Tem Henderson, and Mayor Cerda. Tommy Gendal of Waste Resources, Public Works Director Rigg and Sandra Pursley of Waste Management, all spoke and answered questions from the Council.
A motion was made by Council Member Love and was seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Henderson to Approve the Assignment of the Amended and Restated Agreement between City of Gardena and Waste Resources of Gardena for Solid Waste Handling Services to USA Waste of California, Inc. and Approve Consent to Assignment with First Amendment to Agreement for Integrated Solid Waste Management Services, with an Amendment to strike out the changes to Section 5.33, Ongoing Education Requirements; this will ensure that your current number of workshops will be kept in the Agreement. The motion passed by a vote of 5-0 (Yes: Love, Henderson, Cerda, Tanaka and Francis).
18. DEPARTMENTAL ITEMS - RECREATION & HUMAN SERVICES
There were no Items.
19. DEPARTMENTAL ITEMS - TRANSPORTATION
There were no Items.
20. COUNCIL ITEMS
20.A. Discuss and Consider the City Council Policy Guidelines for Proclamations, Certificates, Commendations, and Congratulatory Letters
City Manager Osorio presented the Staff Report and invited Alejandra Orozco, Executive Assistant, who took the lead on this to come up and answer any questions from Council.
Mayor Cerda asked if anyone from the public has asked to speak on this item, and if the Council had any questions or comments. There were no public comments.
There was a discussion that included Council Member Love and Francis, Mayor Cerda and Mayor Pro Tem Henderson, and City Attorney Vasquez. Executive Assistant Orozco responded to all of Council's questions.
A motion was made by Council Member Francis and seconded by Council Member Love to send the policy back to take out Section 5.0 A through D, take out long-time, partnership, and change submission to 3 weeks time. The motion did not pass by a vote of 2-3 (Yes: Francis and Love; Noes: Cerda, Henderson and Tanaka).
A second motion was made by Mayor Pro Tem Henderson and seconded by Council Member Tanaka to leave the policy as is. The motion passed by a vote of 3-2 (Yes: Henderson, Tanaka and Cerda; Noes: Francis and Love).
21. COUNCIL DIRECTIVES
There were no Council Directives.
22. CITY MANAGER REMARKS RE: DIRECTIVES / COUNCIL ITEMS
There were none.
23. COUNCIL REMARKS
1) COUNCIL MEMBER FRANCIS – She congratulated John Moore and Rita Lopez on their retirement, and mentioned where every day is going to be Saturday. She also congratulated the winners of the holiday home of the month contest, and wanted our community to know that the Beautification Commission will start recognizing Home-of-the-Month submissions in February, and said if you'd like your home to be considered, please submit it to the Beautification Commission at City Hall. She mentioned on January 15th, the Dr. Martin King Jr. Coach Committee asks you to join us in celebrating the 43rd annual youth program; the Martin Luther King Jr. Annual Parade is on January 17, 2025, and asked everyone to please come out and support. Lastly, she mentioned that there's a lot of craziness going on in our world, and our children see it on television; please talk to them about it and help them understand, and to show kindness because you really don't know what another individual is going through.
2) MAYOR PRO TEM HENDERSON – He wished our community a Happy New Year. He mentioned he has been to all of the places and events, but he was able to get a little rest over the holidays; he mentioned he hopes that everybody was able to rest up and recharge as we move forward; he continued to say there's going to be some economic seasons coming up, and he wants to prepare our community and everyone to get engaged, be proactive, and ask them questions. He then stated, again, Happy 2026. Let's go get it.
3) COUNCIL MEMBER TANAKA – Since the last meeting, he attended almost every event before Christmas and New Year's. He wished our city a Happy New Year. He then thanked Allan Rigg and Hong Lee for their hard work in achieving the Energy and Climate Award. And lastly, he mentioned he attended the League of California Cities' LA division meeting in Torrance, where Senator Ben Allen and the Cal City's CEO/President came and did a small presentation.
4) MAYOR CERDA – Since the last Council meeting, she attended the Tri-City holiday party; the Los Angeles City selection meeting; all three of the Jingle Jam events; Stuff the Bus Toy drive with KGLH and Stevie Wonder’s radio station; the Moneta Lodge 121st Annual Installation of Officers; her monthly CCGA meeting; Winter Wonderland; and the LA County Sanitation monthly meeting. She mentioned she also attended the Peary Middle School Career Day; and her monthly Town Hall meeting, where they talked about consumer fraud. She mentioned she wants us to be careful when we buy gift cards because when you buy the gift card, thefts steal the account number and they're notified, as soon as you put money on it, and they're able to take the money off the gift card. She attended the Shop with a Cop at Target with our Police Department; a City of LA Christmas parade; the Beautification group as they went around and did the holiday Home of the Month; and visited Magnetika Inc.'s Christmas luncheon, and she got a tour of their facility; She also attended the Installation of the 2026 President for the South Bay Association of Realtors; and on a sad note, she attended a funeral service of one of our Gardena residents, Mr. James Ingram, who was a longtime resident of Gardena.
5) COUNCIL MEMBER LOVE – Since the last Council meeting, she attended a lot of the city events, such as the Jolly Trolley; Breakfast with Santa; and a few other events. She also attended the Chambers Breakfast with Santa; on December 23rd she and her sponsor went to Food for Less and ended at Ralph’s, and they randomly paid for seniors’ groceries. She attended the Chamber of Commerce's Meet and Greet, and New Year's Eve celebration; and the City of Refuge Community Christmas luncheon. She thanked Councilwoman Paulette Francis for all of the work that she does every year for putting together the MLK parade. Lastly, she mentioned she ended last week with a week in Oceanside to kind of regroup, and get her footing for the year 2026 and what's to come. She encouraged everyone to stay true and faithful and trust the process and trust that God is going to continue to see us through as he always has done.
24. ANNOUNCEMENT(S)
1) Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Cultural Committe of Gardena's 43rd Annual Youth Program, Thursday, January 15, 2026 starting at 7:00 p.m. at the Nakaoka Community Center;
2) 43rd Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Parade & Celebration, Saturday, January 17, 2026 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. parade begins at Serra High School & ends at Rowley Park;
3) Gardena Police Department's Blood Drive, Friday, January 16, 2026 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Rush Gymnasium;
4) Ministerial Association Luncheon, Thursday, January 22, 2026 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Nakaoka Community Center;
5) Too Toxic to Trash, Saturday, February 7, 2026 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Arthur Johnson Park; and
6) New Aquatic Center Job Opportunities, for more information visit www.governmentjobs.com/careers/cityofgardena.
25. REMEMBERANCES
Mr. Jessie James Ingram, 81 years old, who was a longtime City of Gardena resident; Mr. Aaron James Martin, 70 years of age, a long-time City of Gardena resident.
26. ADJOURNMENT
At 10:39p.m., Mayor Cerda adjourned the Gardena City Council Meeting to the Closed Session portion of the City Council Meeting at 7:00p.m. and the Regular City Council Meeting at 7:30p.m. on Tuesday, January 27, 2026.