City Manager's Report September 2025

95th Anniversary and Wall of Fame Ceremony

We want to congratulate our Wall of Fame Honorees for their exceptional service to the city. Marcelino Almaraz (Posthumous), Michael Saffell, Philip A. Johnson Sr., Susana Weltz Medina, and Woody Rayburn Woolwine, Jr.
We ended the night with a spectacular Drone Show! Lucky our Gardena Goat was on full display.

Keep Gardena Beautiful Day

Every 3rd Saturday in September, you can find Gardena residents and staff all over Gardena, as they work together to keep their City Beautiful!

The 2025 Keep Gardena Beautiful Day event had over 400 registered participants and included 10 locations.

Keep Gardena Beautiful Day is made possible by generous donations from local businesses, grant funding, and countless hours of work from Public Works staff.

911 Commemoration Ceremony

On Thursday, September 11, 2025, residents, staff, and elected officials gathered on the City Hall Lawn to pay tribute to those who lost their lives in the devastating terrorist attacks that took place twenty-three years ago.

The Gardena Police Department's Honor Guard presented colors at the beginning of the ceremony and lowered the flag to half-staff.

Mayor Cerda stressed the importance of commemorating this day and Chief Fox recognized all of the Southbay residents who lost their lives on September 11, 2001.

Residents and City staff look on as the commemoration ceremony took place.

15th Annual Food Wine & Brew Festival

The Gardena Food Wine & Brew event is always one of the best events of the year. All proceeds go to the Senior Citizens Bureau and Alzheimer's Support Program.

This event showcased tastings of delicious food, fine wines, and craft brews!
Those who attended enjoyed music by Mr. Quick.

Movie Night Series

Residents enjoyed Paddington in Peru.
Enjoyed Peruvian dancers before the movie.

Employee Recognition Day

The 2025 Employee Recognition Day was a Hawaiian themed.

Mayor and City Council recognized employees for their years of service.  

Citizens Leadership Academy

This month we kicked off the second cohort of the Citizens Leadership Academy. The participants enjoyed informative sessions from the Administrative Services and Community Development.

The City of Gardena's Citizens Leadership Academy is an engaging six-session program that opens the doors of local government to the community.

Transportation

Line 7X

September was an exciting month for GTrans and the community! Line 7X was busy taking fans to SoFi Stadium for games against the Texans, Broncos, and Colts.

The GTrans Green Team will be on hand to guide and assist riders taking Line 7X to Sofi Stadium every game day Sunday!

Police Department

National Policewomen's Day

We proudly honored the strength, dedication and leadership of the women in the Police Department.

Public Works

Artesia Blvd. Street Improvement Project

Prepping the traffic signal head to be mounted to the newly installed traffic signal pole.

Local Streets Improvement

The streets are looking great after the breaking of the existing curb, gutter, and asphalt.

Aquatics & Senior Center

Construction of the face of the building is in progress.