By Brett Callwood
At the City Council meeting on the evening of Tuesday, December 9, Item 15 A and B saw Gardena City Manager Clint Osorio’s accomplishments presented to the council and the public, before his contract was amended. The presentation had been requested by Council Member Rodney Tanaka at a previous meeting.
Item 15B called for the Council to, “Discuss and Consider the Second Amendment to the City Manager Employment Agreement between the City of Gardena and Clint Osorio, effective December 9, 2025 through December 8, 2029, and Discuss and Consider the City of Gardena Classification and Compensation Plan, effective December 9, 2025.”
Among his major accomplishments, Osorio listed raising the General Fund Reserves to $34.1 million, seeing the S&P rating upgraded to an A+, and the Moody’s rating upgraded to AA3 (Prime).
The contract amendment is for four years, ending in December 2029. Current base salary is $333,732 annually, plus benefits. There was some discussion about the salary in particular, with Council Member Paulette Francis questioning the sustainability of that sum, and Council Member Wanda Love opening questioning Osorio’s worth. However, Mayor Tasha Cerda and Council Members Tanaka and Mark Henderson were full of praise.
The item passed 4-1, with Love the one no vote.
Earlier, Item 14A called for, “Discussion to Eliminate or Reduce Fees for Food Distribution Events.” A staff note read, “At the previous City Council Meeting a directive was given to consider reducing or eliminating permit fees to conduct Food Distribution events. Food Distribution events can only be conducted in conjunction with a nonprofit organization. Staff is seeking further direction for the amount of reduction or whether to completely eliminate the fee.”
Love spoke passionately about the hard work done for people experiencing food insecurity, but the majority of the council felt that the fees were minimal and should remain in place. The item failed with a 3-2 vote, Love and Francis the two yes votes.
Item 13B called on the council to, “Approve Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider Agreement with Dell Marketing L.P. in the Amount of $241,806.63, for the Period January 1, 2026, through December 31, 2026; Microsoft Products and Services Agreement for Software Assurance in the Amount of $191,743.20, for the Period January 1, 2026, through December 31, 2028; and License True-Up Costs for 2025 in the Amount of $88,480.57, for a Total of $522,030.04.”
That passed unanimously, as did Item 17A: “Award Professional Architectural Design Services Contract for the Rowley Park Gymnasium Renovation Project, JN 561 to BOA Architecture, in the Amount of $103,000 and Authorize a 10% Contingency in the Amount of $10,300, for a Total Not-to-Exceed Amount of $113,000.”
Item 17B, “Reject bid for the Gardena Decorative String Lights Project JN 506 and Rebid the Project with Modified Requirement as Needed,” also passed unanimously. A staff note read, “Reject bid for the Gardena Decorative String Lights Project JN 506 and rebid the project with modified requirements as needed.”
