Rachel C. Johnson has served on the Gardena City Council since being appointed in March 2005, after being elected as the city clerk two years prior. She retained her Council post be election in 2007, and re-election in 2011. Johnson served as Gardena Mayor Pro Tem from April 2011 to April 2012.
Raised in the Gardena area, Rachel attended Gardena Elementary, Peary Junior High School and Gardena High. A 1982 graduate of UCLA with a BA degree in Psychology, Johnson completed a master’s degree in Education at California State University at Long Beach, and is currently pursuing a doctorate in Education at the USC Rossier School of Education.
She is a 32-year educator with the Los Angeles Unified School District, and is a member of the United Teachers of Los Angeles, The UCLA Alumni Association, Phi Kappa Phi and Pi Lambda Theta Honor Societies, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated. Rachel has been on the Board of Directors of Gardena Youth Football and Cheer, Incorporated since 1994, where she served as Cheer Director and volunteer cheer coach at her alma mater, Gardena High School.
The Councilwoman’s many responsibilities include an assignment as a trustee of the Greater Los Angeles Vector Control District, as well as representing the city with the Independent Cities Association and the Centinela Youth Services. She also serves as an alternate representative to the Southern California Association of Governments and the West Basin Water Association.
Gardena has been Councilwoman Johnson’s home for more than 30 years. She and her husband, Philip, have four children, and three grandchildren. Her children and grandchildren all attended or currently attend Gardena schools and are very involved in community, school, academic, and sports activities.
Councilwoman Johnson, along with her council colleagues, continues to build city reserves, maintaining city services and public safety. Through community involvement and engagement, she supports current, and creates new civic and neighborhood programs and events, and will continue to work hard to make this community a safe place to live, work and raise a family.
