By Brett Callwood
At the City Council meeting on the evening of Tuesday, July 23, Assignment 7B called for the annual reassignment of the Mayor Pro Tem position, taking over from Mark Henderson.
Mayor Tasha Cerda nominated Rodney Tanaka for his third term, having previously served as Mayor Pro Tem from April 2018-April 2019, and April 2021 to July 2022.
Henderson seconded the nomination and it passed 4-1. The notable “no” vote came from Council Member Wanda Love, who offered a definitive “absolutely not” when casting her vote. At the end of the meeting, Love cited pettiness when stating that she wouldn’t accept the Mayor Pro Tem role if it was offered to her. “We need to look at our leadership,” she said.
A number of contracts were unanimously approved, including 12A, “Approval of Blanket Purchase Orders for Fiscal Year 2024-2025.”
“A blanket purchase order authorizes the City to buy goods or services with predetermined terms or conditions,” read the staff note. “Since these vendors either have individual contracts, are piggybacking on State contracts, sole source vendors, or provide vital services the City is mandated to use, it is only necessary for the requisitioner to request one purchase order for the estimated amount of the expenditure for the fiscal year.”
12B called for, “Approval of Side Letter between the City of Gardena and the Gardena Police Officers Association.”
“In an effort to be compliant with current CalPERS reporting requirements, staff is recommending a change in Compensation, subject to the extent permitted by CalPERS,” staff said. “City Council provided staff authority to negotiate a change in compensation in an effort to solidify reportable compensation for our employees.”
Police Item 15A called for “Approval of New Duty Weapon and Red Dot Aiming System for Police Department at a Cost Not to Exceed $128,452.28.”
“Staff respectfully recommends that the City Council approve the purchase of one hundred (100) new duty weapons, one hundred (100) holsters, and one hundred (100) red dot sighting systems for the Police Department sworn personnel. The current Glock duty weapons have been in service for over 11 years and require a major service overhaul and/or replacement. Even after the service, the current Glock G21 is technologically outdated, and newer technology has surpassed its performance and ergonomic capabilities.”
