By Brett Callwood
Gardena’s annual State of the City event took place on Thursday, March 30 at the Ken Nakaoka Community Center, and there was plenty to celebrate.
Council Member Rodney Tanaka spoke first, saying that, “We continually strive to do the best that we can for our community… We hope that we can all be together, and do the right thing for our community and make sure that we prosper, and continue to make life better… We thank our mayor for all her hard work and the things she does every day.”
Mayor Tasha Cerda was introduced as the first female mayor and the first African-American mayor of the city of Gardena, and the first Native American mayor in the state of California.
Cerda, taking to the stage to a standing ovation, first paid tribute to the city staff, her fellow elected officials, and the many community organizations that make such a big difference to Gardena.
She highlighted the great and important work done by the Senior Center, and the progress made on the Community Aquatic and Senior Center plus upgrades to GTrans and other construction projects that are well underway.
Cerda pointed out that 264 new businesses were welcomed to Gardena in 2022, and the fact that the city was awarded the 2022 “Most Business Friendly Award” for cities with populations of over 60,000 population.
The mayor outlined the ongoing Homeless Strategic Plan, and she celebrated the various successes of the city’s school sports teams.
Following Cerda’s speech, Chief of Police Mike Saffell expressed his love for the city that he serves. He thanked the City Council and staff, and detailed the success of the volunteer program, the explorer program, and the bike patrols. Chief Saffell then explained how the crime numbers fell in 2022.
Overall, the event was celebratory as the city took a moment to wallow in some much-needed positivity.
