City contracts with Citibot for AI chat platform; council to name public-facing assistant

As part of council discussion on previously issued directives, the City Manager reported that Gardena has contracted with Citibot to implement an AI‑driven public‑engagement platform for the city website and public communications. Staff said the platform will act as an automated information and intake tool for routine city inquiries and that the city is working through branding and a public name for the assistant; the manager said the project is similar to implementations in neighboring cities and that staff will return with naming options and an implementation timeline. Director Beeman was named as the staff lead for finalizing the rollout. Councilmembers praised the approach as a means to provide 24/7 basic service information while allowing staff to focus on complex tasks; no budget appropriation was recorded in the Sept. 9 minutes for this action. This item was a staff update and direction to continue implementation and naming; it did not include a formal vote to authorize new funding.