Council grants easements to Edison for electric‑vehicle chargers at three Gardena sites

The Gardena City Council on May 20 approved grant of easements to Southern California Edison so Edison may build and maintain electrical infrastructure for electric‑vehicle chargers at three city sites: Arthur Johnson Park, Raleigh Park, and the police department public parking lot on 160 Second Street.

Staff reminded the council that the city previously approved participation in Edison’s Charge Ready program and that the city purchased 71 EV chargers from Nudo. As a condition of participation, Edison requires formal easements for the locations where it will install transformers, lines and related equipment.

Nut graf: The council’s action authorizes the mayor to sign documents reviewed by the city attorney and clears the way for Edison to begin construction on the city sites; staff said the program imposes no direct cost to the city for the utility infrastructure.

Public‑works staff and the city manager said Edison expects to begin construction as early as July and no later than September; Edison provided a best‑case estimate of a two‑to‑three‑week construction window per site but staff cautioned that other agencies have reported up to four months for comparable installations. The board asked staff to press Edison for an expedited schedule but staff said the city’s leverage is limited because Edison and its contractors control procurement and scheduling.

Staff noted the planned charger counts for the sites: 25 chargers at Arthur Johnson Park, 28 chargers at Raleigh Park, and 18 chargers in the police‑lot installation. The council approved the easements by roll call (all members yes) and directed staff to coordinate construction and public messaging, including planning a small community opening once the chargers are operational.

Ending: The easement approvals move the project into the construction phase; staff will coordinate schedules with Edison and circulate updates to residents and facility users.