Council approves several contracts and purchases including City Hall electrical upgrade and police vehicles
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Summary
At its Nov. 18 meeting the Gardena City Council approved a series of procurement items: a prequalified CEQA consultants list, CEQA work for a Poncey Recycling facility, a police‑vehicle purchase, City Hall electrical upgrades, and a pool‑maintenance contract (one recusal). Vote tallies and motions are recorded.
The Gardena City Council on Nov. 18 approved a set of procurement and contract items covering environmental consultants, a recycling project CEQA contract, police vehicle purchases, a City Hall electrical upgrade, and pool maintenance for the new community aquatic center.
Prequalified environmental consultants Staff recommended and the council approved a three‑year prequalified list of five environmental consulting firms—De Novo, Kimley‑Horn, MIG, Rincon Consultants and Ultra Systems—to shorten CEQA processing timelines for private development projects. Council member Francis clarified that developer applicants will deposit funds to pay consultants and the motion (Henderson/Francis) passed 5–0.
Poncey Recycling CEQA contract The council then approved a contract with Ultra Systems Environmental Inc. for CEQA and related environmental consulting services for the proposed Poncey Recycling facility at 1937 W. 169th St., not to exceed $119,002.80. Staff said the applicant will reimburse the consultant via a deposit. Motion passed unanimously.
Police fleet replacement The Police Department requested authorization to purchase five 2026 Ford Explorer police utility vehicles and two 2026 Chevrolet Tahoes and to fund vehicle outfitting. Staff reported a total cost of $688,007.10 (vehicles $417,015; build‑out $271,006.09) and explained that heavy idling, equipment loads and emergency driving accelerate wear. The council approved the purchase (motion by Council member Tanaka; second by Council member Francis), vote 5–0.
City Hall electrical upgrade Council approved awarding Mel Smith Electric Inc. a $743,000 construction contract for a City Hall electrical systems upgrade (project JN541) that includes new distribution panels, a diesel backup generator and four dual‑port level‑2 EV chargers in a secured parking area; staff recommended a project contingency of $186,000 and additional appropriations for a total project budget of $1,007,009.06. The construction schedule was estimated at 75 working days; outages will be scheduled nights and weekends where required. Motion (Francis/Henderson) passed 5–0.
Pool maintenance contract and recusal For the Gardena Community Aquatic and Senior Center, staff recommended awarding pool maintenance services to SeClear Pools Inc. with a first‑year cost of $121,000 and optional extensions that bring a three‑year total to approximately $339,009.60. Council member Tanaka recused herself due to proximity of her residence to the project. Council discussed cleaning frequency and an allowance for chemicals; the contract was approved 4–0 (Tanaka recused).
Votes at a glance - Consent calendar: passed 5–0 (motion by Henderson; second Tanaka). - Agenda 14a (Gardena Boulevard): passed 5–0 (Henderson/Tanaka). - Agenda 14b (prequalified environmental consultants): passed 5–0 (Henderson/Francis). - Agenda 14c (Poncey Recycling / Ultra Systems CEQA): passed 5–0. - Agenda 16a (police vehicles purchase): passed 5–0 (Tanaka/Francis). - Agenda 17a (City Hall electrical upgrade): passed 5–0 (Francis/Henderson). - Agenda 17b (pool maintenance / SeClear Pools): passed 4–0 with Council member Tanaka recused.
What happens next: Staff will finalize agreements, begin CEQA work and procurement steps, schedule required outages for the City Hall electrical upgrade, and move forward with pool maintenance as the aquatic center prepares to open.
