City of Gardena

What City of Gardena does

The City of Gardena is a municipal government entity incorporated in 1930, serving approximately 31,000 residents in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County, California. The City operates with 501–1,000 personnel organized across 12 departments: Administrative Services, City Attorney, City Clerk, City Manager, City Treasurer, Community Development, Economic Development, Human Resources, Police, Public Works, Recreation & Human Services, and Transportation (GTrans). Its headquarters is at 1700 West 162nd Street, Gardena, CA 90247, supported by additional locations at the Nakaoka Community Center, the Boys & Girls Club of Harbor Gateway site, and the Gardena Valley Chamber of Commerce.

The City delivers services through a digital product stack anchored by 'Gardena Direct,' a consolidated online portal for service requests and access to alarm permits, business licenses, garage sale permits, parking citations, pet licensing, and police reports. Supporting infrastructure includes a public-facing Geographic Information System (GIS), city-managed public WiFi services, a Power BI-based Financial Transparency Dashboard providing real-time municipal financial visibility, and a NextRequest-powered Public Records Request portal. Operational service lines include the GTrans public transit system, Recreation & Human Services programs, Planning & Environmental Commission oversight, Code Enforcement, Beautification Commission, and conventional municipal functions such as public safety and public works.

Revenue is generated from seven primary streams: property taxes on residential and commercial parcels; business license fees covering standard, contractor, and rental property categories; permit fees spanning building, advertising, special event, and home-sharing categories; utility user taxes with senior exemptions; franchise fees on cable TV, waste haulers, and towing operators; transient occupancy taxes on hotel and motel stays; and municipal fines including parking citations and alarm-related fees. Service distribution combines City Hall in-person channels, the self-serve Gardena Direct portal, and department-specific offices (Community Development, GTrans).

Name

City of Gardena

Legal name

City of Gardena

Website

https://cityofgardena.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1930

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

The City of Gardena is a municipal government serving about 31,000 residents in Los Angeles County, California. It provides public safety, public works, recreation, community development, and transit services funded through property taxes, business licenses, permits, utility user taxes, franchise fees, and municipal fines.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Government Services

NAICS

Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (925), Administration of Urban Planning and Community and Rural Development (92512)

SIC

Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744)

akta.pro primary industry

Planning, Zoning, Permitting & Code Enforcement (BPAIACAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Works & Municipal Infrastructure (Streets, Stormwater, Facilities) (BPAIACAF), Local Transportation, Parking & Mobility Administration (BPAIACAM), Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services (BPAIACAI)

Keywords

• Municipal government services
• Public transit operations
• Business licensing permits
• Community recreation programs
• Public safety services

Headquarters

HQ city

Gardena

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Property Tax Revenue: Property taxes collected from residential and commercial properties within city limits
2. Business Licensing: Fees collected for business licenses, including standard business licenses, licensed building contractor licenses, and non-residential and residential rental property licenses
3. Permit Fees: Various permits including building permits, advertising permits, bingo licenses, block party permits, conditional use permits, dance permits, entertainment permits, sign permits, home-sharing permits, and temporary event permits
4. Utility User Tax: Taxes on utility usage collected from residents and businesses, with exemptions available for seniors
5. Franchise Fees: Franchise fees from cable TV, waste haulers, and towing operators operating within the city
6. Transient Occupancy Tax: Tax on hotel and motel stays for visitors
7. Municipal Fines and Citations: Revenue from parking citations, alarm permits, and administrative citations

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The City of Gardena provides essential municipal government services to its residents, businesses, and visitors, including business licensing, building and event permits, public safety (Police Department), public works and infrastructure maintenance, recreation and human services, planning and zoning, economic development support, and public transportation via GTrans. Service delivery is channeled through City Hall, the Gardena Direct online portal, dedicated department offices, and community partnerships. The city also operates public WiFi, a public GIS, a financial transparency dashboard, and a public records request portal as part of its civic technology infrastructure.

Product overview

The City of Gardena provides a comprehensive suite of municipal services through its website, organized into departments including Administrative Services, City Attorney, City Clerk, City Manager, City Treasurer, Community Development, Economic Development, Human Resources, Police, Public Works, Recreation & Human Services, and Transportation (GTrans). The city offers online services through 'Gardena Direct' for service requests, permits, and payments, along with public GIS mapping, financial transparency dashboards, and community resources. The service portfolio is delivered as a unified municipal portal rather than a modular software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Gardena Direct (Online Services Portal) Online portal for submitting service requests and accessing city services including alarm permits, business licenses, garage sale permits, parking citations, pet licensing, and police reports; available to residents and businesses within Gardena.
• GTrans Public Transportation Public transportation service operated by the City of Gardena, providing safe and reliable transit options for residents and visitors in the South Bay region.
• Business Licensing Services Business license issuance including standard business licenses, licensed building contractor licenses, and non-residential and residential rental property licenses for businesses operating within Gardena; governed by published fee schedule effective July 1, 2024 (annual).
• Permitting and Inspection Services (Community Development) Building, advertising, bingo, block party, conditional use, dance, entertainment, sign, home-sharing, newsrack, oversized load, small cell wireless, sewer, and other permits, with plan check and inspection fees for residential and commercial projects within Gardena.
• Economic Development and Business Attraction Economic development support for existing and prospective businesses, including the gardenaawaits.com portal, Top Employers directory, business licensing assistance, and specific development plans (e.g., Redondo Village Specific Plan, Gardena Village Specific Plan).
• Recreation Programs (Recreation & Human Services) After-school and day camp programs, youth camps, sports and leisure activities, senior services, and therapeutic recreation programs offered by the Recreation & Human Services department.
• Public GIS Web-based geographic information system providing public access to city maps, spatial data, and location-based information for residents and businesses.
• Financial Transparency Dashboard Public-facing dashboard using Power BI visualizations to provide real-time access to the city's financial information, budgets, and spending data.
• Public WiFi Municipal public WiFi service provided by the City of Gardena for residents and visitors.
• Public Records Request Portal Online portal for submitting public records requests to the City of Gardena, accessible via the NextRequest platform.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered major, regional, community, core and internal.

• Los Angeles CountymajorOthersPartnership with Los Angeles County for various services including Animal Care & Control, Assessor Office, Board of Supervisors, Department of Health Services, Department of Public Health, Fire Department, Public Health Center Locator, and Registrar Recorder/County Clerk
• State of CaliforniamajorOthersPartnership with State of California for Board of Equalization, CA State Controller's Office, Emergencies & Disasters, Franchise Tax Board, Judicial Branch, Laws & Legislation, Legislators, and We Connect (Family Assistance) services
• Federal Government AgenciesmajorOthersPartnerships with federal agencies including Centers for Disease Control, Department of Motor Vehicles, Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Department of State, U.S. Passports, U.S. Postal Service, White House, and Veterans services
• South Bay Cities Council of GovernmentsregionalOthersRegional government agency partnership for coordinated planning and services in the South Bay region
• Boys & Girls Club of Harbor GatewaycommunityOthersYouth development organization located at 802 Gardena Boulevard, serving local youth through after-school programs and activities
• Gardena Valley Chamber of CommercecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPrimary business partnership organization located at 1204 West Gardena Boulevard Suite E, promoting local commerce and business development in Gardena
• Gardena Cable Usage Corporation (GCTV)internalOthersCity-affiliated cable television corporation managing local government access programming
• United Way of Greater Los AngelescommunityOthersNonprofit partnership for human services coordination, serving 3515 Linden Avenue, Long Beach, CA
• YMCA - Gardena/CarsoncommunityOthersYouth and family services organization at 1000 West Artesia Boulevard, providing recreation and community programs
• Gardena Valley Lions ClubcommunityOthersService club organization supporting community initiatives, located at 1128 West Gardena Boulevard
• Boy Scouts of America - L.A. Area CouncilcommunityOthersYouth development organization with local council serving the Gardena area

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• City of Inglewood: Larger LA County municipality in the broader South Bay region undergoing significant economic transformation around SoFi Stadium and entertainment district. Provides comparison for transit-oriented development and large-scale municipal capital programs that smaller Gardena may emulate.
• City of Redondo Beach: Nearby South Bay coastal municipality providing the same municipal service portfolio. Similar regulatory and fiscal environment but differentiated by beach-driven tourism revenue (transient occupancy tax) that exceeds Gardena's mix.
• City of Compton: Adjacent LA County municipality operating in the same regional economic and regulatory environment. Comparable service portfolio but with different demographic and economic development profile; serves as benchmark for municipal operations under California fiscal constraints.

Direct peers

• City of Carson: Adjacent LA County city of similar population scale with industrial and commercial economic base comparable to Gardena. Operates the same municipal service portfolio and is a direct competitor for regional business attraction and economic development within the South Bay.
• City of Hawthorne: Immediately adjacent LA County municipality of similar size serving a comparable South Bay demographic mix. Provides municipal services including police, public works, recreation, and community development, and faces similar economic development and Prop 13 fiscal constraints as Gardena.
• City of Torrance: Adjacent South Bay Los Angeles County municipality of similar scale and economic profile. Operates the same full suite of municipal services (police, public works, transit, recreation, community development) for a comparable residential and business population, providing the most direct operational comparison for Gardena.
• City of Lawndale: Smaller adjacent LA County municipality operating comparable municipal services for a similarly sized residential population. Provides reference point for service delivery at smaller scale and faces identical regulatory and fiscal environment as Gardena.

Others

• Granicus: Provider of government communications, public records request, and civic engagement software widely adopted by small-to-mid-size U.S. municipalities. Gardena uses the NextRequest platform (a Granicus product) for public records requests, demonstrating direct vendor relationship.
• Tyler Technologies: Major provider of municipal government software including ERP, permitting, and civic engagement platforms used by California cities of Gardena's size. Relevant as a technology ecosystem participant whose product roadmap shapes the digital service capabilities available to Gardena and its peers.

Broad incumbents

• City of Los Angeles: Massively larger LA County municipality operating the same municipal functions at scale. Provides reference point for governance, fiscal management, and digital service delivery standards, but operates under a substantially different scale and political environment than Gardena.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CityofGardena
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/CityofGardena
• Facebookfacebook.com/gardenacityhall

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about City of Gardena