City Hall's Plan to Reopen, 4th of July Carnival and Other News

If you have been aching to roam the halls of South Gate City Hall then you are in for some good news. During last night's city council meeting, City Manager Michael Flad discussed plans to reopen city hall to South Gate residents as early as next week. In keeping with state and county safety measures, city hall will reopen on a limited basis with limited hours. There will be additional cleaning and hand sanitizer stations and proper queuing measures in place for residents and employees so be prepared for some possible wait times.

The return of in-person council meetings for the month of July were also discussed. Although you may not be able to enter the council chamber anytime soon, plans for council meetings in a larger venue such as the South Gate Municipal Auditorium are being considered. Such a venue is anticipated to have individual seating with appropriate spacing for staff and the audience in an effort to maintain social distancing. For more information please visit City Hall website

Deputy Director Of Parks & Recreation Steve Costley was the bearer of some bad news last night when he announced that due to continued corona-virus precautions, the 4th of July celebration and it's accompanying carnival will be cancelled this year. Costley also mentioned that the Corona-virus call center has been a success, expressing his gratitude to those involved. The last day for the call center will be June 18th. The senior congregate food program however will continue in it's current state as a food delivery program feeding hundreds of seniors throughout the city. For more information please contact the Parks & Rec Office (323) 563-5479

Public Works Director Art Cervantes noted a bevvy of department activities that continue or begin to function at full capacity including but not limited not:

• The Public Works virtual front counter where Permits, Plan Checks, Traffic Services, Water Services are offered online. Click HERE to visit the virtual front counter
• The Graffiti Removal program continues to function, removing any graffiti within a 24 hour period of it's reporting.
  • Please help keep the city beautiful and report any & all graffiti to (323) 563-5793, keep the number saved on your phone.
• Street sweeping services have also continued at their normal scheduling.
• Bulky Item pickup services by Waste Management are also an offer that South Gate resident's can and should take advantage of.
  • For items that are too large to fit into the trash can, residents may request the pick up of household bulky goods. We will retrieve up to five large items such as furniture or appliances three times annually -- see the full list of acceptable and unacceptable bulky items. Advance notice is required. To schedule a bulky goods pick up, please contact Waste Management at 1(800) DUMPSTER or (760) 439-2824 at least 24 hours in advance of your regular collection day, as pick up will occur on your collection day.

Cervantes also wanted to inform the public that the current public water system for the city has not been interrupted by Covid-19 and continues to be safe for drinking. Lastly, due to Covid-19 the city has also halted the clearing of homeless encampments until further notice.

Community Development Director Joe Perez presented information on the small business job retention program. 20 businesses will receive $10,000 grants with about 255 applications having already been submitted. The department is currently finalizing selection based on a needs basis. The City must complete a 5-year Consolidated Plan and is encouraging residents to fill out an online survey. The Consolidation Plan identifies South Gate’s housing and community development needs, priorities, goals, and strategies. By filling out this quick 10-minute survey, you help us to accurately allocate funding towards areas the community finds important!

Lastly, Police Chief Randy Davis spoke to the community regarding current events. Unfortunately his webcam was lagging and I was only able to get bits and pieces but some of the message shared was that "...we all share in the disgust and horror." Noting that the actions of few does "not define who we are" The city and the nation is going through a healing process. The SGPD know the community that they serve. From an operational side, the department has been on tactical alert and noted that the he could not be more proud of the men and women been successful in keeping us safe.

As always stay safe during these trying times. Be kind to your fellow neighbors.

Your Neighbor,

Jim Torres