SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT PROGRAM IN Gardena

Gardena

Gardena is a city located in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 61,027 at the 2020 census. Gardena is a full-service city of 5.9 square miles with an ethnically mixed population. Until 2014, the U.S. census cited the City of Gardena as the place with the highest percentage of Japanese Americans in California. Gardena’s Japanese American population contributes to the South Bay region of Los Angeles being home to the highest density of Japanese companies within the mainland United States.

Based on archaeological findings, the Tongva people hunted and fished in the area of today’s Gardena. In 1784, three years after the foundation of Los Angeles, Juan Jose Dominguez, a Spanish soldier, received the roughly 43,000-acre Rancho San Pedro in recognition of his military service, and the area that would become Gardena was part of this vast land grant. The early beginnings of Gardena as a community date back to the 1880s. A Ventura man, Spencer R. Thorpe, is credited with having started the first settlement in Gardena Valley, centered near the intersection now known as 161st Street and Figueroa.

Some believe the city was named for its reputation for being the only “green spot” in the dry season between Los Angeles and the sea. Because of its acres of berries, the city was dubbed “Berryland.” The Strawberry Day Festival and Parade was held each May. Early in Gardena’s history, Japanese migrants played a role in the agrarian economy. The Japanese Association founded the Moneta Japanese Institute in 1911, and the Parents’ Association founded the Gardena Japanese School in 1916.

The City of Gardena became incorporated on September 11, 1930. From 1936 to 1980, Gardena held a local monopoly on legal cardrooms, the taxes from which accounted for nearly a third of its annual budget. In 1966, for the first time, a Nisei, Kiyoto Ken Nakaoka, was seated on the city council. Nakaoka later became Gardena’s mayor in 1972. In doing so, Nakaoka became the first Japanese American to be elected to lead an American city in the West.

The racial makeup of Gardena at the 2020 census was 11.9% White, 21.8% African American, 26.5% Asian, 0.7% Pacific Islander, and 40.2% Hispanic or Latino of any race. The median household income is $79,291 and the median age is 39.8 years. The largest employment sectors for Gardena residents are Health Care and Social Assistance, Retail Trade, and Manufacturing.

Nissin Foods has its United States headquarters and a plant in Gardena. Digital Manga, a company that publishes comics, is also headquartered in Gardena. Japanese car companies — Toyota, Honda, and Nissan — made their first American corporate home in Gardena. The Japanese Cultural Institute has been located in Gardena since 1988 and offers cultural and social activities for Japanese Americans.

The current Mayor of Gardena is Tasha Cerda, who is the first female mayor, the first African American mayor, and the first Native American mayor in the state of California. Gardena operates as a General Law City. Gardena has active “Sister City” affiliations with Ichikawa, Japan and Huatabampo, Mexico.

Notable people from Gardena include Paul Bannai, the first Japanese American to serve in the California State Legislature; Romana Acosta Bañuelos, the 34th U.S. Treasurer and first Hispanic to hold that office; Polly Bergen, actress and singer; Steven Bradford, the first African American elected to the Gardena City Council; Lisa Leslie, Olympic gold medalist and basketball player; and jazz saxophonist Art Pepper.

City of Gardena