Gardena Building & Safety Department

I recently interacted with the City of Gardena Building Department, and unfortunately, the experience left much to be desired. One of the major challenges I encountered was a lack of transparency in their communication process. The department doesn't provide a fee schedule for permits or even ballpark pricing, making it challenging for applicants to plan their budgets effectively. It's crucial to know whether a permit costs $100 or $500, and the department should be able to provide this information upfront. Additionally, the communication process is cumbersome. They only address one question per email, which can be frustrating and time-consuming. It feels like pulling teeth to get the information you need. Another issue I faced was the lack of confirmation upon submitting a permit application via email. While they request submissions through email, there is no follow-up to confirm the receipt of the application. This creates uncertainty and raises concerns about the application process. Improving transparency, providing comprehensive information, and enhancing communication efficiency would greatly benefit both applicants and the department. I hope these aspects can be addressed for a smoother and more user-friendly experience.
Feb 2nd, 2024

By far the most unprofessional building staff we've ever worked with, we paid our Business License fees, we expect respect, for a permit revision request, they charged me twice over $550 this should be reported as fraud to the authorities (the structure is attached there's no need for a secondary permit) We will look into taking our complaints to a higher authority. Hilda and her staff are seriously condecending, lack in customer service skills, among other intellectual aspects.
Jan 28th, 2024

These people need to work on their people skills. Bad customer service. They defer all communications to online and not over phone or in-person. So far the best thing they have done is to not renew the contract to Mark Handler.
Jan 13th, 2023

No words can describe how unprofessional this staff is. I guess the city needs donkeys to fill in these job positions. This is what happens when there is no accountability for someone's actions. They obviously don't know or care how the real world works. They expect you to do everything through teams which I guess works for a homeowner, but not for commercial work which requires multiple person coordination. Hilda Olvera with her ghetto attitude sat on our job for nearly 6 months after it was approved by their outside consultant. And the fees they hit us with were astronomical!! This place needs a clean sweep!
Dec 26th, 2022

City doesn't take documentation over the counter. Makes you submit it online, forces you to jump through hoops to use Microsoft Teams as the official communication method, and outsources review to a consulting group with exorbitant plan check fees. Waste of time.
May 13th, 2022