courtesy of shutterstock (right)

Q: With all the craziness and challenges of last year, what do you want residents to focus on moving into this February?
A: First, I want to wish everyone a happy, healthy and safe 2021. Last year was difficult for so many of us in so many different ways. For our mental, physical and emotional wellbeing, I would encourage residents to focus on what they can do versus everything they cannot do - and remember we are in the home stretch! Vaccines are already being distributed. The City of Santa Clarita, under the direction of the city council, has innovatively continued to provide opportunities, activities, programs, arts and culture throughout the health orders and restrictions. I encourage all of you to visit our website at santa-clarita.com to find your favorite "CAN DO." Some of the popular events have been the 35 Parks Challenge, visiting the new Trek Bike Park of Santa Clarita, exploring our miles of trails and paseos, catching a virtual show from The MAIN, working out with the Virtual Rec Center and discovering public art, among many others.

Q: The City of Santa Clarita's budget process and the regular awards and accolades the City receives is well known. Can you tell us about the most recent fiscal health report?
A: The City of Santa Clarita was recently ranked in the top six percent of fiscally-healthy cities by the California State Auditor. The California State Auditor's website features an interactive dashboard that compares over 450 cities' fiscal health based on 10 financial indicators. Santa Clarita received a low-risk designation and received perfect scores in the categories of liquidity, general fund reserves and in both pension and other post-employment benefits (OPEB) obligations, receiving a total combined score of 93.47. Thanks to our fiscally-responsible city council and the budgeting process we've had in place since incorporation, the City of Santa Clarita remains in good financial standing, even with the challenges and unforeseen circumstances of 2020.

Q: It was disappointing to hear about the orders prohibiting outside dining at our local restaurants when so many had spent great time and expense to build out outdoor dining areas with tents and holiday decor. What can we do as a community to support our favorite local spots?
A: I am hoping that by the time this is printed, our local restaurants will once again be able to serve the community safely outdoors. Whether that happens or not, I encourage all of you to continue to support our local restaurants. It is a great excuse to skip the cooking and cleaning and instead order delivery or take out. These businesses have been struggling since the initial lockdowns 10 months ago and need customers' support to remain open. Our city council took a strong stand at the end of last year, supporting the restaurant association and their lawsuit claiming Los Angeles County Public Health Department acted arbitrarily and failed to perform the required risk-benefit analysis before ordering the shutdown. We look forward to all of our restaurants fully reopening soon!