Now — more than ever — is the time to shop locally

Santa Clarita City Hall, as pictured on February, 26, 2020, is located on the 23900 block of Valencia Blvd. Dan Watson/The Signal
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By Mayor Cameron Smyth

Many throughout the world, nation and our community have experienced the sad and worrisome impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Family, friends and neighbors of ours have felt the effect in some way, whether that be economically, socially or even physically. Another part of our community still experiencing these hardships are local businesses.

With the uncertainty brought forth by COVID-19, we have seen a lot of our City’s businesses quickly shift in how they provide goods or services, with others unsure if they would be able to reopen as things go back to normal.

Due to this, I urge Santa Clarita residents to shop locally now more than ever.

By choosing to shop locally, you support our community in a variety of ways. First, you are adding to the uniqueness and diversity of business options available all over our City. With these businesses also comes local job creation and a reduced need for commuting.

Additionally, the money many of us put into our local businesses, goes back into the community we call home. The reinvestment of sales taxes from purchases at Santa Clarita businesses can be used towards parks, community facilities and much more.

Understandably, concern may linger about jumping back into normal life as the possibility of COVID-19 spread still exists, but please understand that Santa Clarita businesses are working hard to thwart your fears and anxieties.

Local businesses are following County and Department of Public Health recommended distancing policies, along with working to increase sanitation efforts for your safety and the safety of all staff.

We have already seen the adaptability of many establishments with their utilization of no-contact curbside and takeout services, delivery, physical distancing ground markers and capacity reductions. As we adjust to a temporary new normal and we learn more about COVID-19, I expect to see more innovation from our local businesses in how they operate, keeping safety as the number one priority.

In all, Santa Clarita businesses need us as much as we need them at this present moment. If possible, I implore you to support them now more than ever.

The City of Santa Clarita is grateful to have a large variety of local restaurants and businesses for residents and visitors to enjoy. We are thankful for the hard work they have done, in addition to the donations many of them have given, in the midst of a pandemic.

I look forward to each of us finding our way back to normalcy and supporting the businesses that make our City great throughout the process.

Mayor Cameron Smyth is a member of the Santa Clarita City Council and can be reached at csmyth@
santa-clarita.com. The views expressed in his column are those of the City and do not necessarily reflect those of The Signal. 

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