By Cameron Smyth
Santa Clarita City Mayor
The holiday season is quickly approaching, and there is no better time than now to shop local and eat local. As we reflect on 2020, we have to acknowledge the tremendous challenges faced by businesses, both big and small, throughout our community.
To this day, many of them are still struggling to get back on their feet and face uncertainty over the future as coronavirus (COVID-19) questions and restrictions linger. The best way for us to support them, and Santa Clarita as a whole at this time, is to choose to shop locally.
One element that Southern California is often praised for is its weather. Excluding our hotter days, we’re lucky to have mostly sunny and breezy weather year-round. This means dining al fresco is always a possibility for us!
Consider trying an outdoor dining experience, if you have not done so already, at one of our local food establishments. It’s amazing to see the creativity and resilience of many of our restaurants in quickly transitioning their services to a safe outdoor experience.
Many of them have taken advantage of the City’s Eat Local program, which provides restaurants with the necessary permits for expanding operations onto private sidewalks, common areas and parking spaces at no charge.
These promising developments are necessary steps for bringing normalcy back to Santa Clarita. I urge each of you to consider a safe dining experience at one of our local restaurants to continue supporting them during these difficult times.
Another way you can help keep Santa Clarita businesses in operation, while also benefitting our local economy, is by shopping locally.
I’m certain that everything, or almost everything, on your holiday shopping and gifting lists can be found locally at one of our many businesses. Plus, there is no greater gift you can give to businesses than simply patronizing them.
Take a trip to the Old Town Newhall Farmer’s Market to grab fresh goods for a holiday treat or dish, purchase a gift card from a local clothing boutique for a loved one or treat your kids to a grab-and-go art or painting project from a local craft store.
Our diverse set of businesses in Santa Clarita make gifting easy for every need and every interest!
Excellent resources for finding open businesses and businesses with modified services in our community include VisitSantaClarita.com and SignalSCV.com/Coronavirus/Businesses-Open/.
I am so proud of the strides we have made over the last few months to get Santa Clarita back to normal while keeping our residents safe. Thank you to every business in our community for your continued patience as we all navigate this uncharted territory.
To show our care for these businesses, it is crucial for each of us to shop local and eat local. Every local business and restaurant relies on us to continue operations, just as we rely on them to keep our community unique and to boost our local economy. Let’s do the best we can to support them this holiday season!
Mayor Cameron Smyth is a member of the Santa Clarita City Council and can be reached at [email protected]. The views expressed in his column are those of the City and do not necessarily reflect those of The Signal. 
