By Bill Miranda
Santa Clarita Mayor
It is my honor to serve as Mayor of Santa Clarita as we head into the New Year. I believe I can speak for most of us, when I say I am glad 2020 is almost over. It has been a year of challenges and uncertainty, but I am excited and hopeful for what 2021 will bring.Â
There are a few highlights that I know we will be celebrating this next year. There are two landmark City projects that will reach completion — the new Canyon County Community Center and the new Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station.
On the corner of Soledad Canyon Road and Sierra Highway in Canyon Country, the new Community Center is taking shape. Construction continues on both the on-site and off-site work.
You can really see the size and scale of the new facility now that the walls are up, the roof is in place and the metal framing for most of the interior spaces is complete. This new site will be a hub for enrichment, activity, learning, art and connecting with the community when it opens to the public in summer 2021.
Meanwhile, on Golden Valley Road, the new Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station is getting its final touches. The 7.6-acre site includes the main station building, a vehicle maintenance facility, communications tower and helipad. This new home for our hard-working deputies and station staff will be turned over to the Sheriff’s Department in mid-2021.
Another important project that will really get underway in the new year is the revamped Human Relations Roundtable. This important group of local residents with diverse backgrounds, was brought together following recent protests and growing concerns of discrimination and racial inequality.
The mission of the City of Santa Clarita’s Human Relations Roundtable is to encourage, assist and empower our community to eliminate all forms of racism and discrimination, and to promote inclusion, understanding and appreciation of human differences. I look forward to sharing more about the progress this group is making.
Throughout the new year and as long as the COVID-19 pandemic lingers on, we will continue to share important updates with the community and ensure that Santa Clarita residents have the information and resources they need to stay safe and healthy.
We continue to regularly update our COVID-19 website at SantaCl
aritaEmergency.com. This site is your one-stop for important news updates, county and state health orders, testing links, resources for residents, businesses and much more.
What makes our City of Santa Clarita so special is the tight-knit, family-
oriented, supportive residents that live here. Together we will make it through these current challenges and whatever other obstacles are put in our path. I look forward to the opportunity to serve as your Mayor and work with each of you to uphold the high-quality of life we all enjoy in Santa Clarita. I wish everyone a very happy, safe and healthy holiday season.
Mayor Bill Miranda 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. 
