The city of Santa Clarita announced this week that Santa Clarita City Council meetings and other regularly scheduled public meetings will be held fully in-person starting with the council meeting on June 22.
“We are excited to welcome residents back to attend our publicly held meetings in person,” said Mayor Bill Miranda in a written statement. “The city is thankful for our community following safety guidelines, and we look forward to interacting with residents face-to-face as we transition to an all in-person format once again.”
The return of in-person meetings follows 15 months of virtual meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic. Under recent state and county health orders easing indoor capacity restrictions, city residents can return to Santa Clarita City Hall to participate in public meetings.
“Fully vaccinated visitors are not required to wear a face covering at City Hall, while those who are not fully vaccinated are required to do so. Attendees will self-attest they are in compliance and will not be asked about their vaccination status prior to entering City Hall,” according to a statement issued by the city, citing Los Angeles County Public Health orders.
Councilwoman Marsha McLean told The Signal that she’s happy to see the public returning to council meetings, which regularly start at 6 p.m.
“We’re doing the public’s business and being able to be back open to the public, it’s about time,” she said. “It’s a good thing to be back where the public can come into City Hall and we can look at each other.”
While the city will still broadcast meetings on SCVTV, Facebook and its website, the public can no longer virtually participate.
Instead, people who want to address the City Council will be required to fill out a speaker request card at council chambers. The cards become available 30 minutes prior to the start of the meeting and must be submitted to the city clerk. Written comment cards are also available.
Santa Clarita City Hall is located at 23930 Valencia Blvd. SCVTV is Spectrum channel 20 and AT&T channel 99. The city’s Facebook page is @CityofSantaClarita and the city’s website is santa-clarita.com.
