In honor of one of the city’s founding fathers, the Santa Clarita City Council held a room dedication to former mayor, city councilman and College of the Canyons Trustee Carl Boyer on Monday.
The ceremony, which was attended by a number of local dignitaries and community leaders, not only unveiled Boyer’s name emblazoned upon the wall of what was once the City Hall Century Room, but also a mural decorated with artwork from international artists as part of the Sister City Program.
During her time at the podium, Mayor Laurene Weste recounted the story of how Boyer came to his locally revered status, saying that he moved to the Santa Clarita Valley from Philadelphia in the 1960s.
Boyer was appointed to the first North Los Angeles County Citizens Planning Council where he served until he became one of the first council members for the city of Santa Clarita in 1987.
Boyer went on to serve for 11 years — two of which as mayor — and founded the Santa Clarita Sister Cities Program, establishing ties for the city with Tena, Ecuador, in 2001 and Sariaya, Philippines, in 2003.
“He saw the potential and the promise of Santa Clarita and what the city could become,” said Weste. “He would just love what he had started today.”
In 2019, Boyer died at the age of 81 after having been in declining health and in a hospice facility.
In addition to his local political work, Boyer was described by Weste as being an avid traveler who had visited 165 countries and ran a nonprofit that assisted in healing children and providing surgeries to those with cleft palates.
“As you can see Carl’s legacy, and the instrumental role he played in laying the foundation for the Santa Clarita we know today, will forever be remembered,” said Weste. “This room will now be a permanent place where people can learn about Carl Boyer and our sister cities.”
At the end of the program, the plaque, Boyer’s name and art from the Sister Cities program was unveiled and his family was called forward to be recognized.
