City Leaders Discuss the State of the City

City Leaders Lay Out the State of the City

By Trevor Morgan Signal Staff Writer

The City of Santa Clarita hosted its 35th annual State of the City, which was attended by almost all of the most prominent dignitaries in the valley.

In attendance were all five City Council members: Mayor Laurene Weste, Mayor Pro Tem Jason Gibbs, Cameron Smyth, Marsha McLean and Bill Miranda.

Also in attendance were SCV Sheriff’s Station Capt. Justin Diez, state Sen. Scott Wilk, R-Santa Clarita, state Assemblywoman Suzette Martinez Valladares, R-Santa Clarita, Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Santa Clarita, and other prominent dignitaries.

Each City Council member had a prepared video with themselves narrating, similar to years past. Weste was the first speaker.

As part of the theme of the event, Weste congratulated those who helped preserve the vast records of local events and history on scvhistory. com and took steps to transfer its contents into the city’s library database.

“I am so proud to have been able to advocate to save SCV history and I am thrilled that the 100,000 archival items will be turned over to the city of Santa Clarita for future generations to enjoy through our library system,” said Weste. “That means crucial stories and information will never be lost. Santa Clarita residents will always be able to read about local residents who lived through such monumental events as the St. Francis Dam disaster, the earliest gold discovery in California, the launch of the first commercial oil production … and the beginning of our film industry with silent movie star William S. Hart.”

Weste’s video highlighted some of the accomplishments the city has made since its inception, a large

See THE CITY, page 14 Mayor Pro Tem Jason Gibbs speaks during the City of Santa Clarita State of the City event celebrating 35 years of cityhood. The event was held at the Canyon Country Community Center. PHOTOS BY DAN WATSON / THE SIGNAL