Mayor Cameron Smyth is expected to discuss the creation of a Santa Clarita health department at an upcoming City Council Meeting.
Currently, Santa Clarita is under the jurisdiction of the Los Angeles County Public Health Department. Smyth said the County’s decision on Friday to not allow the reopening of salons and barbershops — despite the state allowing the change — was the spark to move forward with creating Santa Clarita’s own department of public health.
“I am going to ask City staff to investigate how to create our own health department,” Smyth said. “Other cities, Long Beach and Pasadena have their own departments.”
Los Angeles County is the only place in the continental U.S. to not allow the indoor operations of barbershops and salons, according to the mayor.
Coronavirus data from the rest of the County, which has a population of about 10 million people, is impacting how and when Santa Clarita businesses can reopen, Smyth said.
“It just makes sense to look for ways to separate ourselves from the rest of L.A. County,” he said.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Santa Clarita has seen lower rates of cases and hospitalizations across the valley, according to the mayor.
See Related: L.A. County To Keep Indoor Operations Closed For Hair Salons Despite State Allowance
On the Sept. 8 meeting, Smyth is going to present the idea to his fellow council members, and if approved, would go onto a future agenda for further discussion.
After the plan gets onto an agenda, City staff are able to conduct further research on the details on what a Santa Clarita health department would look like or even other approaches such as a regional model.
“Put together the Northern L.A. County region is larger than over half of the counties in the state,” Smyth said. “We would ask City staff if a regional model would be effective.”
If created, a Santa Clarita health department would be able to reopen at a different rate than the rest of the county, according to Smyth.
Going back to the incorporation of the City of Santa Clarita, the community has always looked for ways to increase local control of the community.
The mayor fears small businesses are losing customers to neighboring counties, which have much fewer restrictions than L.A. County.
“Businesses are really struggling,” Smyth said. “Last week I met with a group of business owners, and they are frustrated with how the County is moving.”
The plan is expected to be presented by Smyth at the Sept. 8 meeting, and if approved, would be placed on an agenda at a future meeting for further discussion.
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September 01, 2020 at 12:54AM
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Mayor Cameron Smyth To Look Into Creation Of Santa Clarita's Own Health Department - KHTS Radio
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