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Jamie Araki / KHTS

Santa Clarita City Council To Send Letter In Support Of Maintaining Indoor Mall Operations

The Santa Clarita City Council voted to send a letter to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in support of maintaining indoor mall operations, fearing that the county public health order “may abruptly be revised to reclose indoor malls, creating further uncertainty around business operations that could lead to continued financial harm to many small businesses.”

On Tuesday, members of the Santa Clarita City Council directed city staff to send a letter to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors expressing their formal support for keeping indoor operations running for malls within the county.

“The purpose of this correspondence is to express the Santa Clarita City Council’s concerns of past, and potential future, closures of indoor malls in Los Angeles County and support for the County Public Health Order to include clear and consistent guidance on the operation of indoor shopping malls, like the Westfield Valencia Town Center, located in the City of Santa Clarita,” the letter reads.

Indoor operations for malls were recently allowed to start back up last week, after Westfield filed a class-action lawsuit in the United States District Court against the County of Los Angeles and several public officials over the decision to keep indoor malls closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

While the Westfield Valencia Town Center was among the malls allowed to re-open on Oct. 7, city officials fear that the county public health order “may abruptly be revised to reclose indoor malls, creating further uncertainty around business operations that could lead to continued financial harm to many small businesses.”

Additionally, city officials are concerned that the current conditions for re-opening, which include only allowing indoor operation at 25 percent capacity and the closure of food courts and indoor common areas, may “continue to limit the operations of businesses to fully and responsibly recover.”

“We respectfully request for greater transparency, uniformity, and guidance related to policies on the operation of indoor malls, like the Westfield Valencia Town Center,” the letter reads.

On Aug. 28, the California Department of Public Health announced that indoor operations for malls could resume with restrictions in counties throughout the state, including those in the state’s “Tier 1” of the re-opening process such as Los Angeles County.

See Related: Westfield Valencia Town Center Mall Indoor Stores To Reopen Wednesday

However, in a Health Order issued by County Health Officer Dr. Muntu Davis on Sept. 2 indoor malls were defined as “Lower-Risk Businesses,” which were not allowed to open when the issue was ordered. Other businesses listed in this category include “large department stores, small retailers, and hair salons and barbershops,” all of which had been permitted to re-open indoor operations in a limited capacity before Oct. 7.

“The impact of the extended closure of businesses in the mall has a direct and detrimental effect on the economic vitality of our community,” the letter reads. “While we appreciate the County’s overriding interest in keeping our local communities safe, we strongly believe that the Westfield Valencia Town Center has the capacity to responsibly reopen its shopping center in compliance with all local and State-mandated guidelines and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended protocols.”

The Westfield Valencia Town Center generates an estimated 3,600 jobs, and officials say that it “plays a critical role in the local and regional economy, generating significant sales tax revenue.”

“For the sake of our community, the businesses located here, their employees, and the thousands of County residents who depend on indoor malls and the retail offerings they provide, we are respectfully requesting that you work with local officials and mall owners to ensure the continued operation of indoor shopping malls,” the letter reads.

Tuesday’s letter is not the first sent by the City of Santa Clarita in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic. On May 12, the City Council directed staff to disseminate a letter from the Mayor to Los Angeles County Board Supervisor Kathryn Barger opposing any further extensions to the Safer at Home Public Health Order and requesting a variance for cities in the North County region who have substantially lower case rates than the rest of the County.

Then, Santa Clarita Mayor Pro Tem Bill Miranda and Councilmember Bob Kellar met with City Manager Ken Striplin and Supervisor Kathryn Barger to discuss the request on May 21.

One week later, the City sent a letter addressed to California Governor Gavin Newsom supporting the application submitted by the County ,and urged the California Department of Public Health to grant the County a variance.

No such variance has been granted to the North County region as of Oct. 13.

The full text of Tuesday’s letter can be viewed here.


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Santa Clarita City Council To Send Letter In Support Of Maintaining Indoor Mall Operations

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About Michael Brown

Michael Brown has lived in Santa Clarita his whole life. Graduating from Saugus High School in 2016, he continued to stay local by attending The Master’s University, where he achieved a Bachelor's Degree in Communication. Michael joined KHTS in January of 2018 as a news intern, and has since gone on to become the News Director for the KHTS Newsroom. Since joining KHTS, Michael has covered many breaking news stories (both on scene and on air), interviewed dozens of prominent state and federal political figures, and interacted with hundreds of residents from Santa Clarita. When he is not working, Michael enjoys spending time with his family, as well as reading any comic book he can get his hands on.