City observes Hispanic Heritage Month

Council members also oppose National Monument Creation Act

For the 14th year, the Santa Clarita City Council has issued a proclamation Tuesday recognizing Hispanic culture. The council also heard from the public on the National Monument Creation and Protection Act.

From Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, the city unanimously declared the 30-day period Hispanic Heritage Month.

“When it comes to Santa Clarita history, generations of Hispanic Americans have positively influenced and enriched this community,” Mayor Laurene Weste said.

Latino community leaders like Assemblyman Dante Acosta, Paul De La Cerda, Saugus Union School District board member, and College of the Canyons students received the recognition.

Acosta said it was an honor to “represent this community in Sacramento along with my colleagues here.”

De La Cerda followed, saying, “Latino children need to see their own faces reflected in the history of our country because it creates a connection between them and the past.”

Councilman Bob Kellar introduced the first proclamation to recognize Hispanic Heritage Month in Santa Clarita. The month of recognition was first proclaimed by President Ronald Reagan on a national level in 1988.

Today, more than one-fourth of the Santa Clarita population is Hispanic, according to Weste.

House Resolution 3990

Four council members voted Tuesday to oppose House Resolution 3990 and communicate their position to Congress, including Rep. Steve Knight, R-Palmdale.

Councilman Bill Miranda abstained from voting.

The National Monument Creation and Protection Act proposes to allow current and future presidents to change national monument designations, even the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument.

If the bill is enacted into law, the size of national monuments could be reduced, ultimately affecting resources and usage.

Council members and the public said that is what they fear.

“I don’t want to shrink national monuments,” Weste said. “It is part of how we will have clean air and clean water or even have water for one of the largest populations in our country.”

Three members of the public who commented on the agenda item encouraged the council to vote “no” on H.R. 3990.

One Newhall resident said passage would take away local choice, something Mayor Pro Tem Marsha McLean said she strongly supports.

The council also approved the appropriation of $75,000 to Homes for Families, an organization working to help end homelessness, to help fund programs and services for families.