Did you know, You’ve Got a Friend at City Hall? From our fun and friendly staff that run our Recreation and Community Services programs, to our Building and Safety team that make sure all developments are up to code, to our Communications team who bring all the trending, informational videos to social media, our staff is hard at work ensuring that the city of Santa Clarita continues to be a great place to live, work and play.

You’ve Got a Friend at City Hall is a great way to learn more about the city staff that are here to serve you, our residents. With over 400 full-time city of Santa Clarita employees across 20 divisions, in eight different departments, the city offers a wealth of resources, programs and services that keep our operations running smoothly. Many of our staff members have either grown up or live in Santa Clarita, creating a dedicated workforce that is passionate about the success of our community. Every two months, a new division is highlighted, sharing details about the ins and outs of their work. For a more personal interaction, check out the Instagram takeovers, where you can put faces to the names.

A huge contributor to our growing city is our next featured friend, the planning division. If you’ve ever found yourself in the Permit Center at City Hall, you’ve no doubt interacted with one of our helpful planners. Have you ever wondered about how your favorite coffee shop came to be or the process for bringing in that new restaurant? It all started with our Planning division. From initial design to the end product, our planners meticulously review plans to ensure zoning usage and architectural design are meeting the city’s requirements.

Do you have a small project around your home or business like adding a pool, patio covers, solar, signs or fences? Our staff is accessible and ready to help. Visit our Permit Center at City Hall, 23920 Valencia Blvd., Suite 140, Valencia, CA 91355, for in-person assistance. There, you can talk one-on-one through your project, ask questions or submit your applications at the counter. Check out our planning’s website at SantaClarita.gov/Planning for a variety of applications and forms you might need for your next project or give them a call at (661)255-4330.

Stay tuned for an Instagram takeover from our planning division, where you can catch a glimpse into the day-to-day work of the team and ask all your burning questions. Make sure you’re following the city’s Instagram and Facebook accounts, @CityofSantaClarita, to get to know our planning staff and to see who the next You’ve Got a Friend at City Hall feature will be.

Ken Striplin is the City Manager for the City of Santa Clarita and can be reached at kstriplin@santaclarita.gov.