By Councilwoman Marsha McLean
Long before I ever sat on the Santa Clarita City Council, I learned something important about this community: when residents care about an issue, they show up, speak out and work together to make a difference.
I know because I was one of them.
Before I was elected to the City Council in 2002, I spent years advocating for the issues I believed would shape Santa Clarita’s future. I, along with two caring and dedicated women, Dinah Sergeant and Doris Schiller, formed the SCV Canyons Preservation Committee to fight alongside residents to protect Elsmere Canyon from becoming one of the largest landfills in the nation.
I advocated for transportation improvements and helped bring people together to ensure Santa Clarita had a strong voice in regional transportation decisions. That spirit of advocacy never left me when I joined the City Council. If anything, it grew stronger.
From 2002 to December, 2026, serving on the City Council, I have had the extraordinary opportunity to fight for the community I love and the residents who call it home. Throughout that time, two issues have remained particularly important to me: transportation and ensuring residents understand how decisions made outside our City can affect what happens within it.
Transportation affects nearly every aspect of our quality of life. Whether advocating for Metrolink, improved roads, transit funding or better regional connections, I have always believed Santa Clarita deserves a seat at the table when transportation decisions are made.
I have also worked hard to help residents understand the increasing role Sacramento plays in local land-use decisions. Development is understandably one of the issues residents care most deeply about. State housing laws have dramatically changed the authority cities have over certain projects, and I believe residents deserve clear information about what the City can control, what state law requires and where we can continue to advocate for our community. Future City Councils will need to strongly advocate along with residents to voice the need for adequate infrastructure to accommodate the increased housing the state mandates.
There are also accomplishments that will always hold a special place in my heart. One of those is La Puerta. Earlier this year, we dedicated La Puerta, meaning “The Door,” as a California Point of Historical Interest, recognizing the natural passageway that once connected Indigenous trade routes through our Valley. I was incredibly proud to help spearhead that effort as President of the S.C.V. Canyons Preservation Committee and ensure this important piece of our history and natural landscape is preserved for generations to come.
When I look across Santa Clarita today, I see so much that makes me proud. I see open space that has been protected, transportation connections that have grown, beautiful parks and amenities, the Meditation Garden, thriving businesses and a City that continues to plan thoughtfully for its future. Our recent projects reflect a philosophy I have always believed in: move forward while preserving the things that matter.
But more than any project or accomplishment, I am grateful for the connections I have acquired through serving on regional boards, coalitions, policy committees and organizations and to have been able to serve our community. It has been an extraordinary experience to meet residents when out and about, listening to your concerns, fighting for the issues that matter to all of us and working alongside people who care just as deeply about Santa Clarita as I do.
As I conclude my time on the City Council, I leave with tremendous pride in what we have accomplished together and confidence in Santa Clarita’s future.
For all the years you have trusted me to be your voice, for every conversation, every challenge and every opportunity to make our City better: thank you, Santa Clarita.
