SCVEDC Blog

The official launch of the Southern Pacific Aero-Defense Alliance, or SPADA, marked an exciting moment for Santa Clarita Valley’s aerospace and defense community. With nearly 200 attendees, the inaugural event brought together leaders from industry, education, government, and the broader community around a shared vision for the future of one of the region’s most important industry clusters.  

How long is your workday—really?

Not just the hours you spend at your desk. The whole day. The part that starts with the morning rush and ends when you finally walk back through the front door.

When you look at it that way, work often takes up far more time than we like to admit.

For many people, that added time shows up as traffic, rushed drop-offs, and the mental load of a commute that adds stress before the workday even begins—and lingers long after it’s over.

In the broader Los Angeles County area, the average one-way commute is around 31 minutes. That adds up to roughly an hour a day—more than four hours a week, and over nine full days every year—spent just getting to and from work.

That’s time you’ll never get back.

When we talk about building a strong economy in the Santa Clarita Valley, we often focus on attracting new businesses or celebrating major expansions. Those moments matter. But long-term economic strength is built more quietly—through people, skills, and confidence in what comes next.

Businesses need to know they can find the right talent when they’re ready to grow.

Workers need to see clear pathways to good jobs close to home.

And communities need stability—especially in periods of economic uncertainty.

That’s why workforce development isn’t just a social good. It’s one of the clearest indicators of whether a local economy is built to last.

As job growth slows across much of the region (and the nation) and employers weigh expansion more carefully, access to skilled, job-ready talent has become a decisive factor in whether businesses stay, grow, or look elsewhere. Understanding that reality—and responding to it intentionally—is what makes the findings from the High Road Training Partnership so timely.

A New Shop Local Video Series Showcasing Local Businesses 

The City of Santa Clarita, in partnership with SCVTV, is excited to announce "Santa Clarita Spotlight," a brand-new Shop Local video series dedicated to promoting and celebrating the diverse range of local businesses within the City. The pilot episode of Santa Clarita Spotlight was released on Friday, August 18, on the City’s website at santa-clarita.com/ShopLocal and social media pages.

Did you know the SCVEDC has an interactive, online tool that provides themed virtual tours of the amazing features our community has to offer? Engage with different media, maps and data, and really get to know the various aspects of the Santa Clarita Valley that make it such a great place to live, work, and play! We'll be adding new customized tours periodically, so keep an eye on our social media, website, and newsletters for updates.

WILLIAMS HOMES INTRODUCES NAMESAKE WILLIAMS RANCH MASTER-PLANNED COMMUNITY WITH LONG-AWAITED GRAND OPENING CELEBRATION

Williams Homes, one of the nation's leading, privately-held homebuilders, will debut its brand new Williams Ranch master-planned community in the Santa Clarita Valley, California on September 24 and 25.

Located in the hills of Castaic and overlooking the Santa Clarita Valley and Valencia® below, the grand opening celebration will allow home shoppers to experience the Williams Ranch lifestyle and tour 15 stunning model homes that include a selection of both single-story and two-story designs. All are invited to join in the festivities with food, fun, giveaways, and music both Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

SCVJobBoard.com - The FREE Job Board for SCV Residents & Employers

As the economy begins the reopening process, many SCV residents have found themselves either searching for a new job after being furloughed or laid off, or are seeking a career closer to home due to continuing uncertainty. SCVEDC is here to help.

The California Association for Local Economic Development (CALED) announced today to their members that SCVEDC was awarded their prestigious 2019 Award of Excellence in the Programs category for their LiveWorkSCV.com job board. CALED’s annual competition invites economic development members to submit application in four categories, with one Award of Excellence selected for each. The timing coincides with the International Economic Development Council’s Economic Development Week, designed to increase awareness for local programs that create jobs, advance career development opportunities and increase the quality of life in communities everywhere.

How to Create a Positive Mental Health Environment in the Workplace

Previously, we examined the employer’s role in work-life balance for their employees, but we don’t want to stop there. We want to take it one step further to an individual level and look at someone who often lets their own needs fall to the wayside: the business owner themselves.

The Impact of Health on the Workplace

It’s not exactly a shocking revelation that leading a healthy lifestyle can improve your physical and mental well being, but did you know that it can also have a profound effect on your performance at work, as well? Recently, we’ve begun to see companies incentivize employees with wellness programs, access to onsite workout facilities or discounted health club memberships, and mindfulness/meditation training to not only improve productivity, but also increase employee satisfaction.

Quality of Life Matters – Millennials are Moving to the Suburbs

As millennials grow up and begin to settle into their careers and buy homes, it’s hardly surprising that their demands from just a few years ago have changed. A generation that once flocked to apartments in the city is now looking to settle down and start a family – but where are they moving to and what are they looking for?

SCV Again Hosts Amgen Tour of California

As America’s most successful cycling race, the Amgen Tour of California is one of the nation’s largest and most recognized annual sporting events. Throughout seven stages over seven days, the world’s elite cyclists will contest more than 750 miles of roadways, highways and coastlines from Sacramento to Pasadena. The Amgen Tour of California (ATOC) brings the drama and excitement of professional cycling to California for the 14th consecutive year in 2019 from May 12-18. In 2019, Santa Clarita will return as a host city, bringing the total of stages hosted in Santa Clarita to 14 – the most stages in race history!