Bill Miranda is Santa Clarita’s current, and 14th mayor.
Did you know? He enjoys eating vanilla ice cream and loves to spend time at Santa Clarita’s Central Park.

Friday, February 12, 2021, was special in many ways. For one, it was Abraham Lincoln’s birthday. It was also two days before Valentine’s day, as well as the start of a Chinese New Year.

But for me, it was special in a different way. On February 12, I was interviewing Mayor Bill Miranda at 11:00 a.m. sharp. I had prepped my questions, called his office, and reserved my time. And so to City Hall, I was headed.

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Bill Miranda was born and raised in New York City, Manhattan. He said the Californian “bombing beautiful months, and sunshine, and beaches… in November and February,” were what urged him to move to California from New York.

Mr. Mayor attended Bordentown Military Institute in New Jersey. He enjoyed all subjects but stated that he “was really good at math and history” and rather “hated, hated chemistry but somehow passed it.”

Bill Miranda was not only active in academics, but also in sports, starting “the fall season with cross country, then [switching] off to winter season with basketball, and spring season with baseball,” contributing as an all-season player.

Miranda says the best teacher is one “who cares; not only tells but listens and feels.” Mr. Miranda’s favorite high school moments include many “fun memories [and his] outstanding professors which were very memorable” to him. He says the best takeaway from his four years in high school was the “structure” in military school which helped him “to try harder and work harder.”

So how did Mr. Miranda go from a boy in military school who actively participated in sports to the Mayor of California’s 18th largest city? Well, Miranda admitted that he “never intended to get into politics at all.” He says four years ago, there was a vacant council seat and many people encouraged him to apply. “It took a lot of encouraging… [but] I had built a lifetime of resumé to qualify me for the position, so when I did apply I got appointed.”

When asked about his job, Mr. Miranda suggested that being mayor is “a lot of work. It’s not very rewarding day to day- it’s rewarding long term for how you can impact a community. But day to day it’s very hard.”
When asked what advice he has for students, Mr. Mayor said, “accumulate some volunteer points… you have to volunteer, you have to help, you have to gather some accomplishments… and start learning about serving others- the importance of serving others.”

He also stated: “I will give you young people a warning: be careful on social media. What you put on social media is forever.”

He says to put our best foot forward in anything we do. In the words of the mayor: “be good at what you do. If you’re a plumber, be a good plumber. If you’re an actress, be a good actress.”

When I asked what our city is doing to open up schools, Mr. Mayor said, “we want to keep the teachers safe, we want to keep the students safe, we also want to keep the administrators safe. But we also want the schools open. We’re advocating, as a city council, we’re advocating… to open safely.” Along with that, he also emphasized that in order to safely open schools, students should wear masks, use hand sanitizer profusely, social distance, and wash hands frequently.

To wrap up my time with the mayor, I asked him that once our school has reopened and when it is safe, whether he would like to visit our school. His answer? “Absolutely. I love going to the high schools.”

Rapid Fire Round

Favorite Restaurant in Santa Clarita: Old Town Junction
Most Recent book you have read: Petals of the Sea by Isabel Allende
Favorite Ice-Cream Flavor: Vanilla
Favorite place to spend time in Santa Clarita: Central Park

“You have to build a lifetime of experiences. You have to build a lifetime of doing, and learning, and being a part of a community.”
– Mayor Bill Miranda