I would like to adjourn tonight’s meeting in memory of Donna Grindey, the City of Santa Clarita’s very first City Clerk, who passed away on February 24.
She was among the first City employees hired, and she helped shape the culture of what Santa Clarita is today.
Though Donna had not served as a City Clerk before, she was fearless, confident and a stickler for details – in other words, absolutely the right person for the job.
She was also instrumental in holding the first-ever standalone City of Santa Clarita General Municipal Election in 1990.
When the Northridge Earthquake hit on January 17, 1994, Donna and her staff forged through with the City’s election process, working evenings and weekends and driving daily to Norwalk to verify voter signatures, never missing a step in the critical election process.
Donna’s leadership and fortitude not only led to the successfully certified April 1994 election but also won Donna the City Clerk of the Year award from the City Clerks Association of California that same year.
Following her time with the City of Santa Clarita, she was hired as the Lancaster City Clerk in 1996.
Though Donna was missed, she developed life-long friends in Santa Clarita, not just colleagues.
She was also a champion for continuing education and an incredible mentor to her staff.
Her influence did not end when she retired in 2006. Rather, she has been an inspiration to many other City Clerks in California, including our current Clerk and those she assisted as an elections consultant in Santa Barbara and Ventura.
Many of her life-long Santa Clarita friends were able to celebrate Donna’s 80th birthday with her last year.
She will be fondly remembered as a kind, friendly and empathetic lady who was the epitome of a public servant.
Her legacy and influence in Santa Clarita remain, and we are all thankful for her contributions to our City.
Donna is survived by her husband, Mike, with whom she shared 61 blessed years of marriage, as well as her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
We are saddened by Donna’s passing but join her loved ones in celebrating her life and the wonderful memories we have of her.