The Santa Clarita City Council will hold a special meeting at City Hall on Tuesday, October 27, starting at 5:30 p.m., to address a default letter the city received related to the long-proposed Porta Bella residential-commercial development on the Whittaker-Bermite property in the center of the city.

The special meeting will begin in Council Chambers with public participation from citizens by telephone or virtually via Zoom about a 10-page Notice of Default letter sent to the city by Remediation Financial Inc., the insurer of Whittaker Corp., the company responsible for the cleanup of toxic soil on the Whittaker-Bermite site.

The toxic cleanup was declared completed in spring 2020, after nearly 20 years.

After hearing public comments, Councilmembers will then begin a closed session in the Century Room to confer with legal counsel about the default letter, which accuses the city of “material default of its obligations” under a 1996 development agreement.

After reconvening in an open session in Council Chambers, the City Attorney will make an announcement regarding the default letter.

Background
According to an August 19 interoffice memo from City Manager Ken Striplin, he participated in a phone conference on Monday, August 17, with Bart Shea and David Lunn of Remediation Financial Inc., the insurer of Whittaker Corp., the company responsible for the cleanup of toxic soil on the Whittaker-Bermite site.

“During this discussion, Mr. Shea and Mr. Lunn indicated that they believed the City had breached its obligations under the 1996 Development Agreement, in terms of force majeure site cleanup issues and alleged misrepresentations of the status of entitlements by City staff to third parties interfering with potential site financing,” Striplin wrote in the memo.

“They also indicated they were contemplating sending a notice of default to the City as a precursor to litigation,” he wrote.

Striplin received the Notice of Default letter from Remediation Financial on Oct. 15. Read it here.

See the complete Special Meeting agenda here.

Details for Public Participation
To maximize public safety while still maintaining transparency and public access, members of the public can observe and participate in the meeting remotely using Zoom.

For those wishing to provide written comments on an item as listed on the agenda, please submit an electronic written comment form at https://www.santa-clarita.com/writtencomment at least 30 minutes before the start time. Comments will be made part of the meeting record, but not read into the record.

For those wishing to speak on an item as listed on the agenda, please submit an electronic speaker form at
https://www.santa-clarita.com/speakersignup at least 30 minutes before the start of the meeting with your name and the phone number you will be using to call into the meeting.

Zoom Meeting:
To participate in the Special Meeting using Zoom use Webinar ID: 946 3273 6223 and Password: 515660

Zoom Webinar direct link: https://santaclarita.zoom.us/j/94632736223

Telephone:
US:
+1 669 900 9128 or
+1 253 215 8782 or
+1 346 248 7799 or
+1 312 626 6799 or
+1 646 558 8656 or
+1 301 715 8592

Note: You will not be visible to any of the meeting participants during the meeting, and your phone will not be unmuted until your name has been announced when it is your time to speak. You will have three minutes to speak, with double the time allotted for non-English speakers using a translator, unless that time is adjusted by the Mayor.