Denise Lite delivered a powerful defense of her service during the July 8 Santa Clarita City Council meeting, urging councilmembers to reject her removal from the Planning Commission and calling the move political retaliation against her efforts to promote transparency and responsible development.

The following is the complete version of Lite’s statement read at the Santa Clarita City Council Meeting on July 8, 2025:

Mayor Miranda and Council:

I am sure each of you has independently read and studied the Santa Clarita Municipal code in preparation for this meeting.

Section 1.1.10 States “ The Provisions of this code are to be construed to effect its objects and to PROMOTE JUSTICE”.

Section 2.6.10 provides that any member of a board or commission of this City may be removed from office at any time, with or without cause, by a majority vote of the City Council…..and then goes on to state missing three (3) consecutive regular meetings is grounds for removal.

Section 2.26.50 lists duties of a planning commissioner and one of them is to “investigate and make recommendations …to serve as a guide for orderly growth and development….AND as a basis for the efficient expenditures of funds related to the subjects of the general plan.

SO lets recap: You can remove me with or without cause under 2.6, but –——– according to the municipal code you must act and vote in a way that promotes justice per section 1.1.10.  

I didn’t miss a meeting. I specifically asked REQUIRED questions about the impact fee for Hartwell and other projects as 2.26.50 mandates.  The fact that my questions led to transparency should be cheered.

In addition to the City Municipal Code– Council Norms and Procedures provide the following:

• Section 1A–Council members should recognize that the stewardship of the PUBLIC INTEREST must be the primary concern
• Section1C–Council members shall assure fair and equal treatment of all persons, claims and transactions coming before Council and the Commissions
• Section4A8-Council members shall share substantive information which they have received outside the public decision making process which is relevant to the decision making of the council and commissions

and finally

• Section4A10–Council members shall allow for everyone’s opinion to be heard and respected.

I submit that You WILL NOT meet YOUR obligation as a City Council member under 1.1.10 of the Municipal Code to PROMOTE justice or will not meet the standards set forth in Council Norms and procedures—if your vote for my removal. In fact, one could argue that Council Member Weste’s conduct with her Hartwell negotiation and this motion violates all 4 on the specific Norms and Procedures I cited.

But more than the on point legal arguments, Do we really want a City where asking a fair, common-sense question concerning the development of our city becomes grounds for dismissal? Does that promote justice as the code requires?

I come before you tonight as a public servant and your neighbor — one who loves Santa Clarita, believes in its future, and takes seriously the responsibility to serve with honesty, humility, and heart. I believe in good, competent government — the kind that listens to all people, plays by the rules, and keeps its word.

Tonight’s hearing isn’t just about the one commission seat that I occupy. This is about what kind of government we’re going demand as a City,  and what kind of leaders we all are. What kind of leaders you are.

At the last meeting I spoke briefly about Council Member Westes’ claim of my alleged failure to communicate. Like most of you,  I see Council Member Weste at no less than 4 events per month whether it be a charity event for one of our amazing nonprofits, a city function, a chamber event, etc.  That means I have seen her a MINIMUM of at least 25 times at public events since September 2024 when the Council unanimously appointed me. Not ONCE during those in person encounters did she raise concerns about our communications or request a meeting, nor has she ever requested an “update on projects” as she claimed she needed to serve her constituents when she gave her reason for removing me.   In fact, I saw her at all commission/ all council Joint Budget Study Session at City Hall on April 29th and she did not address me with any concerns. She didn’t address me at all.

With regard to the phone call that I referenced at the last meeting: On March 14, 2025 council member Weste called me. She asked me if I received the historical society letter in my agenda packet for the upcoming planning commission meeting. I told her I didn’t know because I had not checked my emails. She then spoke for several minutes how the Hartwell was a fantastic project and gave her perspective on how Hartwell should be swiftly approved. Within her comments she included very strong, biting criticism of  City Staff for how the project was being handled, stating “no one on staff knows what they are doing and that the only reason things have happened and continue to happen in this city are because of me and that is why I have not  retired”

I was shocked, but I continued to listen. When she was done, Council member Weste asked me to call her back after I had checked my emails to let her know if I had received the agenda packet and==notably== to specifically let her know if I received the letter from the historical society. I agreed to call her back.

Council Member Westes’ claim of lack of communication over 9 months does not at all align with the facts.  If communication was truly a concern,  it was never expressed to me–not in person over the 24-plus times I have seen her since September, not in email and in a follow-up to our phone conversation March 14.

Accordingly,  a vote of removal will not be seen as a principled decision,  grounded in the law or my performance or my ethics.  It will be seen exactly for what it is — participating in political retaliation against honest questions seeking transparency. Your vote–if you vote to remove me— shall serve as a warning shot to everyone else–including my fellow planning commissioners— that they better not ask questions in service to the public good, but rather, that they better fall in line. If that’s the case, the commission is totally useless.

More broadly, a vote of removal will not damage me alone- the damage will erode public trust in you as individuals and in this body across the entire City where good, honest people still believe that truth and transparency matters more than power.

This is a speech I never wanted to give. But when principles are tested — when integrity of public officials is put on the line — silence and acquiescence is a luxury NONE OF US can afford.

I empathize with each of you and it is regrettable you have been placed in this position. This should have, and could have, been handled in a much different way.

True virtue in leadership lies in restraint and the carful consideration of the public consequences rather than in the unchecked display of power. Authority should always be tempered by wisdom and moral responsibility.

I urge each of you to stand up for intelligent inquiry. Stand for transparency. Stand for faithful fulfillment of my duties. Fulfill your duties. Promote Justice as the City Municipal Code requires and act according to Council Norms and procedures.  Reject removal.

May we all be worthy of the trust our citizens have placed in us.

Thank you.

Denise Lite

Ed. Note: Additional communication records and call logs were provided to KHTS corroborating Lite’s account of no formal communication taking place between Lite and Weste during Lite’s tenure  — excepting the above email and phone call. 

KHTS FM 98.1 and AM 1220 is Santa Clarita’s only local radio station. KHTS mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, and features along with your favorite adult contemporary hits. Santa Clarita news and features are delivered throughout the day over our airwaves, on our website and through a variety of social media platforms. Our KHTS national award-winning daily news briefs are now read daily by 34,000+ residents. A vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community, the KHTS broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. The station streams its talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience. Follow @KHTSRadio on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.