On Tuesday, the Santa Clarita City Council appointed Denise Lite to fill a sudden vacancy on the Planning Commission.

During their routine council meeting Tuesday, Santa Clarita City Councilmember Laurene Weste nominated Denise Lite for the vacancy on the planning committee, with support from Mayor Pro Tem Bill Miranda.

“She is uniquely qualified in her capacity as a lawyer to benefit our planning commission decisions. She is also involved in many local nonprofits and her dedication of 11 years…to bring awareness to breast cancer is remarkable,” Weste said.

A longtime community member, Lite is a well-known name in philanthropic and legal circles in Santa Clarita.

“She is rated as one of the top attorneys in the United States and she is uniquely qualified in all her activities with that. She has achieved a very distinguished family law specialist certification which is quite uncommon. She’s also a mom…this is a community leader dedicated to the quality of life here in Santa Clarita,” said Councilmember Weste.

Lite has had an extensive background in Santa Clarita with a campaign for city council in 2022, basing her law firm here and continuously raising money for important causes in the city, as well as various non-profit and SCV GOP organizations.

“I believe the people of Santa Clarita deserve honest and effective representation in these complex times. I will represent Santa Clarita residents with the same strong leadership, advocacy and integrity I bring to my work as a family legal advocate and philanthropic board member,” said Lite in a statement.

Lite will fill the seat formerly held by Dennis Ostrom, whose unfinished term is scheduled to end December 31, 2026.

Ostrom served as a member of the Planning Commission from 1998 through his resignation on Aug. 18, 2024.

Ed. Note: Written by Kamryn Martell.

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