City attorney: council authorizes notice of untimeliness after demand letter; property negotiations discussed

The City of La Palma’s city attorney reported that the council met in closed session on several items and that the council took one reportable action: it voted 5–0 to authorize the issuance of a notice of untimeliness under Government Code section 911.3 in response to a demand letter from the law firm Soren and Wirasuriya on behalf of Ashri Cooks.

"There is no reportable action except on CS‑4. On CS‑4, the council voted 5 to 0 to authorize the issuance of a notice of untimeliness under Government Code section 911.3 in response to the demand letter," the city attorney reported to the council.

In addition to the litigation item, staff identified ongoing real‑property negotiations under Government Code section 54956.8 related to 8415 Meadowlark in La Palma, involving negotiations with AT&T over lease price and terms. The city announced agency negotiators for that item as Peter Kim (city manager) and Joseph Cisneros (deputy city manager). The city attorney said the full demand letter is available upon request.

Why it matters: the council’s decision to authorize a notice of untimeliness is a procedural legal step in responding to a claim; the transcript does not record further substantive details of the claim or next legal steps. The property item remains under negotiation and no public action on lease terms was reported at the meeting.

The city attorney concluded the closed‑session report and the meeting moved on to the public, ceremonial and organizational items on the agenda.