EnviroReporter.com submits Runkle analysis to DTSC
EnviroReporter.com completes analysis of thousands of pages of reports submitted by developer KB Home to Department of Toxic Substances Control as part of Voluntary Cleanup Agreement signed in April.
EnviroReporter publishes extensive chromium analysis
EnviroReporter publishes extensive chromium analysis
WHITE BLIGHT exposes Runkle chromium problem
WHITE BLIGHT exposes Runkle chromium problem in Ventura County Reporter. Terry Metheny hands out papers at DOE data gap meeting that evening in Simi Valley.
Collins and Duffield win LA Press Club Awards
Ventura County Reporter and Collins win first place for News Feature (print under 100,000 circulation) for "Dirty Business" Runkle-related cover story at the 50th Annual Southern California Journal...
DTSC test of white substance reveals high chromium
Riley sends Serafine test results of the white substance. Test indicates high levels of chromium, nickel, molybdenum, potassium and iron.
REASSESSING RUNKLE addresses KB/DTSC agreement
Collins pens article about this for the Ventura County Reporter entitled “REASSESSING RUNKLE - KB Homes and State agree to cooperate on troubled Simi canyon.”
KB Homes and DTSC sign agreement
KB Homes and the Department of Toxic Substances Control sign a “Standard Agreement for participating under California’s Land Reuse and Revitalization Act (CLRRA) Program,” which is intended “for th...
White substance given to DTSC's Norm Riley
Southwick and Serafine give white substance to DTSC's Norm Riley at SSFL workgroup meeting. Riley says he will have it tested.
Mysterious white substance discovered in Runkle
Rev. Southwick and Frank Serafine discover mysterious white substance in Runkle Canyon.
DOWN THE TEST TUBES relates radiation test concerns
The Ventura County Reporter publishes “DOWN THE TEST TUBES - KB Homes’ Runkle Canyon radiation tests questioned as more groundwater pollution is found and developer negotiates cleanup agreement wit...
Rev. Southwick writes City regarding strontium results
In reaction to reports in the local media that KB Homes and the city’s strontium-90 tests had come back showing extremely low numbers, Rev. John Southwick writes to the city of his concerns. “Are w...
KB Homes begins Voluntary Cleanup Agreement process, provides DTSC with 41 reports
Mid-December, 2007: KB Homes approaches the state’s Department of Toxic Substances Control and begins negotiations on a “Voluntary Cleanup Agreement” for Runkle Canyon. As part of that agreement, K...
DIRTY BUSINESS relates Rocketdyne clean-up and Runkle
Cover story appears in the Ventura County Reporter entitled “DIRTY BUSINESS - New law cleaning up Rocketdyne for parkland may not stop adjacent KB Home development pushed by Simi Valley City Counci...
Residents protest at City Council meeting
Residents descend on Simi Valley City Council meeting, alarmed at the increasingly harsh rhetoric of the council and Radiation Rangers’ revelation that four out of five council members had taken ca...
KB Homes hires Dade Moeller to test for strontium-90
October 4-5, 2007 - KB Homes hires controversial lab Dade Moeller to sample around 60 Runkle Canyon soil specimens, which are split with the city, and have them tested by Teledyne Brown Engineering...
SPIN CYCLE takes on City's claim that Runkle report is clean
Simi Council sells disturbing Runkle Canyon pollution report as clean
VC Star and Simi Valley Acorn declare Runkle water safe
“Soil from canyon not dangerous, study says,” says Ventura County Star headline of city’s test results. A day later, the Simi Valley Acorn weighs in with “Runkle Canyon soil and water labeled 'safe...
BUBBLE TROUBLE reports on City's Runkle water tests
BUBBLE TROUBLE reports on City's Runkle water tests and disparaging remarks toward citizens as well as revelations about a fault line going through Rocketdyne and into Runkle Canyon.
City tests Runkle Canyon creek water with Tetra Tech
City relents and is forced to test Runkle Canyon for heavy metal contamination. Southwick guides city officials to where the Rangers originally sampled the suspect water and dirt May 18. They were ...
THE RADIATION RANGERS article on Runkle water contamination
Los Angeles CityBeat/ValleyBeat cover story hits the stands with the internet with supporting documentation on EnviroReporter.com - “THE RADIATION RANGERS - Developers of Simi Valley’s Runkle Canyo...
Rangers meet with City regarding Pat Chem results
The trio of Rangers and Collins meet with Mayor Miller and City Manager Sedell and tell them of their findings. “I’m not trying to challenge you,but they were stolen samples that [you] were trespas...
Pat Chem results show high arsenic in Runkle water
Pat Chem results find high levels of arsenic, nickel and vanadium in Runkle creek water.
Pat-Chem tests Runkle creek water
The Radiation Rangers, sans Coryell, head for the hills with Collins and Pat-Chem Laboratories’ Ron Lovato to sample the creek water and adjacent soils. The water had bubbled on Matheney’s chemical...
Residents ask City to inspect fouled Runkle water
Matheney, Southwick and Serafine ask the city council to come test suspect-looking water in Runkle Canyon’s creek downhill from Rocketdyne. “If you won’t pay for it, we will,” Matheney says. “I don...
Residents become "Radiation Rangers" and ask Collins for help
Early May, 2007: After city’s rebuttal, the residents realize they will have to take matters into their own hands, literally, and organize into the self-dubbed Radiation Rangers - “Perchlorate Patt...
Sedell writes follow-up letter to Feinstein
Sedell writes follow-up letter to Feinstein’s Watts. “[T]he City of Simi Valley is interested in any assistance that Senator Feinstein might be able to provide regarding the city’s request of the U...
Mayor Miller mentions Runkle contamination in State of the City speech
Mayor Miller gives the State of the City speech to 230 civic, community and business leaders. "The mayor also pointed to some challenges the city faces, such as high gas prices and the hazardous ru...
DUST IN THE WIND addresses Runkle radiation questions
Los Angeles CityBeat/ValleyBeat publishes “DUST IN THE WIND -- Simi Valley still looking for answers about Runkle Canyon radiation.”
Simi Valley officials seek federal assistance in DC
Simi Valley Councilmember Glen Becerra and City Manager Mike Sedell travel to Washington D.C. seeking federal assistance in reassessing Runkle Canyon’s contamination concerns. Meet with Sen. Diane ...
Serafine and Sedell deliver document to CDHS
Serafine and Sedell deliver a seven-page document of concerns and questions for the city and CDHS.
Federal prosecutors announce criminal probe of KB Home
Federal prosecutors announce that they are conducting a criminal probe into KB Homes stock option grant practices. Disclosure suggests that the Justice Department is centering on former KB Homes ch...
KABC-Channel 7 Eyewitness News features Runkle
KABC-Channel 7 Eyewitness News does extensive segment on Runkle Canyon with interviews with Coryell, Behjan, and KB Homes rep Keith Jajko.
CDHS says City overlooked Foster Wheeler results
Serafine speaks with Gary Butner, acting chief of the CDHS Radiologic Health Branch. Butner says city of Simi Valley overlooked the results 1998 Foster Wheeler sampling of 58 soil samples in the EI...
Residents contact City Council regarding grading
January 20 - 23, 2007 - Serafine detects more heavy grading in Runkle Canyon. Serafine and Southwick conference call Councilwoman Williams January 23 and speak to her of the grading in Runkle Canyo...
Serafine and Southwick meet with Simi Valley Mayor
Serafine and Southwick meet with Simi Valley Mayor Miller and City Manager Sedell. “I will throw out any questions posed to the City of Simi Valley that are not topic specific to the CDHS contamina...
City asks residents for questions
Simi Valley City Manager asks residents Serafine and Rev. John Southwick to come up with a set of questions for CDHS.
Simi resident accused of CDHS break-in
Frank Serafine says that Lea Brooks, chief of the CDHS public information section, accuses him of criminal conduct in a ‘break-in’ incident that took place at CDHS offices in Sacramento. Serafine d...
KB Homes reconfigures its Runkle Canyon development website
December 2006 – January 2007 - KB Homes reconfigures its Runkle Canyon development website and adds a Frequently Asked Questions page. FAQ page discounts need for new tests because of prior “indepe...
Report says Runkle strontium-90 is from Rocketdyne
Nuclear watchdog organization Committee to Bridge the Gap says Runkle strontium-90 is from Rocketdyne
Possible chemical contamination in Runkle Canyon creek discovered
Possible chemical contamination in a Runkle Canyon creek is discovered. Two photos, authenticated by EnviroReporter.com, show a chemical sheen in the muck of the stream along Runkle Canyon road, le...
KCET Life & Times features Runkle problems
KCET’s Life & Times program airs program on Runkle Canyon called “Building on Toxic Soil?” KB Homes declines to participate. “There's just intuitively no sense in developing land within a mile and ...
KB Home appears to be grading
KB Homes begins to do “heavy grading” according to resident Frank Serafine. City unable to locate grading but assures Serafine that it is only a soil compression test to assess structural building ...
Ventura County Star reports on residents' struggle
The Ventura County Star publishes "Fight against developing site next to Field Lab continues", which reports on community efforts to address the environmental health concerns of at the Runkle Canyo...
CDHS concludes Runkle dust not a threat
CDHS concludes that there would be no harm to residents or workers on the site from the dust generated during the grading and construction of Runkle Canyon. “The strontium-90 concentrations off-sit...
EPA offers analysis on Runkle strontium
While declining to weigh in on the matter due to budgetary concerns, US EPA still offers the city an analysis of 126 soil samples measured from Sr-90 concentrations at Runkle Canyon. It notes that ...
CDHS reports that EPA considers Runkle safe for development
CDHS tells city, “It is our understanding that the Environmental Protection Agency has previously stated, at a Santa Susana Field Laboratory Work Group public meeting, that the strontium-90 soil co...
“REINING IN RUNKLE” suggests that development may be reconsidered
“REINING IN RUNKLE” appears in the Los Angeles CityBeat/ValleyBeat. The article suggests that the development may be reconsidered. “I don’t plan on going forward until I see the results back from t...
"VERY DIRTY LAUNDRY" reports on Rocketdyne cancer study
Los Angeles CityBeat/ValleyBeat publishes “VERY DIRTY LAUNDRY -- A new report on L.A.’s nuked Rocketdyne site finally catches the attention of mainstream media.” The article reveals that the now-in...
Report links Simi Vally ground water to Rocketdyne
EPA funded report links Simi Valley groundwater to Rocketdyne
“UNRAVELING RUNKLE” reports on Sept. 25 City Council meeting
“UNRAVELING RUNKLE” reports on the September 25 City Council meeting. “All that I know is that when we took this oath up here it was for the health and welfare of the community,” said Council Memb...
City asks US EPA for independent review
Simi Valley’s assistant city manager, Laura Behjan, writes to US EPA requesting “that EPA conduct an independent review of data and reports related to potential or actual presence of strontium 90 i...
Residents express concern at City Council meeting
Coryell, Southwick and others attend another Simi Valley City Council meeting in response to “The Hills Have Eyes”, worried that the development in Runkle Canyon was being pushed through without a ...
"THE HILLS HAVE EYES" article addresses residents' struggle
Los Angeles CityBeat/ValleyBeat publishes “THE HILLS HAVE EYES -- Simi Valley residents unite to fight ‘hot’ KB Homes development in Runkle Canyon” which reported that the Simi Valley City Council ...
Senior Environmental Planner for Simi Valley unaware of Runkle findings
Lauren Funaiole, Senior Environmental Planner for the city of Simi Valley, writes to Peter Lyons, Simi Valley Planning Director, seemingly oblivious to the findings presented in “Neighborhood Threa...
Lawsuit accuses KB Home CEO of fraud
Lawsuit accuses KB Home CEO of fraudulent stock option price manipulations on 16 different occasions. Bruce Karatz made $156 million last year, 75% coming from exercising of options. “Stock options...
Southwick confronts security guard
Rev. Southwick notices two men at the Sequoia entrance. An SUV pulls up with two men inside and picks up the two waiting. Inside the gate they started taking pictures then drive up the fire road to...
Residents bring City Runkle articles
Residents begin bringing the first two CityBeat/ ValleyBeat Runkle-related articles to council members and the City Planner.
Over 20 residents plea at City Council meeting
Over two dozen residents make impassioned pleas before a surprised and concerned City Council. Coryell says, in part, “I am asking you to stop this project and order thorough, unbiased tests to det...
Resident's dirigible takes aerial photos of Runkle
Terry Matheney and Simi-based Cheap Shots Aerial Photography launch a 15-foot-long tethered dirigible with a 360-degree camera to photograph Runkle Canyon. The aircraft doesn’t interfere with the F...
Coryell’s "StopRunkleDyne.com" goes online
Coryell’s website "StopRunkleDyne.com" goes online with an action alert telling of Runkle concerns and to show up at next City Council meeting August 21. Coryell and Southwick blanket neighborhood...
Simi Valley officials say construction not imminent
Planning, as well as Building and Safety, say KBH hasn’t pulled permits for encroachment, planning of homes, rec. center, public park, or senior park. Building and Safety’s Dick Clark says that con...
Coryell and Southwick attend Simi Valley Planning meeting
Coryell and Southwick go to Simi Valley Planning meeting and submit CityBeat/ValleyBeat articles in an effort to protest KBH development.
Fencing goes up on Runkle perimeter
Early August 2006: Block-out fencing goes up on Runkle perimeter alarming Southwick and neighbor Patricia Coryell.
Runkle rep announces grading plans
Runkle rep Marlo Naber-Mole, tells resident: “We are in the process of submitting various plans to the city to begin grading at summer's end.” She repeats this to another resident August 31.
Concerned resident Rev. John Southwick contacts EnviroReporter
Concerned Simi Valley resident, Rev. John Southwick contacts Michael Collins after reading “Neighborhood Threat.” He later tells Collins of new block-out fencing at the end of Sequoia leading into ...
"Hot Property" questions strontium findings
Los Angeles ValleyBeat publishes HOT PROPERTY -- Runkle Canyon developers claim mysterious new state tests have erased previously high levels of radioactive contamination” by Michael Collins which ...
City responds to DHS report
Simi Valley city manager, Mike Sidell, responds to DHS report. “We note that your response does not specifically address the question posted in our September 27 letter, wherein it was requested tha...
Simi Valley City Council approves KB Homes
Simi Valley City Council approves the KB Homes takeover and doesn’t bring up CityBeat/ValleyBeat findings of March 2005 of high strontium-90 in Runkle soil.
KB Home buys Greenpark Runkle
Summer 2005 - KB Homes (KBH), formerly Kaufman Broad, buys Greenpark Runkle in partnership with Miami-based Lennar. KBH is America’s fifth-biggest home builder.
National Academy of Sciences says no level of radiation is safe
The prestigious National Academy of Sciences comes out with a milestone report that says that no amount of low-level radiation exposure is safe. "The scientific research base shows that there is no...
CDHS retests six locations in Runkle Canyon
CDHS retests six locations in Runkle Canyon without informing the SSFL Workgroup of the tests or results. CDHS splits the soil samples taken at Runkle with the developer’s lab, Dade Moeller. Oddly,...
Alarmed residents question government
Alarmed residents question government and community representatives about CityBeat/ValleyBeat strontium-90 revelations in Runkle Canyon at a SSFL Workgroup meeting in Simi Valley. Workgroup panel m...
"Neighborhood Threat" reveals strontium-90 problems
Los Angeles CityBeat/ValleyBeat publishes cover story that exposes the strontium-90 problems in Runkle Canyon: “NEIGHBORHOOD THREAT -- Runkle Canyon is poised to be Simi Valley’s newest neighborhoo...
Simi Valley's annexation of Runkle approved
Simi Valley's annexation of about 1,500 acres in Runkle Canyon was approved by the Local Agency Formation Commission in a 6-1 vote. "We've taken over 100 samples on this property. As you can see, n...
LA CityBeat publishes “TWO MILE ISLAND"
Los Angeles CityBeat/ValleyBeat publishes TWO MILE ISLAND -- The Rocketdyne facility is more poisoned than anyone knew. Now residents and community leaders of the northwest San Fernando Valley and ...
Simi Valley residents express concern, EIR certified
City of Simi Valley certifies the Runkle Canyon development EIR over the objections of Patricia Coryell and Terry Matheney who cite the development’s proximity to Rocketdyne.
City of Simi Valley certifies Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR)
City of Simi Valley certifies Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and Preliminary EIR. Under the “Significance of Mitigation” section it reads “The project’s fugitive dust and toxic air contami...
GreenPark hires Miller Brooks
GreenPark hires Miller Brooks Environmental which takes six soil samples in the area that the Runkle Canyon residences are to be built and sends them to Casper, Wyoming-based Energy Laboratories. T...
Foster Wheeler results over 27 times background for Sr-90
Foster Wheeler’s 58 soil samples averaged 1.39 pCi/g, or six times the EPA’s preliminary remediation goal and nearly 27 times above the typical EPA background level for Sr-90 in the area. The hotte...
GreenPark hires Foster Wheeler to do additional soil sampling
June 28 to July 2, 1999: GreenPark hires Costa Mesa-based Foster Wheeler Environmental Corporation to do additional soil sampling. Using an “approach developed collectively by the Environmental Pro...
QST Environmental finds Strontium 90 (Sr-90)
QST Environmental’s results “indicated the presence of Strontium in all samples collected … that exceeded the EPA average local background concentration.” The four soil samples contained up to 17 t...
GreenPark Runkle Ranch begins environmental investigation
GreenPark Runkle Ranch begins its environmental investigation of the property and hires Phoenix-based QST Environmental to do preliminary soil sampling of the canyon to see if the Rocketdyne lab “h...
City of Simi Valley “Defines the exact location"
1998: City of Simi Valley “Defines the exact location of the Specific Plan Area consisting of 1,600 acres south of Fitzgerald Road and the Brandeis-Bardin Institute,” according to the GreenPark Run...
GreenPark Runkle Ranch begins purchase
Late 1990’s: GreenPark Runkle Ranch, LLC, a development firm based in Seal Beach, begins buying Runkle Canyon.
Sand and Gravel operation closed
By the mid-1980s, a sand and gravel operation finally closed, leaving Runkle canyon to joggers, hikers, and local troupes of hang gliders.
Rocketdyne nuclear meltdown
A mile away from Runkle Canyon, one of Rocketdyne's ten nuclear reactors suffered a partial melt-down, with one-third of its fuel melting. Experts estimate that the accident released hundreds of ti...
Runkle Ranch subdivided
In the 1950s, Runkle Ranch’s 2,800 acres are subdivided into six parcels, four of which make up the plan area today. The ranch eventually became popular as a location for film and television Wester...
Runkle Family moves into Canyon
The Runkle family moves into the canyon to grow grain and walnuts, run a blacksmith shop, and manage a mule train running between the San Fernando and Simi valleys, all the while raising six kids.
