It's important to respond to the letter published on Feb. 26. Fortyone people attended the hearing, not including the Home Depot representatives, to register support for the project.

Second, the speaker from the Agoura Chamber happens to be the president, and on his executive board is Jess Ruf, the owner of Doit Center. Mr. Ruf has orchestrated an aggressive and professional campaign, hiring two law firms, traffic engineers, an economist and other environmental consultants to undermine the Home Depot project by pointing out supposed flaws with the project's environmental documentation.

His motivation is obvious to anyone who's paying attention. Do you remember Measure B?

He financed that.

He's spending a lot of money to prevent Home Depot and other home improvement stores from coming to the eastern part of Thousand Oaks.

Ruf financed opposition and other initiatives in the cities of Los Angeles, Agoura Hills and Westlake Village to keep out Lowe's and Home Depot stores. It's clear he's afraid of competition, free enterprise and the American way.

The Wolperts' give credence to the testimony of Do-it Center's traffic engineers. I find this laughable. They describe him as an independent traffic consultant.

If you do some homework, you'll learn he's hired by the Doit Center. In taking point by point information, serious flaws have been pointed out in the Do-it Center's reports.

Further, their engineers used a methodology never used in Thousand Oaks or any of the other 10 cities in Ventura County and many other cities and counties in the state of California. Why would they do that?

There were speakers on both sides of the issue, but the room was not 90 percent against the project. Those who participated or watched know the truth. Why do the naysayers feel the need to misstate the facts?

The city's planners and the city attorney believe the use is permitted in the zone. I encourage others to do research prior to writing letters that are clearly written at the behest of the Do-it Center. Barbara Sponsler Westlake Village