DDT not harmful

Re: your June 28 editorial, "The eagle has landed again":

"Though banned for 30 years, DDT remains a threat, The Star stated. I would like to refer The Star and its readers to the current July National Geographic Magazine article, "Malaria: Stopping a Global Killer."

I quote from page 50: "The ban on DDT," says Robert Gwadz of the National Institutes of Health, "may have killed 20 million children."

He is talking about African children who have died because DDT has been impossible to procure since Rachel Carson's book "Silent Spring." The fact is that DDT is not harmful to humans, and is only harmful to animals when misused as an agricultural crop pesticide. Otherwise, it is excellent when it comes to controlling malaria and other diseases carried by mosquitoes.

Maybe The Star should editorialize about the human price paid to "save" the eagles, and propose to make amends and eradicate malaria from the world by aggressive DDT use.

— Diego Cruz,

Newbury Park

Grand Jury on target

Re: your June 26 article, "Grand Jury suggests elections for Triunfo Sanitation board":

I commend the 2006-07 Ventura County Grand Jury for a solid and well-documented report on the Triunfo Sanitation District.

I agree with the report that Triunfo's board should all be elected, instead of the two elected and three appointed, as exists now.

I agree that there needs to be more separation between Triunfo and the Ventura Regional Sanitation District, which is contracted to supply labor and materials to Triunfo.

And, I agree that there should be an audit to see if the $99,000 Triunfo was repaid by VRSD was enough to cover having some $3 million of our reserves in a noninterest-bearing account for a few years.

Thank you, members of the Grand Jury, for working to give us, the residents of Ventura County, the information we need, to make the county a better place.

— Janna Orkney,

Chairwoman,

Triunfo Sanitation District,

Oak Park

Concerns about park

Re: Lang Ranch Community Park proposal:

Generally speaking, I don't believe anyone is opposed to the park. Residents, however, have legitimate concerns regarding the park's use, traffic and impact.

As a point of information, the park, as proposed, will extend from Westlake Boulevard to the east and Erbes Road to the west. It should be noted, Erbes Road will be an access point for the park, with 60 proposed parking spaces.

As an individual who resides in the area of the proposed site, there are already existing traffic issues related to the access point at Erbes Road and Scenic Park, which will further impact traffic circulation.

Additionally, the middle school at Erbes Road presently generates significant traffic trips, which restrict traffic flow and create forced parking on residential streets.

Further, although there are signs restricting parking adjacent to Erbes Road and Scenic Park, there is little or no enforcement.

— Ramaul Rush,

Thousand Oaks

Mixed message

Which is it? The mayor of Thousand Oaks has been quoted as stating: "The city of Thousand Oaks is in outstanding financial condition. We're not experiencing hard times. We're not having cash flow problems." He also said: "Revenues and expenditures have come to a collision point."

Whatever one believes, the fact remains that some of our City Council and senior staff may be attempting to take our city in a very immoral direction!

The recent city budget was approved by the council 4-1. It included $100,000 to beautify the day-laborer site near Hampshire Road (which, in my opinion, should not exist); a $2 million gift to the auto mall to pay for a multilevel parking structure for its inventory (last I checked this is a private business entity); and $5 million to the Conejo Recreation and Park District (operated separately from the city with its own budget) for the Lang Ranch Community Park. The addition of baseball fields and lights is not wanted by many of the residents; and it is not a project to assist the teens of our community. Add to this we are paying a special parcel tax to the district already.

Most recently, a group of about 30 Thousand Oaks Boulevard business owners joined forces with some of our city officials in an effort to get around the city's master plan and build high-rise buildings to increase density.

Their design group consultant, who hails from out of the area, stated: "There will be a lot of traffic, but slower traffic won't kill anybody."

Last I checked, smog, accidents, crime and stress do, in fact, kill! In addition, it has been reported that a business that gives "a little extra" to the project could build even higher than 55 feet and that our oak tree ordinance is too restrictive.

Sounds like we may become the San Fernando Valley or Anytown, USA, if we are not careful.

My family and I moved to the Westlake Village portion of Thousand Oaks more than 14 years ago from the Valley for the friendly, small-town feel, open space, low crime, building standards, clean air, schools and beauty and serenity of the area. I can tell you that the property I own today would not cost as much in the San Fernando Valley, and there's a reason for that.

We must take a stand. Only we can protect ourselves. Residents need to be involved in what is happening in our city and hold our City Council and staff accountable.

— Amy Walker-Davis,

Former Thousand Oaks planning commissioner,

Westlake Village

New label suggested

Time to change the "Made in China" notices on products to "DANGER: Made in China."

— Steve Morsa,

Thousand Oaks

No ER relief in sight

Re: your June 22 editorial "Easing the ER waiting game" and article, "Camarillo's new ER may cut wait times":

As long as our country continues to be overrun by illegal immigration, and as long as President Bush and our congressional leadership do nothing to enforce our current immigration laws and secure our nation's borders, this new Camarillo emergency room, and all of our country's emergency rooms, will continue to be overwhelmed with illegal aliens using them for their free, everyday, basic healthcare needs.

And the extensive ER wait times for we, the taxpaying American citizens, will continue and will get worse.

— Dawn Williams,

Thousand Oaks