On Nov. 14, Santa Susana Knolls resident Gary Selvaggio wrote to the Simi Valley Acorn asking me to clarify my support regarding neighborhood integrity.

He wrote that I "spoke out supporting Tierra Rejada residents' desire to manage their own neighborhood land-use issues." He then goes on to say that I told the Knolls "my hands were tied by the law and that such issues must be decided by all the county's residents," and created a paradox in my beliefs.

I believe the two events that Mr. Selvaggio is referring to are the Knolls Homeowners Association meeting I hosted Sept. 13 and the Tierra Rejada Greenbelt Forum I conducted Oct. 7 at the Ronald Reagan Library.

I am unsure if Mr. Selvaggio attended the Greenbelt forum, but the primary topic discussed was clearly the rights of individual property owners.

The topic of Tierra Rejada residents controlling their "neighborhood land-use issues," as Mr. Selvaggio questioned in his letter, was not the issue at hand. What was addressed was my clear support for property owners' rights. This is the same position I described at the Knolls HOA meeting that I hope was beneficial to my constituents in the Knolls.

At this meeting questions were asked regarding my involvement as 4th District Supervisor with projects that have been submitted to the planning department.

As clarification, when a project is in the process of submittal, evaluation and approval from the planning department, I do not have the authority to decide or influence whether that project succeeds or not until it gets referred to the board of supervisors. Then I have a vote, one of five votes. Initial land-use issues, and their denial or approval, is first left to the planning department.

The difference between my involvement with this issue brought up at the Knolls meeting and the discussion at the Greenbelt Forum is that the Tierra Rejada issue involves an update to the current Greenbelt Agreement, something that is directly decided by the board of supervisors and the three impacted Greenbelt cities.

If certain elected officials were seeking to add an ordinance that would further restrict Selvaggio and other Knolls residents' individual property rights, I would hold a forum to gather constituent opinions and assure them of my support of their rights as property owners.

Because my support lies, as it always has, with the rights of property owners, everywhere in Ventura County. Peter Foy Simi Valley Foy represents the 4th District, which includes Simi Valley and its surrounding communities, on the Ventura County Board of Supervisors.