LAGUNA WOODS

The federal government should not interfere in the dispute about Leisure World’s multimillion-dollar Gate 12 project, a co-op director said Tuesday.

Rich Haskell’s comments came as fellow United Laguna Hills Mutual co-op director John Lathrop was preparing to read a Feb. 4 letter he sent to the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Lathrop hopes his letter will prompt the government to halt a proposed sale of land by Leisure World to help fund the Gate 12 project.

Lathrop first presented the letter and a petition of 2,250 signatures against a portion of the Gate 12 project last week to the Golden Rain Foundation, which manages the retirement community’s facilities.