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By Olin Ericksen
Staff Writer
June 7 -- From local council members to congressional
legislators, a dozen Westside lawmakers last week signed their
names in support of keeping West Los Angeles Veteran's land
reserved for those who served their country.
In a redoubled effort to save the 388-acre campus near Westwood
from development -- and possibly use a portion to treat the
County's estimated 20,000 homeless veterans – regional
lawmakers signed a May 31 letter urging Federal officials
to keep the facilities in government hands.
The group, led by Congressional legislators Henry Waxman,
Jane Harman and Dianne Watson, also expressed its support
for Waxman's recently introduced federal bill, H.R. 2225,
which would designate the facilities for continued veteran's
use.
"Careful planning must take place at the West Los Angeles
veteran's administration based on veterans' needs," said
the letter addressed to Secretary of Veteran's Affairs James
Nicholson.
"Inappropriate uses that do not benefit veterans simply
must be stopped. We support Congressman Waxman's legislation
and feel strongly it should become public law."
Nicholson is expected to visit Los Angeles, possibly in July,
for a local advisory board meeting on how to best use the
local Veteran's facilities, part of an ongoing reassessment
of such facilities nationwide.
In anticipation, the lawmakers could use the event as a forum
to decry condominium development or other privatization of
the land.
Tempers flared at a February meeting where veterans said they
were concerned about the future of the facilities, only weeks
after the VA flagship in Washington D.C., Walter Reed Medical
Center, was rocked by scandal after it was uncovered that
services were severely lacking.
"At the last…meeting of the West Los Angeles Veteran's
Affairs, local veterans, community members and local elected
officials were in unanimous support to protect this precious
resource for direct veteran's programs and services,"
the letter stated.
"Recent revelations at Walter Reed Army Hospital have
served to remind us that veterans' care must be the highest
priority of the nation," the letter said.
In addition to keeping the sprawling site for veterans, lawmakers
encouraged Nicholson to use the grounds to help treat between
15,000 and 20,000 homeless veterans estimated to sleep on
the streets of Los Angeles County each night.
"Currently there are significant strides being made by
the County and City of Los Angeles and other surrounding cities
to address the issues of homelessness,” the letter said.
“The federal government must do its part as well and
the Department of Veterans Affairs must fulfill its compact
with our veterans."
The ranks of homeless veterans -- who account for about one-fifth
of the County’s estimated 90,000 people living on the
streets -- could be growing.
According to recent testimony from non-profit service providers,
soldiers returning from conflicts abroad are experiencing
stress disorders and reportedly ending up on the streets earlier
than veterans serving in other wars, such as Vietnam or World
War II.
A nearby homeowner group in Brentwood, however, has raised
concerns that the site would attract homeless individuals
suffering from addiction and mental illness. The group has
mounted its own lobbying campaign against housing and treating
homeless at the site.
To ensure the grounds are reserved for veterans, the lawmakers
in their letter urged the Secretary to incorporate half a
dozen six specific conditions when considering his decision,
which has been postponed for nearly two years.
Those terms include declaring there is no excess property
at the West LA VA, honoring the intent of the deed of the
land when it was first donated and complying with the Cranston
Act, which prohibits the sale and limits the future use of
nearly one-third of the VA grounds in Westwood.
Other conditions requested by the lawmakers include fulfilling
the congressionally mandated master plan, maintaining all
current agreements and complying with the National Historic
Preservation Act.
In addition to the three Congress members, other lawmakers
signing the letter were Santa Monica City Council member Bobby
Shriver, State Senator Sheila Kuehl, State Assembly member
Julia Brownley, Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky,
State Assembly members Karen Bass and Mike Feuer, Los Angeles
City Council members Bill Rosendahl and Jack Weiss, and Calabasas
City Council member Barry Groveman.
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