Federal judge orders UCLA stadium locked down under lawsuit over veterans housing
WEST LOS ANGELES (CNS) -- A federal judge late Wednesday ordered the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to lock down UCLA's Jackie Robinson Stadium on the VA's West Los Angeles campus at noon Thursday until the university comes up with a proposal for the stadium grounds to be used for the benefit of the military veterans for whom the land was originally deeded.
The order came at the conclusion of a daylong hearing in which U.S. District Judge David O. Carter voiced frustration at UCLA and other ex-leaseholders at the VA's West Los Angeles campus for not offering satisfactory uses for land for which it had illegally contracted.
A UCLA official rushed to the courtroom in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday evening after hearing that Carter was ready to lock down the baseball stadium. The official could not persuade the federal judge to do otherwise, and Carter said he would go to the VA's West Los Angeles campus on Thursday to ensure his orders had been followed.
A UCLA representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment after regular business hours.
Carter warned at the hearing that he was also on the verge of ordering the private Brentwood School's athletic center on VA grounds "bulldozed" and its swimming pool "filled with sand" unless the school handed over VA land and devised a way for military veterans to enjoy the center, along with the student body.
The lengthy hearing followed a strongly worded ruling issued earlier this month in which Carter blasted the VA for "turning its back" on the veterans it was designed to help by illegally leasing portions of the campus to UCLA's baseball team, the affluent Brentwood School, an oil company, and other private interests on the agency's West Los Angeles campus.
The judge ordered the leases terminated.
During the Los Angeles federal court hearing Wednesday, Carter used threats and old-fashioned horse trading to cajole the affluent Brentwood School into attempting to make a deal whereby between four and five acres of land it had leased from the VA would be given to veterans. The school also offered to greatly expand hours for veterans to use the complex.
But after a group of veterans met in the back of the courtroom and nixed the deal, Carter gave the proposal a thumbs down.
The developments stem from a monthlong non-jury trial of a lawsuit lodged in federal court against the VA by a group of unhoused veterans with disabilities, challenging land lease agreements and seeking housing on the campus for veterans in need, many of whom are homeless or must travel for hours to see their doctors.
Over the past five decades, Carter wrote, the VA in West L.A. "has been infected by bribery, corruption, and the influence of the powerful and their lobbyists, and enabled by a major educational institution in excluding veterans' input about their own lands."
During trial, the VA argued that it is out of space on its 388-acre campus, and that the lack of available acreage precludes any increase to the 1,200 housing units the agency promised to open by 2030. VA attorneys alleged that any relief ordered by the court would burden the department financially and deprive it of the flexibility needed to solve veteran homelessness.
Ultimately, the court found that veterans are entitled to more than 2,500 units of housing at the campus "and termination of the illegal land-use agreements."
Carter previously said the court would begin to determine an "exit strategy" for the lease holders in order to ensure the land -- including the 10 acres rented to UCLA -- is put to a use that principally benefits veterans.
The judge's ruling orders the VA to build 750 units of temporary housing within 18 months and to form a plan within six months to add another 1,800 units of permanent housing to the roughly 1,200 units already in planning and construction under the settlement terms of an earlier lawsuit.
Carter, himself a Vietnam War veteran, found that the VA "has allowed the drastic reduction of the size of the original plot of land deeded in 1888 to be an old soldiers' home. In a series of lengthy, renewable leases, the VA authorized leaseholders to build permanent athletic facilities -- after permitting these concrete structures to be built on veterans' land."
The judge held that for years the VA -- budgeted at $407 billion annually -- has "quietly sold off" land badly needed for injured and homeless military veterans.
VA press secretary Terrence Hayes said in a recent statement to City News Service the agency "will continue to do everything in our power to end veteran homelessness -- both in Los Angeles and across America. No veteran should be homeless in this country they swore to defend, and we will not rest until veteran homelessness is a thing of the past."
Hayes did not comment on the judge's findings regarding the leaseholders.
A UCLA representative said early this month that the university and VA have had a "longstanding public service partnership" over more than 70 years.
"Working with the VA to serve veterans continues to be one of our key objectives as part of UCLA's mission of teaching, research and public service," according to UCLA. "We are reviewing the judge's (leaseholder) decision to determine how it will affect our partnership with the VA."
Although the land leases on the West L.A. VA's property are now void, those involved have to figure out what to do with the multi-million dollar facilities on that land.
Judge Carter was frustrated in court on Wednesday with UCLA, the Brentwood school, Bridgeland Oil and Safe Park, saying he's being slow walked.
Carter maintained he'll stay in open session until this is resolved. He took aim at UCLA's interim Chancellor Darnell Hunt who was not in court, but after pressure, UCLA's lawyer announced Hunt would be there Wednesday night. It was unclear if he's even able to do this. Carter threatened to have VA police cordon off UCLA's baseball facility including Jackie Robinson Stadium until UCLA presented a proposal that helps create housing for homeless veterans.
"It's just disheartening that Brentwood school and UCLA, all they're doing is trying to argue that they're not in violation of the law when the law is very simple. anything on that property has to principally benefit veterans and their families. This has been an issue for decades and the judge is seeing everything we have seen over the years that the VA has continued to enter into illegal land use agreements with UCLA, Brentwood School, Bridgeland Oil and Safety Park," said Rob Reynolds, an Iraq War veteran.
After hearing excuses, Judge Carter said "we're asking our military folks to do incredible things. You can do incredible things."
After a proposal was made by Bridgeland Oil, Carter threatened to cap the oil well immediately saying, "if the goal is to get our veterans away from hazardous conditions, why would we do that? I don't know if I would let a dog walk on it right now. These veterans are not going to be at or near this oil well."
Carter called the situation of homeless veterans an emergency.
"I'm getting the feeling this land is not important to UCLA," he said.
In regards to the 22 acres of leased land by the Brentwood School, which houses their sports facility including a swimming pool, Carter said, "I will fill this in with sand if I have to. But I don't want to."
At one point, the lawyer representing Brentwood School said "this is very, very important to the school. We're looking for a win-win for the veterans. We want to make it better. We have a lot of ideas that we think are viable that would be viable to the veterans."
"I know Brentwood School is concerned about their students who utilize those facilities. From our side, we're more concerned about the homeless and destitute veterans who are sleeping and dying all over the streets of Los Angeles. I'm fairly confident that the students going to that school, if their parents can afford a $50,000 a year tuition, those students will be just fine," said Reynolds
Judge Carter's ruling also orders the VA to build 750 units of temporary housing within 12 to 18 months and form a plan within six months to add another 1,800 units of permanent housing. This would be on top of the 1200 units already in planning and construction.
