The Department of Veterans Affairs must build hundreds of new housing units on its massive West Los Angeles campus, a federal appeals court ruled this week. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a 2024 ruling from a federal district court judge, which ordered more than 2,500 permanent and temporary housing units be built on the campus.
A three-judge panel from the appeals court largely agreed with the district court ruling. On Tuesday, after eight months of deliberation, it issued its decision, finding that the VA had “strayed from its mission.”
“There are now scores of unhoused veterans trying to survive in and around the greater Los Angeles area despite the acres of land deeded to the VA for their care. Rather than use the West Los Angeles VA Grounds as President Lincoln intended, the VA has leased the land to third party commercial interests that do little to benefit the veterans,” Circuit Judge Ana de Alba wrote.