A three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in Pasadena has upheld a court order requiring the Department of Veterans Affairs to construct 1,800 permanent housing units and 750 temporary units for disabled veterans on its West Los Angeles campus, according to court papers obtained Wednesday.
The Pasadena panel also affirmed that VA leases with Brentwood School and Bridgeland Resources violate the West Los Angeles Leasing Act of 2016 and are void. However, judges allowed UCLA to continue using a portion of the property for its Jackie Robinson Stadium baseball facility.
“This class action lawsuit, and its numerous appeals, demonstrates just how far the VA has strayed from its mission,” Circuit Judge Ana de Alba wrote in the Ninth Circuit opinion. “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.”