“LOS ANGELES — The federal government is finally moving to reclaim parts of the West Los Angeles VA campus after years of criticism that land meant for disabled veterans was being used by private interests instead. But even as officials unwind some of the most controversial deals on the property, the bigger question remains unresolved — how long it will take, and whether the promised housing will materialize at anything close to the scale veterans have long been promised.
The Department of Veterans Affairs says it has terminated leases or land-use agreements involving Brentwood School, Safety Park Corp. and Bridgeland Resources — three private users whose presence on veteran-dedicated land drew years of criticism and helped fuel a major court fight. The agency announced the move Feb. 9, with VA Secretary Doug Collins saying the campus would be used ‘only as intended: to benefit veterans.’
The action is one of the clearest public steps yet tied to President Donald Trump’s May 9, 2025 executive order directing VA to establish a ‘National Center for Warrior Independence’ on the West LA campus and produce a plan to restore capacity for up to 6,000 homeless veterans there by Jan. 1, 2028. Nearly a year later, though, the public picture is still far clearer on what VA is ending than on what it is actually building.”