Veterans out to protect what they claim is theirs
A group of veterans has enlisted a growing faction of residents here to fight the federal government in its potential plans to turn what was supposed to be a therapeutic community for soldiers returning from war into a development that could be equivalent in size of three Century cities.
That’s according to Jessica Landry, a Vietnam Vet and a member of Citizens for Veteran Rights, a group that represents more than 1,000 veteran groups in the area and has the support of residents who live near the Veterans’ Administration site in West Los Angeles.
While there is some support to commercially develop the 387-acre site, it appears that those who oppose it are becoming more vocal. Hundreds of residents and business leaders voiced their opposition at a meeting last month over a report released by PricewaterhouseCoopers, which detailed possibilities of commercial development, including medical research facilities or high-rise condominiums.
The Citizens for Veteran Rights are now tapping into that opposition, waging a grassroots campaign to battle the powers that be in Washington.
“We know it’s going to be a fight,” Landry said. “People say that you walk into a brick wall when you deal with the VA. We are trained to walk into brick walls... we don’t intend not to succeed.”
With the help of neighborhood councils and local businesses in Brentwood, including the Chamber of Commerce, the Citizens for Veteran Rights have a launched card-signing campaign that will land directly on the desk of VA Secretary R. James Nicholson in Washington D.C.
The cards, which are being distributed throughout the community, ask citizens to officially oppose the commercial development proposal; support a 25-year master plan of the site and enhance services for war veterans.
“People started really realizing that there is a real potential for that land to be sold off,” Landry said. “We are going out to the community however we can.”
More than 3,000 people have signed the cards, which will be first given to Congressman Henry Waxman (D-Santa Monica) and then delivered to Nicholson. Nicholson is expected to make a decision on the future of the property early next year.
The group is worried that the PricewaterhouseCoopers report given to the Veterans Administration contains loopholes and could lead to major development on the property.
The site, bordered by the 405 Freeway, and San Vicente and Wilshire boulevards, currently contains the 800-bed VA hospital and outpatient treatment facilities. Other than that, the property remains largely unused.
“The services at the facilities have deteriorated,” Landry said, adding that an estimated 1 million veterans live in the LA area. “Their therapeutic needs aren’t being met.”
There are 70 buildings on the property, many of which are closed or not being used to their fullest potential. What’s more attempting to navigate through the VA system for health care and benefits is a nightmare, Landry said.
Citizens for Veteran Rights members say the Veterans Administration has turned their backs on soldiers who laid their life on the line for the country. And when they returned from combat wounded physically, mentally and emotionally, they expected the VA to take care of them. Instead, they are often met with bureaucratic red tape when applying for aid, or turned away and left to fend for themselves, Landry said. Hundreds of homeless vets sleep under empty buildings on the site and on nearby freeway exits.
“There are a lot of things out there that could be of great benefit to the vets,” Landry said, adding that more veterans are returning from Iraq and Afghanistan injured with no established network to assist them.
The group is pushing for a guarantee that the West LA land will never be developed for anything other than veteran services, and that an assessment be done to determine what’s needed on the site to adequately accommodate veterans’ benefits.
“Our group intends to stay together and be a watchdog out there,” Landry said.
Despite that the land was donated in 1888 as an old soldiers home intended to remain for the direct benefits of veterans, the West LA VA site has been eyed for commercial development for years.
Five years ago, a proposal to build a sports complex at the site surfaced. Citizens for Veteran Rights successfully fought against it. Now, they are thwarting yet another land grab.
“It’s the most expensive property (the VA) owns,” Landry said. “It may be one of the most expensive pieces of land outside of Central Park.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 2, 2005. Read the original PDF.