Veterans-UCLA Dispute

The "Sawtelle Veterans Home" back in the day

From today's LA Times: UCLA and the Brentwood School are under fire from advocates who say that neither institution is providing the veteran services they agreed to under their leases on the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs’ West L.A. property.

UCLA, whose Jackie Robinson baseball stadium sits on the sprawling, 388-acre federal land tract, promised veterans a legal clinic, a family welfare center and game tickets. The Brentwood School pledged to share its 22-acre athletic complex on the property with veterans and to give their children 150 scholarships to its summer day camp.

But in September, then-Rep. Steve Knight (R-Palmdale) accused the Brentwood School of making it difficult for veterans to use the athletic facilities.

“It appears that veterans face an onerous process to access the facility,” Knight, who was defeated by Democrat Katie Hill in November’s election, said in a letter to VA Secretary Robert Wilkie. “And the process is designed to discourage veteran usage of the leased land.”

Dan Garcia, chief executive officer of a veterans advocacy group, said the VA had fallen down on oversight of the UCLA legal clinic.

“UCLA’s performance in providing legal services to veterans is highly suspect,” Garcia said.

The VA and the schools said they are keeping their bargains, which also include annual rent payments from UCLA of $300,000, and from Brentwood School of $850,000, as well as $918,000 in non-monetary consideration.

“The services provided by Brentwood School and UCLA principally benefit veterans and their families, and service to veterans is the predominant focus of UCLA’s activities on campus,” VA spokesman Blake K. Anderson said...

Full story at https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-ucla-veteran-lease-20190121-story.html