The Lease - Part 3

As blog readers will know, UCLA has leased a baseball field from the nearby VA campus for many years.* Other entities, notably the Brentwood School, have also had leases. Litigation voided the leases other than UCLA's and now a program to house homeless veterans is under way, according to LAist:

...The VA said it... found last year that it has been underpaid by more than $40 million per year based on the fair market value of the properties.

The backstory: Last May, President Donald Trump issued an executive order instructing the VA secretary to designate a national hub for veterans experiencing homelessness, the National Center for Warrior Independence, on the West L.A. VA campus.

What officials say: Doug Collins, the U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs, said Monday that the groups that had their leases and license terminated have been “fleecing” taxpayers and veterans for far too long. He said, under Trump, the VA is taking action to ensure the West L.A. campus is used only to benefit veterans, as intended. “By establishing the National Center for Warrior Independence, we will turn the West Los Angeles VAMC campus into a destination where homeless veterans from across the nation can find housing and support on their journey back to self-sufficiency,” Collins said in a statement.

What's next: By 2028, the National Center for Warrior Independence is expected to offer housing and support for up to 6,000 veterans experiencing homelessness, according to the VA...

Source: https://laist.com/news/housing-homelessness/va-ends-illegal-and-wasteful-leases-on-west-la-campus.

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It remains unclear whether UCLA's baseball lease will eventually be voided by further litigation or how this matter fits into the larger conflict between UC/UCLA and the feds. The Daily Bruin's account of this story includes a no-comment response from the VA and UCLA regarding the future of the baseball lease: https://dailybruin.com/2026/02/11/va-keeps-jackie-robinson-stadium-lease-terminates-3-other-west-la-agreements.

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*https://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2025/12/the-lease-part-2.html.