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CONTROVERSY CONTINUES AT WEST L.A. VA FACILITY -- "As a

citizen, it's just frustrating to see something is so needed...and to

have our elected representatives just sitting on their hands."

West L.A. VA

For more information about the land-use issues at the West L.A. VA, use the VA Watchdog search engine...click here...
http://www.yourvabenefits.org/sessearch.php?q=west+l.a.&op=ph

Story here... http://www.smdp.com/article/article
s/4609/1/Controversy-brews-at-VA/Page1.html/print/4609

Story below:

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Controversy brews at VA

By Melody Hanatani
Daily Press Staff Writer

WEST L.A. Standing in front of the main hospital on the Veterans Affairs campus on Wednesday, surrounded by young and old soldiers of past wars, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., proudly announced plans to develop a master plan that would outline the use of space on the 388-acre parcel of property.

Just a few miles west some fear that recently enacted legislation authored by the California senator would have unintended consequences on a widely celebrated move that happened last summer — the designation of three vacant buildings on the campus to house homeless veterans services.

The new law bans future commercial development at the VA as well as enhanced-use leases, which often led to the sale of land to private entities, but would not stop homeless service providers from moving onto the property, according to federal and county officials.

For some of the proponents that have pushed for the designation of the buildings, such as City Councilmember Bobby Shriver and City Hall, the concerns are centered around the ban of so-called enhanced-use leases — long-term leases that often led to the sale of the property, leading to commercialization on the VA campus, a path often criticized by veterans that argue the piece of land in question is sacred for those that have served in wars. They argue that in the absence of enhanced-use leases comes difficulty for potential providers of homeless services to secure financing, possibly delaying the use of the three designated buildings for homeless veterans for up to a year if not longer.

“The VA’s lawyers and the Santa Monica lawyers have advised that this may cause a very substantial delay at putting the buildings to work,” Shriver said on Thursday. “I hope that’s not true and I’m relying on the federal officials to make sure that’s not true.”

Former Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson announced in August that the trifecta of buildings located on the northern part of the campus would be used to support the county’s roughly 15,000 homeless veterans. The buildings were constructed for mental patients and are believed to have been sitting dormant for more than 25 years.

“As a citizen, it’s just frustrating to see something is so needed ... and to have our elected representatives just sitting on their hands,” said Santa Monica resident Jean Sedillos, who was among the people that pushed for the designation.

Both Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Los Angeles, and Feinstein, who co-authored the legislation that was passed as part of a $555 billion spending bill last month, assured that there would be no unintended consequences causing a delay in moving the homeless veteran services use forward.

The designation was supported by Waxman, Feinstein and L.A. County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky.

“I strongly support the VA’s plan for additional veterans’ homeless services at the West L.A. VA,” Waxman said in a statement on Thursday. “I know a few people are concerned there could be potential delays and I will do all I can to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

Feinstein, the three-term senator from San Francisco, added that there is language in the legislation that would specifically allow the VA to move ahead with its plans and intends to meet with Shriver and other interested parties.

“The head of the VA’s homeless veterans program assured us this legislation is not an impediment,” Feinstein said in a statement on Thursday. “Bottom line: Our legislation fully allows this program to move forward.”

Yaroslavsky refuted claims that the new law would present obstacles and delay the process, adding there is explicit language in the law that would exempt all homeless projects from the three-year limit on leases, which in itself can be a barrier to securing financing.

Because of the exemption, providers would be able to sign long-term leases, the supervisor said, adding that New Directions, a homeless veterans assistance group, signed such an agreement through the McKinney-Vento Act process.

Yaroslavsky added that the homeless services project should’ve started soon after the announcement of the designation.

“If the city of Santa Monica had started in August when the VA first announced those three buildings [would be designated], they would be half-way to getting this approved by the federal government instead of moving at a snail’s pace,” he said.

But Kate Vernez of the City Manager’s Office said City Hall had some concerns regarding how long it would take to get through the McKinney-Vento Act process, which involves several federal agencies.

The process includes multiple steps, starting with the VA to the Department of Housing and Urban Development then back to the VA before it ends up at the Department of Health and Human Services. Altogether, the proceedings can take up to two years.

Vernez said Peter Dougherty, the director of homeless veterans programs at the VA, is currently working at defining a course of action.

Despite the debate over whether the absence of enhanced use leases would slow down the process for homeless services, many veterans just seem excited that the ban on commercial development, something they have fought against for decades, is a reality.

Odas Flake, the chairman of national homeless issues for the Jewish War Veterans, said his organizations priority will be to ensure that veterans’ voices are heard in the formulation of the master plan.

“This is a veterans issue and a veterans issue is what it should stay,” he said. “This is our home.”

melodyh@smdp.com

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posted by Larry Scott
Founder and Editor
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