Mountain View News Saturday, December 27, 2025 
55 55 
APPEALS COURT AFFIRMS ORDER 
FOR VETERAN HOUSING ON VA 
WEST LA CAMPUS 

LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A federal appeals court has upheld a court order requiring the U.S. 
Department of Veterans Affairs to construct 1,800 permanent housing units and 750 temporary 
housing units for disabled veterans on VA property in West Los Angeles, according 
to court papers obtained last week.

 A three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in Pasadena on Tuesday also 
affirmed that the VA's leases with Brentwood School 
and Bridgeland Resources violate the West Los Angeles Leasing Act of 2016 and are therefore 
void. However, the panel allowed UCLA's lease for a portion of the VA grounds for its 
Jackie Robinson Stadium, used for baseball games.

 "This class action lawsuit, and its numerous appeals, demonstratesjust how far the VA has strayed from its mission,'' Circuit Judge Ana de Alba wrote in the 
Ninth Circuit opinion. ``There are now scores of unhoused veterans trying to survive in 
and around the greater Los Angeles area despite the acres of land deeded to the VA for their 
care. Rather than use the West Los Angeles VA Grounds as President Lincoln intended, 
the VA has leased the land to third party commercial interests that do little to benefit the 
veterans.''

 The VA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

 The Ninth Circuit heard oral arguments in April in the federalgovernment's appeal of U.S. District Judge David O. Carter's landmark ruling regarding the 
VA's obligations to provide housing and care for disabled,unhoused veterans. On Nov. 25, 
2024, appeals panel granted a stay of Carter's ruling pending the government's appeal.

 Carter submitted his final judgment, reaffirming earlier findings anddelivering a decisive victory for disabled veterans in October 2024. Following multiple 
hearings in Los Angeles federal court, the judge issued several key orders, including locking 
down UCLA's baseball complex until its activities on the VA campus focus on serving 
veterans, capping an oil well on the campus, and expediting the construction of temporaryhousing.

 The judge's final decision followed an earlier ruling requiring the VAto build 750 temporary housing units and 1,800 permanent units within six years on the 
388-acre campus. The ruling came after a four-week non-jury trial in which the district 
court found that the land-use leases the VA had with UCLA, the private Brentwood School,
and oil company Bridgeland Resources, were unlawful.

 During the trial, the VA argued it was out of space on its campus, andthat the lack of available acreage precludes any increase to the 1,200housing units the agency had promised to open by 2030. VA attorneys alleged that any relief 
ordered by the court would burden the department financially and deprive it of the flexibility 
needed to solve veteran homelessness.

 The Ninth Circuit decision requires the VA to build 750 units oftemporary supportive housing within 18 months, construct 1,800 units ofpermanent supportive housing within six years, and end the use of what was found to be 
discriminatory income restrictions for affordable housing by ensuring that veterans' disability 
payments do not count against theireligibility for supportive housing.

 In a virtual news conference Wednesday, plaintiffs commended the NinthCircuit opinion.

 "These veterans have served the country, now it's time for the country to serve the veterans,'' 
said Mark Rosenbaum, attorney with the lawfirm Public Counsel and lead counsel in the case. ``This has been going on for far too many 
years.''

 Rosenbaum said the case paves the way for disabled veterans across thecountry to demand the housing and care they may have been denied.

 Rob Reynolds, an Iraq war veteran and advocate for veterans seekinghousing at the VA campus, said the ruling is ``long overdue. The veterans are very thankful. 
There shouldn't have been a situation where veterans returning from war didn't have access 
to the housing and services that they need.''

 Although UCLA was permitted to continue using VA grounds for Bruinsbaseball, Rosenbaum indicated he would file further litigation to reverse that 
part of the decision. 


MOUNTAIN VIEWS NEWS 
2026 
HOME 
DELIVERY 
SUBSCRIPTION 

Your presentwillbe delivered on 
December24.2025with 
::ispecialgiftl 


I 

\

/DELl\'ERFDTOYOLRDOORE\'ERY \\'EE􀀝FRO\ 
,

I

r 

1 

1 December 
27, 
2025THRU 
I 

January 2,2027 
I 

I 

1 $100 FOR SIERRA 􀁇IADREDELIVER\' 


'-$150 FC)fi SURRC)UNDl>JC CfTIE..S ,,: 


\ 

I 

Catch breaking news at:
mtnviewsnews.com
\ ________________ J 


Usethis QRCode to 

place yourorder 

orgoto: 


www.mtnviewsnws.com 

orcall: 

626-355-2737 


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com