UCLA baseball stadium is locked up over VA land use dispute
The UCLA baseball stadium was locked down at noon Thursday following a federal judge's ruling earlier this month, citing a violation of land use at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs West Los Angeles campus.
The order came during a Wednesday hearing as U.S. District Judge David O. Carter voiced frustration as the illegally leased grounds on the VA's campus do not benefit military veterans, for whom the land was originally deeded. Carter said the Jackie Robinson Stadium would be locked until the university devised a plan for how the stadium grounds could benefit military veterans.
VA security placed locks on all entrances and exit gates to the stadium and an adjacent practice field and posted no trespassing signs in the area at about noon Thursday.
UCLA Athletics and the university released a statement early Thursday afternoon, insisting that "UCLA unequivocally supports veterans, including making sure our country's heroes get the housing and healthcare they need and deserve."
"The VA has leased a small part of its land to UCLA since 1963. In exchange, the VA receives annual compensation that supports several veteran programs. Last night, a judge prohibited UCLA's use of this lease by noon today-- we are disappointed with the ruling but are complying. UCLA Athletics is actively working to adjust operations and training, as this means our students
are no longer able to access Jackie Robinson Stadium."
The lengthy hearing followed a month-long non-jury trial, in which the judge resolved a class action lawsuit on behalf of disabled homeless veterans in the Los Angeles area. Carter blasted the VA for "turning its back" on the veterans it was designed to help by leasing portions of the campus to UCLA's baseball team, a private Brentwood School, an oil company, and a parking facility on the agency's West Los Angeles campus.
During the trial, the VA argued that it is out of space on its 388-acre campus and that the lack of available acreage precludes any increase to the 1,200 housing units the agency 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.
Ultimately, the court found that veterans are entitled to more than 2,500 units of housing at the campus and voided the land-use agreements. The judge also mandated the construction of 1,800 additional units of permanent housing for disabled veterans on or near the VA's campus -- in addition to the 1,200 units already promised by the VA.
Carter said he would go to the VA's West Los Angeles campus on Thursday to ensure his orders had been followed.
The judge also warned at the hearing that he was on the verge of ordering the Brentwood School's athletic center on VA grounds "bulldozed" and its swimming pool "filled with sand" unless the school handed over VA land and devised a way for military veterans to enjoy the center, along with the student body.
Over the past five decades, Carter wrote, the VA in West L.A. "has been infected by bribery, corruption, and the influence of the powerful and their lobbyists, and enabled by a major educational institution in excluding veterans' input about their own lands."
The 388-acre West LA Campus was donated to the VA in 1888 to provide housing and healthcare to veterans.
