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Saturday, October 17, 2015

Will the VA play ball with UCLA?

Blog readers will know that the VA has gotten itself into trouble by using its large site near UCLA for purposes other than assisting veterans. One of those uses has been a baseball field used by UCLA. The LA Times is reporting a settlement which suggests UCLA may keep using the field:

After months of often rancorous meetings with veterans, Westside residents, health professionals and elected officials, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on Friday released a draft master land-use plan for the agency’s long-neglected West Los Angeles campus. The document satisfies a key requirement of the January settlement of a 2011 lawsuit filed on behalf of chronically homeless veterans. The suit alleged that the VA was illegally leasing land to corporations, schools and other entities while failing to provide adequate care for men and women who had served in the military... Vincent Kane, special assistant to McDonald who is overseeing the West L.A. effort, said he expected the draft document to be posted Wednesday in the Federal Register, which publishes federal agencies’ proposed and final rules. Interested parties will have 45 days to submit comments. A final document, he said, should be ready early in 2016... Still uncertain is what would happen to the acres under lease to UCLA, Brentwood School and other entities. UCLA appears poised to maintain its hold on Jackie Robinson Stadium, in exchange for stepping up its care and services for veterans. “People want to see UCLA do more,” Kane said...

Full story at http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-draft-master-plan-unveiled-for-long-neglected-veteran-s-campus-in-west-los-angeles-20151016-story.html

We'll just have to let the story of UCLA's field on which to play ball roll along:

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