T
he real estate market has been instrumental in bringing to light a longstanding conflict between struggling veterans and affluent Angelenos. The current housing shortage and public health crisis of homelessness has led to a legal decision in favor of the veterans. This decision was made by U.S. District Judge David Carter after a non-jury trial, which ruled that the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs must construct around 2,500 units of affordable housing for veterans on its West Los Angeles campus.

    Carter's ruling also criticized the VA for illegally leasing parts of the property to the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) and Brentwood School, a private institution that has been attended by children of some of the city's wealthiest families for decades. The judge reprimanded the VA for neglecting its duty to ensure that the 388-acre campus, located in a prime location between Brentwood and Westwood districts, primarily benefits veterans and their families. The campus currently houses a VA hospital and other facilities, and the agency has been working on developing housing on site.

    As a federal judge who has dealt with various aspects of homelessness in Southern California, Carter also linked the VA to the growing corruption in Los Angeles. He stated that over the past five decades, the West L.A. VA has been plagued by bribery, corruption, and the influence of powerful individuals and their lobbyists, which was enabled by a major educational institution excluding veterans' input on their own land.

    Carter ordered the VA to create a viable plan to add 1,800 units of permanent housing to the approximately 1,200 units already in progress at the campus under the terms of an earlier legal settlement. He also demanded the development of at least 750 units of temporary housing within the next 12 to 18 months. The ruling stated that the court will determine an exit strategy for the illegitimate leases with UCLA, which has a baseball stadium on the VA campus, and the Brentwood School after further hearings.

    The U.S. Department of Justice, which represented the VA in the trial, declined to comment. Mark Rosenbaum of Public Counsel, who represented a group of homeless veterans with various disabilities as plaintiffs in the case, believes the ruling will have far-reaching implications for VA facilities across the U.S.