Is a Brentwood School deal on the horizon?
On the second day of injunctive relief hearings, Judge Carter asks the veterans and the private school to work together.
If Wednesday’s hearing regarding the Powers v. McDonough ruling was a marathon, Thursday’s was a sprint with the photo finish still undetermined.
On Wednesday, Judge David Carter issued a pair of orders that capped a Bridgeland oil well on the VA’s West Los Angeles campus and barred UCLA from accessing its baseball field also located on VA property.
Bridgeland counsel said the company will appeal the order and Carter declined, for now, to stay the order until the appeal process is complete.
No representative was present for UCLA as Carter’s order went into effect at noon Thursday.
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The judge, plaintiffs, and VA left Thursday’s hearing with a host of issues still unresolved (although progress was being made on several fronts).
Both sides were awaiting financial documents from Safety Park, a leased parking lot on the campus’ north side, before moving forward on a decision regarding that property.
The sides were also working out details regarding one of Carter’s orders to increase outreach and case worker staffing at the VA.
As for the last major lease yet to be addressed, the Brentwood School, Carter pushed back on a proposal from the school’s counsel made after a large group of veterans and attorneys negotiated in the back of the courtroom.
Carter had asked the two sides to work together.
You might be historically furious, Carter said to the veterans in attendance, but is there a way to work together?
At times the negotiations were terse, at others good humored.
The proposed agreement would see the Brentwood School pay increased rent on the property, provide a cash payment to the VA, continue its services for veterans, and expand access to the facilities.
Carter’s issue with the agreement was one of length: the agreement would be for a term of multiple years with the VA able to take over full use of the land, if needed, after a notice period.
Carter balked at multiple years and instead suggested a one-year, revocable lease.
But Carter continued to pushed for the agreement, noting that the bad publicity for the school would harm the institution and its students.
“I’d like to get you out of the press,” Carter told Brentwood’s counsel.
Carving up the map
After prohibiting veterans from living permanently on land donated to house them, the VA entangled itself in a wild array of leases on the valuable Los Angeles property — from soccer pitches to parrot sanctuaries — inhibiting the government from solving a homeless crisis of its own creation.
If the VA isn’t housing veterans on this land, what is the property being used for? Learn more by reading Part Four of Home of the Brave.
Carter said that in the event more land for housing would be needed, he would need to access it as soon as possible. But he acknowledged the need for Brentwood to have “security.”
“You should trust me,” Carter told the Brentwood School’s council.
Carter sent the two sides back to discuss shortening the term.
Although there were many unanswered questions after Wednesday’s hearing, the VA and the plaintiffs did agree on locations for more than 200 units of temporary supportive housing on the south campus to be completed within 18 months.
Carter’s ruling on the case had called for 750 units, but Carter said that number could be fluid and building in stages would allow reevaluations of need and success.
“I’m very complimentary,” Carter said. “Let’s try this.”
A follow-up hearing is scheduled for Oct. 2 at 1:30 p.m.