With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today during our fall member drive.
UCLA offers proposal to stay on VA campus after being locked out of baseball stadium
Jackie Robinson Stadium, shown here during a March game between UCLA and USC, has been ordered off limits by Judge David O. Carter. He previously ruled that outside groups must find ways to benefit veterans or vacate the sprawling VA campus in West L.A.
(
Katharine Lotze
/
Getty Images
)
Topline:
UCLA hopes that its new proposal will allow its baseball team to continue leasing facilities from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. A judge ordered the team to vacate the premises on Sep. 25.
What’s in the proposal: UCLA offered to increase its rent from $320,000 annually to $600,000, and also offered to demonstrate for the court how they support veterans by offering free and low-cost healthcare. In August, Judge David O. Carter ruled that the land being leased to outside tenants should be used to build over 2,000 new homes for veterans.
The case: A group of veterans filed a lawsuit against V.A. Secretary Denis McDonough in 2022 for discrimination, arguing that more housing near the agency’s campus is needed for disabled veterans who rely on the V.A. for medical services and have trouble accessing the campus from other parts of Southern California.
Support for LAist comes from
The backstory: Carter has taken a hard line against UCLA and private entities leasing land on the V.A. campus, like the Brentwood School and Bridgeland Oil. He ordered Bridgeland to cap its oil well last month, and the Brentwood School will also need to reach a deal with the V.A. to continue using its own facilities on the land.
What's next: Hearings for the case took place throughout last week. The next one is scheduled for Monday.
Go deeper: Read more about the judge’s order that led to the lockout.
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
Kevin Lacy has an obsession with documenting California’s forgotten and decaying places. -
Restaurants share resources in the food hall in West Adams as Los Angeles reckons with increasing restaurant closures. -
It will be the second national day of protest against President Donald Trump. -
The university says the compact, as the Trump administration called it, could undermine free inquiry and academic excellence. -
This is the one time you can do this legally! -
Metro officials said it will be able to announce an opening date “soon.”
Best of LAist