Now Playing for 10+ Years — with Extended Lease Runs for UCLA, Brentwood School, and Big Oil
Welcome back to America’s longest-running tragicomedy, starring the Department of Veterans Affairs, directed by federal judges, and produced by elite institutions who call themselves “progressive” — right before signing lease renewals for land that was deeded to house disabled veterans in 1888.
Act I: The Deed
Once upon a time, in 1888, some good people gave nearly 400 acres of land to the government — not for oil rigs or elite athletic programs — but to house disabled veterans. What naïve fools. Didn’t they know the land was zoned for irony?
Fast forward to the 21st century: the land is now home to a baseball stadium (UCLA), a private prep school’s athletic complex (Brentwood with nearly $56K/year tuition), and, of course, oil extraction. Meanwhile, actual veterans — some disabled, some mentally ill, many elderly — live in tents outside the gates, begging to be let in.
Act II: The Lawsuit Shuffle
In 2015, after years of protests, broken promises, and a lawsuit from the ACLU, the VA settled — promising to build permanent housing. Cue a standing ovation.
Then… they didn’t.
Enter Judge David O. Carter. He calls the VA out again. Declares the leases illegal. Mandates actual housing. The audience gasps. Surely, this time something will change?
Nope. Cue the Ninth Circuit. They rule that, technically, veterans have no legal standing to enforce the 1888 deed unless Congress explicitly said, in legislation, “Hey courts, enforce this.”
It’s not injustice — it’s just an oversight. You can almost hear the gavel whisper, “Sorry, our hands are tied by a 137-year-old quirk of legal phrasing.”
Act III: California’s Moral Gymnastics
Now starring: California politicians, who proudly champion free healthcare for illegal immigrants, a $20 fast food wage, and new taxes for mental health services. The state has a budget deficit bigger than most nations and a homeless population unrivaled by any other U.S. city.
But for veterans? No press conferences. No ribbon cuttings. No emergency legislative session.
They’ll fund your tent, maybe, but not your trust deed. They’ll stand with protestors burning flags, but not with the people who defended the right to burn them. They’ll scream about injustice, unless the injustice smells like Brentwood and has valet parking.
Act IV: Trump Enters Stage Right
Then — plot twist. Donald Trump issues an executive order demanding immediate housing on the West LA VA campus. The same Trump who called fallen soldiers “suckers” (allegedly). The same man reviled by many in LA.
And yet… he did more in one executive order than California Democrats have done in a decade.
Progressives, stunned, search for their talking points. “But… but… that’s our land grab!”
Final Act: Veterans Still Waiting
The West LA VA drama has been running for over a decade. No matter how many judges side with veterans, no matter how many headlines scream “illegal leases,” the big-money institutions benefiting from those leases win every single time.
Because unlike veterans, UCLA has lobbyists. Brentwood has donors. The oil company has lawyers. And the VA has a defense: “Congress forgot to say the quiet part out loud.”
Veterans? They have sleeping bags.
Encore?
Only if someone actually listens.
For the docudrama behind this tragicomedy, please visit Inside Out Odyssey’s prior pieces:
Inside Out Odyssey 