Trump Helps LA Vets
President Donald Trump (R) on Friday issued an executive order designating the Veterans Administartion (VA) campus in West Los Angeles to become the National Center for Warrior Independence with facilities and resources to help veterans earn back their self-sufficiency.
The VA acquired the property more than one hundred years ago, Senator John Percival Jones and Arcadia Bandini de Stearns Baker donated hundreds of acres of land that they owned in West Los Angeles on the condition that it be used to house disabled veterans. The campus once featured a chapel, billiard hall, 1,000-seat theater, and housed about 6,000 veterans, but the Federal Government has since allowed this crown jewel of veteran care to deteriorate over the last few decades.
Over the years, the VA leased parts of the property to a private school, private companies, and the baseball team of the University of California, Los Angeles, sometimes at significantly below-market prices.
As of 2024, there were approximately 3,000 homeless veterans in Los Angeles, more than in any other city in the country and accounting for about 10 percent of all of America’s homeless veterans.
“During my first term, I signed legislation to increase accountability and expand benefits and choices for veterans in accessing care, and my second term will build on those efforts. Accountability will return to the Department. Veterans around the Nation will have more choices in care, benefits, and services. The VA campus in West Los Angeles will become the National Center for Warrior Independence with facilities and resources to help our veterans earn back their self-sufficiency,” said Trump.
The executive action gives a 120-day deadline for federal authorities to come up with an action plan for a buildout of the facility and restore the capacity to house up to 6,000 homeless veterans by January 1, 2028.
Hochman visits San Quentin
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman (R) on Friday joined fellow elected prosecutors from across California at a symposium at the San Quentin Rehabilitation Center in an effort to explore ways to strengthen public safety while ensuring accountability and meaningful rehabilitation.
The 11 elected district attorneys and representatives from three other district attorney offices in California spent the day discussing strategies to reduce recidivism and promote reintegration while still protecting our communities.
“I was honored to share my views with elected district attorneys and others about how we can balance the scales of justice by holding criminals accountable for their actions, and at the same time, ensure those who work to better their lives through rehabilitation are given services that will help reduce recidivism and make our communities safer,” said Hochman. “The revolving door of recidivism in our state must stop and I firmly believe that deterring criminal conduct before it occurs will help alleviate the problems in our state.”
The symposium included a panel discussion with incarcerated individuals and staff, a tour of the institution led by incarcerated individuals, as well as small and large group discussions with reflections. Panelists set the stage for the day’s program by sharing and reflecting on their individual journeys and experience at San Quentin and rehabilitation programming at other CDCR facilities where they had been previously incarcerated or worked. Each small discussion group included district attorneys and incarcerated individuals.
Whitesides Launches bipartisan caucus
U.S. Rep. George Whitesides (D-Santa Clarita, Palmdale, Lancaster, portions of San Fernando Valley) on Friday joined congressional colleagues to launch the bipartisan “Build America Caucus,” a group of lawmakers from both sides of the aisle dedicated to tackling some of the largest problems of today, including housing, infrastructure, and energy.
“I came to Congress to solve problems, and I’m ready to work with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to get stuff done,” said Whitesides. “We need to move from a focus on process to a focus on outcomes – how much housing are we building, how many roads are we fixing, how much clean energy infrastructure are we creating, how many rural homes are we connecting to broadband, how many acres of forest are we treating for wildfire risk? It is the outcomes that will dictate whether we are really creating positive impacts for our constituents, and I’m ready to make some progress!”
This group of bipartisan lawmakers believes that onerous regulations and procedural rules have held up the ability to build what America needs.
The Build America Caucus will focus on cutting through bureaucratic red tape to tackle American life’s core elements, making them more affordable and accessible to those who need better housing, infrastructure, and energy outcomes.
