Letter to LA City Councilman Mike Bonin

Mike Bonin Los Angeles City Councilman, 11th District Councilman Bonin ... First, this is to remind you that I am resident within your 11th district and a U.S. Military Veteran. Correspondingly, I used to be on your constituent list until I openly complained about you finagling a privileged agreement with Ann Brown, executive director of the Los Angeles VA, to run Brentwood School's construction trucks through the VA property instead of through the neighboring communities.

Obviously, you were unhappy with my rightful objection and opposition to your self-serving plan that would endanger Veterans lives and disrupt the peace with numerous large constructions trucks rumbling in and out of the VA, while appeasing your community constituents. As a result, you removed me from your newsletter list, etc. Nonetheless, in today's LA Times there's an article about the Los Angeles VA finally agreeing to allow homeless Veterans who are living in cars, vans, campers and RVs on the streets of LA, to rightfully park on the VA property that was deeded in their behalf. Question: What took you so long, since you are now taking credit? Safe parking program for homeless veterans is launching in West L.A. Attached is a copy of “The Promised Land (PDF)” / 2010, and it represents the Old Veterans Guard's long-time plan to rightfully maintain this sacred land as it was legally, morally and patriotically deeded in 1888, to be “permanently maintained as a National Home for Disabled Soldiers.” On page 22 of “The Promised Land” is one of a multitude of our goals to honor the Deed of 1888. IMMEDIATELY: The various paved parcels of Veterans land that are now leased to Enterprise Car Rental for storing used cars, a parking lot to shuttle Getty Museum attendees back and forth, the Laidlaw Bus parking lot, UCLA’s baseball parking lot, etc., will be converted into safe parking for Veterans who currently live in their vans, campers and RVs. Our plans have repeatedly been submitted as a responsible and productive alternative to the so-called "draft master plan" which is a muddled mess of special privileges for the community and non-Veteran entities, and a hocus pocus suggestion to build 1200 units for homeless Veterans in a decade.

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We have repeatedly submitted our plans and they have been repeatedly rejected .... except some of our ideas and slogans have been plagiarized. Shamefully, what has transpired since the 2015 “settlement agreement” doesn’t even come close to what was built in the 1890s, as the illegal non-Veteran occupants still remain on this sacred land while thousands upon thousands of war-injured Veteran have been illegally evicted and ostracized, and remain homeless and hungry at inhumane conditions in skid row and back-alley squalor FYI, Los Angeles is our nation's capital for homeless Veterans. Apparently you didn't know that because you have done absolutely ZERO to eradicate this disgraceful "honor". Mr. Bonin, your wealthy homeowner friends at Veterans Park Conservancy (VPC), one of the nine illegal VA real estate deals adjudicated in Federal Court, also attempted to build an illegal public amphitheater, which we helped block and eventually they were forced to demolish it. Incredulously, the VA reimbursed these illegal occupants with $393,000 for their demolished illegal Amphitheater so they could build another similar useless project – there are already two indoor theaters, and the UCLA baseball stadium that could be used for outdoor concerts or whatnot, if need be. Let there be no misunderstanding: We need immediate shelter and that $393K must be returned posthaste and used toward building an emergency “Veterans Tent City” on VA property. A reminder, Los Angeles is our nation's capital for homeless Veterans and there's plenty land available for crisis shelter -- like was immediately provided for Brentwood residents at the Westwood community center (on land originally deeded for Veterans) during the recent storm fires that swept through the San Fernando pass. The following is also on page 22 of “The Promised Land” …. IMMEDIATELY: Build temporary shelter with a “Veterans Tent City” (Veteran “Stand Down”), followed by more private and sophisticated facilities with “Veterans Dome Villages” and “Colonies” on the 16-acre Grand Lawn, the Front Lawn of the “Governor’s Mansion,” the Vets Garden, MacArthur Field, etc., and begin to directly bring all homeless Veterans “Home.”

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Mr. Bonin, you and your political cohorts are major backers of "sanctuary cities" to protect illegal criminals. Why don't you demand a "sanctuary tent city" to protect our war-injured homeless Veterans instead of protecting the illegal occupants who are on this land? Back to the “safe parking” plan for Veterans living in their cars, RV’s etc. In 2006, your friends at VPC, led by then executive director Sue Young, as well as Jay Handal, former president of West LA Chamber of Commerce and former chairman of the West LA Community Council (neither are Veterans) -- declared and concurred in the Brentwood Community Council Newsletter:

Ms. Young requested the “no parking” zone for aesthetic reasons, so that the public would have an unobscured view of the National Veterans Park site in a dignified setting befitting the landmark property …. Jay Handal, President, Greater West Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce (GWLACC) agreed that the sight of campers and other over-sized vehicles detracted from the gateway to Brentwood.

BCC SUPPORTS A “NO PARKING?” ZONE ON SAN VICENTE ADJACENT TO THE VETERANS NATIONAL PARK

The BCC voted to write to County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky stating Council’s support to look into the possibility of a “no parking” zone on San Vicente from Wilshire Boulevard to Eisenhower, in front of Los Angeles National Veterans Park. The VA land is situated on County unincorporated property. The Council took action after hearing a presentation by Veterans Park Conservancy Executive Director Sue Young about the visual blight created by recreational vehicles and campers parked on San Vicente Boulevard in front of the newly improved park. Ms. Young requested the “no parking” zone for aesthetic reasons, so that the public would have an unobscured view of the National Veterans Park site in a dignified setting befitting the landmark property. The construction of the new, stately, exterior fencing cost $2.3 million, much of which was privately funded through Veterans Park Conservancy. Jay Handal, President, Greater West Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce (GWLACC) agreed that the sight of campers and other over-sized vehicles detracted from the gateway to Brentwood.

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This neighboring "hospitality" simply underscores the never-ending scorn and disdain that the community actually has toward our war-injured homeless Veterans compounded by their elitist and self-righteous claim that this land is their own fiefdom. It’s time for you and your non-Veteran community constituents to step aside and deal with the enormous problems within the LA City jurisdiction. The 12-acre rent-free public dog park and recreation park you also finagled on VA property needs to be canceled and the City evicted, posthaste. You need to take care of LA City matters -- fix the pot holes, reduce crime and gridlock, etc., and leave the National Veterans Home property to bona fide Veteran Activists and the Department of Veterans Affairs under the Trump Administration. For the record, the 2015 settlement agreement and so-called draft master plan spearheaded by the "community stakeholders" have been total and absolute failures at the expense of our war-injured homeless Veteran. Note: There's only one Master Plan and it's called the Deed of 1888. If President Trump thinks the Iran deal was really bad, wait until he finally reads the 2015 settlement agreement and draft master plan. As a past "master developer," he will immediately cancel both of these shams. A reminder: Immediately vacate the LA City's no-rent, 12 acre public dog park and the recreation park, including the "free-to-the-public" parking lot. Where else in Brentwood -- or anywhere in Los Angeles -- is there any "free parking?" This is a "Home" for disabled and destitute homeless Veterans. Did I mention that Los Angeles is our nation's capital for homeless Veterans? Sincerely, Robert L Rosebrock Director, Old Veterans Guard God Bless America and the Veterans Revolution!