Homelessness, especially for military veterans, is a huge Westside problem, and long a concern of the activist Jay Handal, Chair of the West Los Angeles Neighborhood Council.
Part of the correspondence between Mr. Handal and a VA bureaucrat – reproduced below — may illustrate why the VA nationally is a mess, why progress-by-government appears to be an oxymoron.
Mr. Handal, a former Culver City restaurateur, has been criss-cross messaging with the aforementioned bureaucrat for nearly four years with no measurable progress:
One of the earlier missives from the clumsily titled bureaucrat, Jeff Blake, MBA, Associate Chief, Office of Asset Management, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, dated April 18, 2011, said:
“We have received your email regarding overnight parking of recreational vehicles at the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center campus. Based on an interpretation of Federal authority from Lisa Pinto (from U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman’s office), the Director may have local authority to approve this type of access to the campus. However, as a healthcare organization we have concerns about this type of overnight use. Please submit a proposal for formal consideration. Once we receive a proposal from your group, we can reconvene to discuss this matter further.”
On Jan. 7, 2011, Ms. Pinto had written:
“I am sending a reply to the question I was asked to research during our meeting on January 7. I could not read some of the email addresses on the sign-in sheet and would appreciate your forwarding this email to them. Those people include Keith Jeffreys, John Keaveney.
“I asked the Congressional Research Service (CRS) at the Library of Congress about whether there are laws, restrictions, or regulations prohibiting recreational vehicles from parking overnight on VA property. The analyst at CRS indicated that because VA campuses are federal property, local regulations related to RV parking would not apply.
“(38 USC S 901) gives the Secretary authority to prescribe regulations to provide for the maintenance of law and order and the protection of persons and property on Department property.
“Federal regulations specify that the director of the facility has the authority to set hours for public access to the facility (38 CFR S 1.218) and that parking facilities at VA medical facilities shall only be made available at each medical facility for such periods and under such terms as prescribed by the facility director. (38 CFRS S 1.303(a) (2)).
“I hope this is helpful.”
On May 16, 2011, Mr. Blake wrote:
“Thank you for your proposal and your continued interest in Veterans issues. As you are aware, overnight parking of recreational vehicles at the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center campus is a complex issue which requires thorough evaluation. We will review your proposal and will issue a response upon completion of our review.”
On July 11, 2011, Mr. Blake wrote:
“Thank you for your email. Since our last correspondence, we have held meetings with representatives of the City of Los Angeles as well as People Assisting the Homeless (PATH) to develop a solution to this issue. While the solution, on its face, seems simple, it is actually a complex matter that requires a coordination between multiple government agencies and homeless advocacy groups. We will be in touch with all those who were present at the initial meeting in the near future as our approach to this issue becomes more concrete.”
Yesterday, Mr. Handal messaged Mr. Blake:
“It is now more than three years since this email response.
“Why no action?
“Kindest regards.”
Mr. Blake's response:
“Thank you for your patience and your continued interest in Veterans issues.
Regards,
– Jeff
Jeff Blake, MBA
Associate Chief
Office of Asset Management (10A5)
VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System
11301 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90073
310.268.3789 (office)”
Mr. Handal may be contacted at Sgrest@aol.com
