[Nov. 18, 2015. Letter to Vincent Kane, Special Assistant to Secretary Robert A. McDonald, Dept. of Veterans Affairs]
Good morning, Mr. Kane,
Last evening as I was driving north on the 405 Freeway, I noticed a long line of brand new school buses. As I approached, there was the word “Tumbleweed” in bold letters on the side of each bus.
Next to the front doors of the buses were independent words: “Archer … Brentwood … Marymount … Notre Dame,” all wealthy private schools in surrounding Los Angeles/Valley areas.
Curious, I followed the train of buses. They exited onto Santa Monica Boulevard, westbound, to Sawtelle, where they turned north — straight into the VA. All buses pulled into the mega-parking lot No. 3, controlled by Westside Services, LLC, one of the nine non-Veteran entities holding “enhanced sharing agreements” that were adjudicated by federal Judge S. James Otero, as “unauthorized by law, and therefore void.”
Instead of honoring the judgment that would benefit war-injured homeless Veterans, your boss, Robert A. McDonald, feckless and dishonest Secretary of the VA, finagled a fraudulent settlement arrangement. It would vacate the federal judgment promising to end Veteran homelessness by the end of 2015 and execute an “exit strategy” to vacate the illegal occupants.
Both promises have been morally and illegally breached.
The promise to end Veteran homelessness under your personal expertise failed shamefully as the Veteran homeless population has increased since your arrival and entrusted stewardship.
The promised exit strategy has turned into an entry strategy. More Tumbleweed buses and new Mazdas, Chryslers, Jeeps, have increased their illegal occupation of VA/Veterans land.
Less than six months after the ACLU lawsuit was filed on June 8, 2011, Tumbleweed, along with Enterprise Rent-a-Car and Sodexo-Marriott were ordered to vacate the VA.
“Three businesses ordered to leave VA’s West Los Angeles campus” — Los Angeles Times — Sept. 1, 2011, by Martha Groves:
“Lease terminations for Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Tumbleweed Transportation and Sodexo come after complaints from critics that the VA is not adequately serving homeless veterans.”
According to the story, Tumbleweed agreed to be off Veterans’ property by September 2012.
Three years later, Tumbleweed has expanded to include another large parking parcel next to the Fisher House (parking lot No. 1), combining more than 250 buses on Veterans land while homeless Veterans are living in their cars, campers or RV’s are denied parking access.
Moreover, the Tumbleweed bus drivers use additional VA parking spaces with their private vehicles while driving scheduled daily bus routes.
Meanwhile, the VA has failed to provide emergency or provisional housing for homeless Veterans, even though major warnings have been issued about the devastating effects of the forthcoming El Nino.
Brentwood School has one of the illegal sharing agreements, occupying more than 20 acres, but it is now protected via the vacated judgment and breached promise to exit VA land, thanks to non-Veteran and ACLU “plaintiff” attorney Bobby Shriver. He is not a Veteran but his family has direct ties and benefits to the private wealthy school.
Brentwood School also uses Tumbleweed buses to transport children of very wealthy families ($30,000 per year tuition) in addition to the private wealthy Archer Girls School in Brentwood, which has more than 10 buses parking on VA land for its benefit.
In sum, more than 30 private wealthy schools are occupying illegal space on VA property.
This link exposes the numerous wealthy private schools that use Tumbleweed — watch the string of more than 30 school names and logos/crests crossing the page.
Tumbleweed Transportation – Schools
Tumbleweed also makes this claim: “When you choose Tumbleweed as your school bus transportation provider you qualify for the option of using us as your school’s “Transportation Department.”
How convenient for your good friend U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein to make these nine illegal enhanced sharing agreements “legal” with her bogus “Los Angeles Homeless Veterans Leasing Act of 2015” by forging enhanced use leases that includes “ for purposes of providing supportive housing.”
For the record, parking hundreds of big school buses to transport children of wealthy families is not a “purpose to provide supportive housing” for impoverished homeless Veterans.
Ms. Feinstein’s fraudulent bill does nothing more than protect her wealthy friends. Essentially, it allows anyone to do anything he or she wants on this property except provide supportive housing for disabled and destitute homeless Veterans.
God Bless America and the Veterans Revolution!
Mr. Rosebrock may be contacted at rrosebrock1@aol.com