First in a series
For decades, Los Angeles County has been the most populous county in the nation, more than 10 million residents.
Moreover, there are more than 400,000 Veterans living within L.A. County and more than one million who live within 50 miles of the VA Greater West Los Angeles Healthcare System, the largest VA in the nation.
Government Royalty
The L.A. County Board of Supervisors is one of the three most powerful governing seats in the nation, serving as both the executive and legislative rule with no real checks and balances, or oversight.
There are five L.A. County District Supervisors, and each Supervisor's District includes approximately two million residents, which is nearly the equivalent of three Congressional districts.
These Supervisors have so much power that for a long time they were dubbed the Five Kings, even though one of the current Supervisors is a female.
Nonetheless, today's Kings and Queen of the Board need only a majority vote of three Supervisors to impact the lives of 10 million residents, including millions of America's Veterans.
Upstanding Citizen and a War Veteran
On the second Wednesday of each month, the Veterans Advisory Commission (VAC) of the County Board of Supervisors meets to discuss and take appropriate action regarding Veterans issues.
Each Supervisor appoints two Commissioners within his or her District for a total of 10 Commissioners on the VAC.
Each Commissioner must be an upstanding citizen and a war Veteran, and each is expected to put the priorities of his or her fellow Veterans and their needs first and foremost .above any political agenda.
Enormous Responsibilities
The Commissioners' responsibilities include: “Study, advise and recommend to the Board of Supervisors on special problem areas relating to veterans within Los Angeles County, and to serve as a means of communication for veterans within Los Angeles County. The Commissioners must also endorse veterans affairs within Los Angeles County, which the Commission believes are positive and worthwhile.”
As noted, there is a large number of Veterans living outside of L.A. County who depend on the healthcare services at the at the West Los Angeles VA yet they cannot vote for any of the County's Supervisors.
As a result, the Commissioners of the VAC have an enormous responsibility to ensure that the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs is providing the very best of healthcare needs for Veterans who not only live within Los Angeles County, but to ensure that the large sector of Veterans living outside of their respective L.A. County districts also get proper treatment and care at the VA in West L.A.
The Entrusted Watchdog
While the land of the largest VA in the nation was exclusively deeded to our federal government on March 3, 1888, the property lies within Los Angeles County's Third District, and is subsequently under the review of County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky.
Thus, the Third District Supervisor and his two appointed Commissioners are the primary line of defense as the entrusted “watchdogs” on behalf of all Veterans in case the VA or federal government tries to disserve or misrepresent their best interests, whether it is for healthcare services or protecting their sacred land from misuse or abuse.
Because all County Supervisors have Veterans living within their District, it is imperative that they be unified and equally vigilant to ensure that the line of defense protecting Veterans and their National Home is always solidified, dedicated and harmonious.
‘Save the Home’
Politics must never take a priority over Veterans issues because the decision-making and action-taking responsibilities of the Supervisors must be first and foremost to protect, preserve and defend the Deed of 1888 so that there will always be a Home for America's Veterans.
As a result, there should never be a “homeless” Veteran in Los Angeles County, even though there are an estimated 20,000 of our fellow Veterans who are without shelter and must fend for themselves on the dangerous streets of L.A.
(To be continued)
Mr. Rosebrock, a military Veteran from the Vietnam War era, may be contacted at dutyscalling@aol.com