Rep. Henry Waxman - 29th District of California
   

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In Washington, D.C.
2204 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 225-3976 (phone)
(202) 225-4099 (fax)

In Los Angeles
8436 West Third Street, Suite 600
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 651-1040 (phone)
(323) 655-0502 (fax)

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West Los Angeles VA


The West Los Angeles VA campus sits on 388 acres on both sides of Wilshire Boulevard, west of Interstate 405. The land was given to the federal government in 1888 to be used for the benefit of veterans. The Department of Veterans Affairs has allowed various private and commercial uses of the land.

Rep. Waxman has introduced legislation, H.R. 2225, which would permanently prohibit the sale of any of the West LA VA property. H.R. 2225 would also prohibit the use of enhanced use leases on the property. These types of leases can be used by the VA to partner with a private entity and potentially commercialize the property. The leases also allow for the sale of the property to the leasing partner. Finally, H.R. 2225 calls for the VA to complete the comprehensive master plan that was mandated by Congress in 1998.


On September 6, 2007, the VA held its third meeting of the CARES Local Advisory Panel. Congressman Waxman submitted a statement in strong opposition to commercial development or sale of the West LA VA.
View Congressman Waxman's statement to the CARES Local Advisory Panel
View local supporters of Congressman Waxman's legislation

On September 5, 2007, in a letter to VA Secretary Nicholson, Congressman Waxman questioned the increasing number of leases on the West LA VA and asked for a full accounting.
View Letter

On September 2, 2007, the Los Angeles Times published an editorial on issues surrounding the West LA VA.
View Editorial

On August 8, 2007, Rep. Henry A. Waxman released nearly 6,000 pages of documents furnished by the Department of Veterans Affairs regarding the West LA VA. Rep. Waxman requested the information in March 2006, responding to veteran and community concerns about land use, environmental conditions, and planning for veterans’ programs on the campus. Rep. Waxman received the documents from the VA in December 2006 and approved of their release after they had been carefully reviewed to avoid inadvertent disclosures of personal information.