After court ruling, the Department of Veterans Affairs terminates lease with private school in Los Angeles

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has terminated agreements that allowed the Brentwood School and two other entities to use portions of the VA's West Los Angeles campus for non-veteran uses.

But Jackie Robinson Stadium, where nearby UCLA plays its home-field baseball games, will be allowed to remain on the property.

The VA says it has dissolved deals with the K-12 private school, along with a company that ran a parking lot on the campus and an energy firm that operated an oil field.

The VA actions follow rulings from the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and a U.S District Court judge that determined the agreements violated federal law.

The VA says the lease terminations will enable the agency to reclaim the properties for the purpose of serving veterans as part of President Donald Trump's executive order calling for the creation on the campus of a National Center for Warrior Independence. The center will provide housing and support for up to 6,000 homeless veterans by 2028, according to the VA.

Brentwood School officials said in a statement that the VA had offered to meet with them in Washington about the status of its campus.

The lease terminations are a result of a lawsuit brought several years ago by veterans. U.S. District Court Judge David Carter issued an order two years ago that directed the VA to build more than 2,000 housing units for disabled veterans on the campus. A three-judge appeals panel affirmed the order in December 2025; the VA said it is seeking an en banc review of the ruling before a full panel of appellate judges.

The three-judge appeals court panel affirmed the lower court's ruling that the VA's leases with Brentwood School and oil company Bridgeland Resources violated the West Los Angeles Leasing Act of 2016 and were therefore void.

However, the appeals panel allowed UCLA to continue its lease for the baseball stadium.

The Ninth Circuit decision harshly criticized the VA's agreements.

"This class action lawsuit, and its numerous appeals, demonstrates just how far the VA has strayed from its mission," Circuit Judge Ana de Alba wrote. "There are now scores of unhoused veterans trying to survive in and around the greater Los Angeles area despite the acres of land deeded to the VA for their care. Rather than use the West Los Angeles VA Grounds as President Lincoln intended, the VA has leased the land to third-party commercial interests that do little to benefit the veterans."

The Ninth Circuit decision requires the VA to build 750 units of temporary supportive housing within 18 months, construct 1,800 units of permanent supportive housing, and end the use of what was found to be discriminatory income restrictions for affordable housing by ensuring that veterans' disability payments do not count against their eligibility for supportive housing.