From:

Francisco Juarez

CEO & Commander, EL CAMINO REAL FORUM Org.

Liberty Community Plaza

To:

The Honorable Douglas Collins

Secretary of Veterans Affairs

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Date: August 23, 2026

Subject: URGENT: Systematic Exploitation, Legal Violations, and Severe Safety Hazards at the West Los Angeles National

Soldiers Home

Dear Secretary Collins,

On behalf of the Veteran community and the El Camino Real Forum, I am writing to strictly request your direct intervention during your current visit regarding the severe, illegal, and hazardous conditions at the West Los Angeles National Soldiers

Home.

What is occurring here is a systematic "land-grab" orchestrated by the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System (VAGLAHS) and private entities. This unlawful repurpose of deed-restricted land has resulted in immediate collateral damage, including widespread loss of life, physical abuse, severe mental health crises among our veterans, and massive financial malfeasance.

I. The Core Legal Contention: Violation of Permanent Deeds

The congressional process used to acquire this public asset explicitly mandates its use.

• The 1887 Mandate: Established by the 49th Congress on April 2, 1887, creating a permanent (word used once in the Act) receivership for the Pacific Branch Home.

• The 1888 Deeds: Explicitly specify the word “permanent” five times for the inland deed and once for the beachfront property. The land is strictly restricted for disabled and homeless Veterans.

• The Fabricated Settlement: In Valentini v. Shinseki (June 8, 2011), the 9th Circuit Court ruled to protect this land. However, attorneys falsely informed the presiding judge that a settlement had been reached. The master plans and Enhanced Use Leases (EULs) used, today, rely entirely on this unrecorded, fraudulent settlement.

• Discrepancy in Land Footprint: Federal records state the true footprint is 1,279 contiguous inland acres plus beachfront property in Santa Monica. This directly contradicts the 300 to 388 acres claimed by current master plans and the Annenberg Metabolic Report.

II. Administrative Malfeasance and Ground-Level Realities

The physical and administrative state of the homeland represents a profound failure of public trust under VAGLAHS Director

Timothy Graham:

• Unabated Criminality & Overdoses: Drug distribution is rampant. A previous discovery of 2.5 lbs. of methamphetamine and 3 lbs. of fentanyl was suppressed under former management. Nine overdose deaths occurred in a single building alone, with zero information shared transparently. Prostitutes are actively registered on the grounds under the guise of "caregivers."

• Illegal Third-Party Occupancy: The Brentwood School continues its school year on federal land despite its presence being identified as illegal in U.S. Courts. UCLA continues to occupy the C&H Tract (a 36-acre federal parcel) and hold the original government deeds hostage, while protecting its baseball stadium and poorly run medical operations.

• Infrastructure Contamination: There is unaddressed oil drilling contamination. An illegal methane pipeline runs from the Mountain Gate landfill through the Getty Center and directly across this home. Furthermore, planned housing for the Center for Warrior Independence is slated to be built on top of toxic waste dumps.

• Mismanaged Funds & Infrastructure: The $1.3 billion yearly budget is continuously misrepresented. Meanwhile, the historic Chapel is locked behind chain-link fences as an icon of moral injury, and the "Welcome Center" is hidden on an obscure second floor.

III. Failures in Communication and Public Accountability

• Vanishing Oversight: Following May 9, 2025, Executive Order establishing the Center for Warrior Independence, VCEOB oversight meetings completely ceased, leaving no public accountability.

• Unmet Housing Targets: There is a total blackout of data regarding the Executive Order's mandate to house 6,000 Veterans by 2028. Concurrently, non-veterans are being housed at the 1900 W. 3rd Street facility, which was supposedly built exclusively for veterans.

• Insulated Legal Offices: The Pacific District General Counsel has been deliberately isolated in Arizona, with severe communication barriers put in place to block local veteran outreach.



IV. Fraudulent High Finance & Predatory Foreclosure Risks

It appears that a highly concerning financial scheme involves Wells Fargo (FL) and private developers like Century Housing. Private entities are using the government deeds held by UCLA to borrow massive commercial funds. Because these EULs cannot legally seize Veterans' disability compensation for rent, they will inevitably default. This is a manufactured pathway for private banks to foreclose on and permanently steal federal Veteran land.

Conclusion and Urgent Request

Mr. Secretary, the situation is critical. The facts surrounding the underhanded eviction of one paraplegic disabled female Veteran will, no doubt, anger you. That incident is a harrowing testament to the human cost of this neglect. That tragedy is too large to account for here. Several advocates will, personally, attest to what she’s been through, and we strongly recommend that you meet her face-to-face.

The C&H Tract that UCLA stole, alone, has enough units to house over 3,000 homeless Veterans, yet it remains underutilized or unlawfully occupied.

Do not trust VAGLAHS. During your visit, we strongly urge you to step away from orchestrated administrative tours. Walk through the CTRS zone and up "the hill." Talk directly to the Veterans living in these blighted, drug infested conditions.

We demand immediate federal intervention. Impose an IMMEDIATE MORATORUM to halt these illegal EULs, remove non- compliant entities, and immediately re-house the hundreds of disabled Veterans who have been fraudulently evicted from their rightful home. The American public and the Veteran Family community are watching your next steps closely.



Respectfully submitted,

Francisco Juarez

CEO & Commander, EL CAMINO REAL FORUM Org.

Contact: Juarezgroup49@gmail.com | (310) 795-7051