On Jan. 10, over 200 veterans residing on the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Campus were evacuated due to the Los Angeles fires.

The West LA VA Campus, a 388-acre property located just west of the Interstate 405 freeway, was originally deeded by private landowners to create an Old Soldiers Home. Part of the site has long provided veterans with housing to ease their transition back to civilian life, but the campus has recently seen a legal challenge over UCLA’s use of the land.

One leased space on the site is UCLA’s Jackie Robinson Stadium, included in “Powers v. McDonough,” a class action lawsuit arguing the Office of Veteran Affairs has mismanaged the West LA VA Campus and allowed for several illegal leases.

The lawsuit criticizes the VA for leasing the campus land out to private tenants, including UCLA, the Brentwood School who used the campus for their athletic facilities, an oil drilling company and parking lot companies.

Rob Reynolds, an Iraqi War veteran and veterans advocate, said that he believes the university’s continued use of the land does not do anything to service veterans and their families – what the land is intended to do.

“It’s really awful that we have this land that was donated to house veterans, and it’s supposed to operate that way and that it got away from that for years,” Reynolds said.

Reynolds also said the construction of Branca Family Field, a practice field for UCLA baseball located on the VA campus, is another example of the lease being illegal.

“This practice field was built on this land that’s meant to house veterans while all the veterans were sleeping outside the gate on the street,” he said.

Judge David O. Carter, a UCLA alumnus, ruled Sept. 7, 2024, that the university’s lease of the stadium land was illegal. On Sept. 26, he locked UCLA out of the baseball facilities.

However, on Oct. 3, 2024, he reversed course, allowing the team to use the stadium for the remainder of the 2025 athletic season in exchange for an increased rent payment, raising the total from $320,000 to $600,000.

“We are excited to practice and play in Jackie Robinson Stadium this season,” said UCLA Athletic Director Martin Jarmond in response to the Oct. 28 ruling. “Our young men have been working hard and keeping a positive attitude throughout this period of uncertainty, and we are pleased that they will be able to resume their regular training at the stadium.”

John Savage, head coach of UCLA baseball, said that despite the various disruptions to the season, he remains optimistic about the players’ attitude.

“The players are doing fantastic,” Savage said. “I can’t say enough about their fortitude, their urgency and really the way they’ve handled this whole thing. I can’t be prouder.”

UCLA has continued to fight to regain access to the stadium beyond the 2025 athletic season.

According to an official court filing Nov. 20, 2024, UCLA lawyers filed a Motion to Stay Pending Appeal, arguing that UCLA is in compliance with the 2016 Leasing Act and has been found compliant by several federal audits. The motion claims Carter’s ruling was “unconstitutional and erroneous.”

However, veterans advocates such as Reynolds said they think the allegedly illegal leases need to be put to an end.

“UCLA over the years has continually gotten these sweetheart deals to utilize this land for their own school as opposed to the VA using it to house veterans, which I think is just wrong,” he said.

Reynolds also said he would like UCLA students to scrutinize the university’s role in the case.

“I think that if more students actually understood the mechanics of how all this worked, you would see that this is not right,” he said.