Century City/ Westwood
NOVEMBER 25- DECEMBER 30, 2022
NEWS
CenturyCity-WestwoodNews.com
14 Veterans Sue VA for Failing to Build Housing on West Los Angeles VA Campus Lawsuit contends the agency not meeting legal obligation to house veterans at West Los Angeles VA campus By Sam Catanzaro 14 veterans are suing the Department of Veterans Affairs, alleging the agency has not lived up to its promise to build affordable housing on the West Los Angeles VA campus. The case is essentially a redo of a 2011 case that centered on how the federal government obtained the property West Los Angeles VA sits on. The land was donated to the government in 1887 by Arcadia Bandini de Stearns Baker, a wealthy widow, under the stipulation that it would serve as a home for veterans. The 2011 case alleged that the VA failed to meet its obligations, and a few years later the agency agreed to build 1,200
apartments for veterans. Los Angeles veterans are now suing the VA again, saying the agency is not building the housing it promised. The lawsuit contends that this harms disabled veterans since the West Los Angeles VA sits in one of the priciest neighborhoods in Los Angeles County. Plaintiffs argue that if disabled veterans can’t afford rent in the vicinity of the VA’s West Los Angeles Medical Center, the government’s lack of affordable housing on the campus prevents them from accessing the essential healthcare they are entitled to. “That’s not just inhumane, and it’s not just immoral, and it’s not just a set of [expletive] lies. It’s also against the law,” said plaintiff attorney Mark Rosenbaum with Public Counsel told NPR. “We trusted the government to come through, and that turned out to be a grievous error.” The lawsuit also seeks to force the VA to utilize land currently leased to Brentwood School, a parking lot business, an oildrilling company and UCLA for veteran uses. Last year, a VA Office of Inspector General report found that several of these leases were out of compliance with the agency’s legal obligation to “principally
benefit veterans and their families.” The inspector general called out the VA for completing only one building containing 55 units, out of the 480 projected in a fouryear target. The inspector general found that “reasons for VA’s limited progress include required environmental impact
studies, needed infrastructure upgrades, the need to establish a principal developer enhanced-use lease, and challenges faced by the developers in raising needed funds from public and private sources,” The VA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Jurors Convict Former UCLA Gynecologist for Sexually Abusing Patients James Heaps faces five felony counts following October 20 sentencing By Sam Catanzaro Recently jurors convicted James Mason Heaps, an obstetrician-gynecologist formerly employed by UCLA, on three counts of sexual battery by fraud and two counts of sexual penetration of an unconscious person. On October 20, Jurors found Heaps guilty in connection with the sexual assaults of some of his patients. He was acquitted on three counts of sexual battery by fraud, three counts of sexual penetration of an unconscious person and one count of sexual exploitation of a patient. Jurors could not reach a unanimous verdict on three counts of sexual battery by fraud, four counts of
sexual penetration of an unconscious person and two counts of sexual exploitation of a patient. According to Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón, no decision has been made yet on whether or not to retry the hung counts. “The trauma Dr. Heaps inflicted on the very people he had sworn to care for is immeasurable.” Gascón said. “I am committed to helping all victims of sexual assault – whether they were victimized by a doctor, school personnel or a Hollywood elite – and encourage them to contact my office’s Bureau of Victim Services if they are in need of services. A sentencing hearing was set for November 17. Heaps initially was charged in 2019. A grand jury indicted Heaps last year and the indictment alleges sexual misconduct by Heaps from 2009 to 2018. Heaps was an obstetrician-gynecologist who worked on a part-time basis at the UCLA student health center from approximately 1983 to 2010, was hired by UCLA Health in 2014 and held
medical staff privileges at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center from 1988 to 2018. The charges relate to care he provided to two patients in 2017 and 2018 at UCLA Health. Last year, in response to allegations of sexual misconduct against Dr. Heaps, UCLA investigated his conduct, removed him from clinical practice, informed him that his employment was being terminated (after which he announced he was
retiring) and reported him to the Medical Board of California and law enforcement. As reported by NPR, UCLA has spent around $700 million in settlements for its alleged role in concealing the abuse. Women alleged that UCLA ignored decades of complaints and intentionally covered-up the abuse before beginning to investigate Heaps in 2018, NPR reports.