To the editor: I have worked for years to change the US Department of Veterans Affairs' policy regarding homeless veterans in Los Angeles. So I was excited to see Doug Smith's thoughtful article about U.S. District Judge David O. Carter, whom Smith calls the closest official we have to a homeless “czar.”
I want to support Carter's smart suggestion that VA Secretary Denis McDonough personally come to Los Angeles to settle existing litigation over housing homeless veterans. I know this could work, because he's done it before.
In 2015, then-VA Secretary Bob McDonald met with me and my colleagues to resolve prior litigation. That agreement generated significant positive benefits, including hundreds of housing units and a formal, detailed plan for a vibrant “urban center” for the VA university community in Westwood.
That kind of negotiated agreement can happen again now. But without McDonough's personal intervention, this lawsuit will go to trial this summer. The courtroom and the country will see exhibits and hear testimony about the Biden administration's failure to build the thriving community needed to stop veterans' suffering.
I hope McDonough will follow his predecessor's smart example and enter into settlement talks soon.
Bobby Shriver, Santa Monica
The writer was a member of the Santa Monica City Council from 2004 to 2012.
