Judge Orders UCLA Team Locked Out of Its Own Stadium

Valentina Martinez | Sep 26, 2024

June 9, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins pitcher Nick Vander Tuig (21) earned the win defeating the TCU Horned Frogs 4-1 in game two of the Los Angeles super regional at Jackie Robinson Stadium. UCLA earned a trip to the college world series with the win. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

A federal judge ordered the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to lock down UCLA's Jackie Robinson Stadium on the VA's West Los Angeles campus Wednesday.

The stadium will be locked by noon Thursday until the Westwood university can create a proposal for the stadium grounds to be utilized by military veterans.

According to U.S. District Judge David O. Carter, UCLA among other ex-leaseholders, failed to use the land at the West campus properly, which made the contract illegal.

“The VA is ordered by noon tomorrow to cordon off and prevent any use of the UCLA baseball stadium and practice field until further notice from the court,” Carter said in the downtown courtroom Wednesday, via Doug Smith of The Los Angeles Times.

UCLA Chancellor Darnell Hunt appeared in court with the university's attorney to persuade Carter not to lock down the baseball stadium but was unsuccessful in his efforts.

“It’s more than a lease,” attorney Ray Cardozo said. “It’s a partnership. It’s a good trade-off from our perspective.”

Carter went as far as saying he would go to the VA's West Los Angeles campus Thursday to ensure his orders were followed.

The land was deeded to veterans for their benefit and use. The judge declared that the partnership was illegal because it didn't primarily focus on serving veterans and their families.

UCLA's proposal was deemed inadequate by Carter. He also took a jab at the VA for "turning its back" on the veterans by leasing portions of the campus to UCLA, the Brentwood School, an oil company, and other private entities. All leases were labeled as illegal.

Carter ordered the leases terminated. In a month-long trial, the VA argued that the 388-acre campus didn't have enough space to add 1,200 housing units that the agency promised to open by 2030.

The attorney for the VA argued that a court order would burden the department financially and would derail the agency from solving veteran homelessness.

As a result of the terminated illegal land-use agreements, the court found that veterans are entitled to more than 2,500 units of housing on the campus.

The 10 acres rented to UCLA will now be dedicated to serving veterans and their families.

Carter wrote a condemning statement about the VA in West Los Angeles: "has been infected by bribery, corruption, and the influence of the powerful and their lobbyists, and enabled by a major educational institution in excluding veterans' input about their own lands."