VA Facility May See Commercial Development

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On Wilshire Boulevard, between the 405 Freeway and San Vicente, almost 400 acres of open land sit serenely in over-built and gridlocked Westwood. A hospital is the only building ever constructed there by the Veterans' Administration since it was given the land after the Civil War. While almost everyone agrees that the campus is under-used, community leaders and federal officials have struggled for decades over what to do with some of America's most valuable urban property. Tomorrow, both sides will gather in the Wadsworth Auditorium for a public hearing on a new plan, one that local activists claim could mean the loss of open space and increased congestion. Will public land be sold for private profit? We hear from Martha Groves of the LA Times and County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky. (PricewaterhouseCoopers and the VA declined to appear on this program.) Reporter's Notebook: Another Bad Report Card for California Schools The latest Program Improvement Watch List, released yesterday, reveals that 249 California schools are just two years away from draconian penalties under No Child Left Behind. If they're still "under-performing," federal law requires firing their entire staffs or converting them to charter schools. Are taxpayers really committed to education? We ask LAUSD Board Member Mike Lansing and education consultant Paul Cummins, founder of Crossroads School.
On Wilshire Boulevard, between the 405 Freeway and San Vicente, almost 400 acres of open land sit serenely in over-built and gridlocked Westwood. A hospital is the only building ever constructed there by the Veterans' Administration since it was given the land after the Civil War. While almost everyone agrees that the campus is under-used, community leaders and federal officials have struggled for decades over what to do with some of America's most valuable urban property. Tomorrow, both sides will gather in the Wadsworth Auditorium for a public hearing on a new plan, one that local activists claim could mean the loss of open space and increased congestion. Will public land be sold for private profit? We hear from Martha Groves of the LA Times and County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky. (PricewaterhouseCoopers and the VA declined to appear on this program.)
  • Reporter's Notebook: Another Bad Report Card for California Schools
    The latest Program Improvement Watch List, released yesterday, reveals that 249 California schools are just two years away from draconian penalties under No Child Left Behind. If they're still "under-performing," federal law requires firing their entire staffs or converting them to charter schools. Are taxpayers really committed to education? We ask LAUSD Board Member Mike Lansing and education consultant Paul Cummins, founder of Crossroads School.

CARES Summary Report on West Los Angeles Veterans' Administration

VA's Los Angeles Regional Office

VA Healthcare System, Los Angeles

Congressman Waxman on creation of committee to determine reuse of 'excess land'

Groves' story on Veterans Affairs' plans for Westwood property

No Child Left Behind Act

California Education Department's 2005 Accountability Report

Classroom Instructional Improvement and Accountability Act (Prop 98, 1988)

Credits

Host:

Warren Olney

Producer:

Frances Anderton