http://www.smmirror.com/#mode=single&view=18561

another story:

latimes.com/ news/local/ la-me-homeless- vets-20100629, 0,754255. story
 

VA commits $20 million to convert West L.A. building into therapeutic homeless facility

Secured after a long-term effort, the commitment marks a milestone in the county’s efforts to aid chronically homeless veterans, public officials say.

By Martha Groves, Los Angeles Times
 
June 29, 2010
 
The federal Department of Veterans Affairs has approved $20 million in funding to convert a little-used building at the West Los Angeles VA campus into therapeutic housing for chronically homeless veterans — a plan that has been years in the making.
 
The action was jointly announced Monday by U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), U.S. Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Beverly Hills) and Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky.
 
Yaroslavsky said the commitment marked a milestone that “has been a long time coming.”
 
He credited Santa Monica Mayor Bobby Shriver with proposing in 2004 that three unused or underused buildings on the campus be converted to help ease the county’s homeless veteran problem. Los Angeles County has nearly 6,540 veterans sleeping on the streets each night, according to the statement from Feinstein, Waxman and Yaroslavsky.
 
Shriver and others became frustrated as the veterans agency engaged in a drawn-out process of securing money to convert the buildings, coupled with what seemed to be little enthusiasm for the idea. Nudging from Feinstein, Waxman and Yaroslavsky helped pushed the project forward.
 
At a June 16 meeting in Washington, Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki committed $20 million in funding to renovate and rehabilitate Building 209, part of a “historic district” on the campus. Of that amount, half will go toward seismic work, and the rest will be used to convert the building into living quarters and facilities for social services.
 
Yaroslavsky said the aim was to eventually secure additional funding to convert two other buildings.
 
He projected that 70 to 90 chronically homeless veterans could eventually be housed in each of the buildings.
 
“We finally got to first base,” Shriver said. “But I want to get to second, third and home base ASAP.”
 
The program would offer housing with medical care, mental health treatment and other services to those deemed most vulnerable.
 
The VA funding “marks the first meaningful commitment by the VA to house chronically homeless veterans,” Yaroslavsky said.
 
Most recently, Building 209 has housed a print studio workshop where veterans learn silk screening and print making skills. The workshop is part of the Strawberry Flag project, a strawberry-growing operation in the shape of a giant U.S. flag spearheaded by artist Lauren Bon and psychiatrist Jonathan Sherin, associate chief of mental health for the VA West Los Angeles Healthcare Center. Veterans tend the strawberries and make preserves.

Protest Planned at City College June 18

Santa Barbara Independent [independent.com], Mon., June 14, 2010

A mock cemetery of the U.S. Military Teen casualties is planned in Santa Barbara, California, on Friday, June 18, 2010, part of the National and International grassroots War Moratorium Movement calling for the immediate end of war and occupation from Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Palestine.

The June 18 actions here, across the country and world mark the continuation of the War Moratorium, to unite individuals and groups who act to end Wars and Massacres, on the Third Friday / weekend of every month.

A mock cemetery of the U.S. Military Teen casualties is planned in Santa Barbara, California, on Friday, June 18, 2010, part of the National and International grassroots War Moratorium Movement calling for the immediate end of war and occupation from Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Palestine.

The June 18 actions here, across the country and world mark the continuation of the War Moratorium, to unite individuals and groups who act to end Wars and Massacres, on the Third Friday / weekend of every month.

The local mock Teen Cemetery will begin @10am in Santa Barbara, California, at Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) on the West Campus lawn across from the campus library overlooking Leadbetter Beach on the Pacific Ocean.

The event is sponsored by the S.B. Vets for Peace Chapter 54, and partially funded by the Fund for Santa Barbara. The event will consist of a mock cemetery of the U.S. Military Teen Dead, from the Iraq & Afghanistan conflicts. To date we have information on 349, 18 & 19-year-old casualties from both conflicts.

The “Tombstones” will be set up by volunteers from the S.B. Vets for Peace Chapter and SBCC students. Staff, students & visitors passing by on the walkway between the East & West campuses will be asked to come down on the lawn to place a placard of a color photo & information of a teen casualty on the “Tombstones.” Information about the cost of war and the immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Palestine will be shared. Also information on the video www.RethinkAfghanistan.com will be available.

A form for students to be taken off the military’s recruitment list, in opposition to the Solomon Amendment will be given out. The Solomon Amendment allows Colleges & Universities to give student names, phone #’s and other private information to 17 components of the U.S. Military Service each term. Students can prevent the release of their information to the Military Recruiters by using the Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974 to withold the release of their “Directory Information” to the military and others.

Two Petitions will also be circulated at the memorial to be sent to Congress to:

1. Stop the Military Use of Depleted Uranium for VFP, Chapter 116, P.O. Box 96, Albion, CA 95410

2. Withdraw our military from IRAQ and AFGHANISTAN immediately for American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), 637 Dearborn, 3rd Fl., Chicago, IL 60605

Dr. Gilberto Robledo, (805) 963-1259 or Cell (805) 252-0219 (on day of event)

This convention takes place on the heels of the VFP National Convention, August 5 – 9, 2009, held at the University of Maryland, College Park Campus. There were over 190 members of VFP, 45 members of MFSO, and over 80 members of IVAW who attended the national convention in College Park, MD.

For more information, visit www.vfpnationalconvention.org.