Exclusive 2019 Update: VICTORY AT THE VA – West LA Veterans Administration master plan protects old nuclear dump from development
EnviroReporter.com did not receive an invitation to this event though we managed to get the particulars and attend. We wanted to ask Sen. Feinstein if she knew about the veterans’ tombstones in the West LA VA’s biomedical nuclear and chemical dump.
The press release to the event read:
Senator Feinstein and Supervisor Yaroslavsky to Discuss Future of West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Campus
Washington, DC – On Wednesday, January 16 at 10:30 a.m., Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) will join with Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky to discuss the future of the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs campus.
The news conference follows the successful passage of legislation by Senator Feinstein – signed into law by President Bush on December 26 – that prohibits the Department of Veterans Affairs from allowing commercial development at the 388-acre site, and from selling any portions of the land.
Senator Feinstein will discuss the next steps needed to ensure that any future development of the land will benefit veterans and take into account the needs of the surrounding community.
Afterwards, I had a chance to talk to Sen. Feinstein, and her district director, Trevor Daley, as I described in the December 10, 2009 LA Weekly article “Brentwood’s Toxic Grave.” Following is a transcript of that brief taped conversation:
Michael Collins: “Senator, there’s another issue in that dump that may not be aware which is there are tombstones taken from the National Cemetery and just tossed into it. You can actually see them with the naked eye right now. It’s actually in where the nuclear dump is.”
Senator Feinstein: “Really?” Okay.”
Collins: “I wanted you to be aware of that…
Feinstein: “Okay.”
Collins: “… because if Trevor maybe calls me about it, I can show him that.”
Feinstein: “[To Trevor Daley] Yes, go out and look at it, will you?”
Trevor Daley: “I will. I will.”
Collins: [To Daley]: “Did you hear what I said?”
Feinstein: “He did. He’s got good ears.”
All laugh.
Collins: “Thank you. [To Daley] You’ve got my card?”
Daley: “I do, I do.”
I never heard from Daley and he did not return repeated requests for comment from the LA Weekly and EnviroReporter.com for the “Brentwood’s Toxic Grave” story and questions about why he had taken no action on the matter in nearly two years.
(Click thumbnail to view entire photograph)
Exclusive 2019 Update: VICTORY AT THE VA – West LA Veterans Administration master plan protects old nuclear dump from development
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