U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Army Veteran Andrew O'Brien Saw Something Terrible in Iraq -- So Terrible That He Attempted Suicide

He shouldn't have looked in the truck. The IED had blown it up and sent its occupants to Kingdom Come. "What I saw in there was the worst thing I will ever see in my life," U.S. Army Specialist Andrew O'Brien says. It was so bad that he later tried to kill himself. Because try as he might, he couldn ... More >>

A Midsummer Night's Dream and Alcestis Show What Lurks in the Darkness

Homeless Vets' Tough L.A. Winter

Many reject society's lofty plans for them

I Hate When People Cheat in Traffic. But What Do We Do About It?

The last straw came about four weeks ago. I was passing by the Veterans Administration campus near the 405 freeway, heading east on Wilshire toward my breakfast meeting, feeling happy that I was going to be on time. I knew enough to give myself an hour to drive a mere eight miles to Beverly Hills. ... More >>

U.S. Veterans Affairs Sued for Leasing Giant Parcel in West L.A. to Enterprise Rent-a-Car, UCLA Baseball Team -- Not Homeless Vets

veteranstoday.com"Locked Out of West LA VA"​You can often hear West L.A. residents, and those on the nearby Santa Monica border, whining about the rampant homeless-veteran population in their area (which is trying desperately to gentrify -- to polish itself into the next Brentwood or Beverly H ... More >>

SWAG Alert: California Spent $7.5 Million on Free Shit From 2007 to 2010

Nope.​Yeah, you heard right. Under former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, the financially bust state of California spent $7,510,900.00 on government-issued swag over the last three years. Of course, Governor Jerry Brown, being the frugal tightwad that we so love him to be (the flight, the car ... More >>

Was Public Comment Period for Subway to Sea a Sham? MTA Staff Suggests Route Before Citizens Fully Weigh In

L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa​Metropolitan Transportation Authority staffers have recommended a route for the Westside subway extension, also known as Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's legacy project called Subway to the Sea, LAist reports. Some communities will be less than please ... More >>

Marijuana Advocates Use Veterans Affairs' Pot-Friendly Policy To Challenge U.S. Stance On The Drug

​Medical marijuana advocates have seized the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' new marijuana-friendly policy to challenge federal law that deems there is no legitimate medical benefit for marijuana. The group Americans for Safe Access (ASA) this week filed a legal brief in its own longstan ... More >>

Vets Under Veterans Affairs' Medical Care Can Use Pot In California

dey via Flickr​Following criticism from medical marijuana advocates, particularly those based here in Los Angeles, the Department of Veterans Affairs on Friday reversed course and stated it will allow vets being treated at its medical facilities to use cannabis in states like California, where ... More >>

IF YOU SAW ALICE IN WONDERLAND, YOU CAN RELATE

ACLU Defends Man Who Displayed Upside Down U.S. Flag

Demonstrator Rosebrock, left.​The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California announced Tuesday it has filed a lawsuit against the Veterans Administration on behalf of a veteran and perpetual demonstrator who it says had his free speech rights violated when he was cited after display ... More >>

West of La Brea, East of the Moon: Where the Hell Is West L.A.?

MapQuestAn L.A. Times squib about a stolen-car chase caught our attention Saturday, but for all the wrong reasons. The L.A. Now blog focused on snarled traffic that resulted in a 16-block shutdown around the LAPD's bomb-squad's search of the vehicle, though both events seem to be part of L.A.'s ever ... More >>

GO LA: Alvin Ailey, Karen Kilgariff and the Bloody Truth About Downtown

(But not all at once): What to do, March 20-26

I Love My Wife

A Bunch of Smart, Funny Women, and Taylor Negron

What to do in L.A., December 12-18

Election '08: McCain's Neglected Veterans

BY AMY SILVERMAN His fame is based on his POW status, but Senator John McCain’s made a point of voting against fellow veterans. IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE to be a veteran in John McCain's home state, stop by the Justa Center in downtown Phoenix. On a Thursday morning not long ago, a v ... More >>

Bee a Know-It-All

Hoop of L.A.

What to do in L.A., October 3-9

Theater Reviews: Red Scare on Sunset, Miracle in Rwanda

Also, Going to Meet the Man, The House of Blue Leaves and more

Look Out — It’s a Kazan-vilanch!

What to do the week of March 28-April 3

War Haters, Tastemakers and Kightlingers

What to do in L.A., March 14-20

Hark! the Harry Shearer Sings

What to do in Los Angeles this week

Live From Television City...

What to do in Los Angeles this week

Whoa, Nellie! You're the Best!

What to do in Los Angeles this week

Captain Hook and His Big Organ

What to do in Los Angeles this week

Theater Reviews

Including Flirting with Morty and this week's pick, Souvenir

Best Events Column, 2006

Bombs, Bush & Baseball

Film Reviews

Including this week's pick My Country, My Country

Stuff to Do Before Snakes On a Plane Opens

Freaks and Cleats

For the week of July 7-13

Homeless in Westwood

A shelter for vets sounds better than more car-dependent business

The Lord Giveth!

10 (+1) WAYS TO PAY YOUR WAY THROUGH SCHOOL

I'm With Cupid

New Theater Reviews

Eve Ensler's The Good Body and Inside The Creole Mafia

The Insane Optimist

Eve Ensler on her latest show about the body politic

The Shelter and Jay Johnson: The Two and Only

New stage reviews

Click Five and other picks for Thursday, Feb 2

A Dance Craze, a Safety Ape, and Dan Rather

Peter Voulkos - Wed., Feb. 8

All of Me

Heather Raffo’s one-woman show takes her out to Iraq, and into herself

Endorsements, Election Day March 8

Made in the USA

A guide to Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction

Vital Signs

The county’s new health chief wants to trim the budget with more preventive care

Letters

Righting Wrongs

Filipino-American veterans continue their push for WWII benefits

Miracle on Fifth Street

Richard Fulton’s coffee and sympathy changed Leimert Park

Magic Marker Dragoon

Silence of the Mares