| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 12, 2025 | Contact: Tori Richards (714) 421-8319 |
Trump executive order to house 6,000 local veterans addresses letter from Supervisor Nguyen
SANTA ANA, Calif. – Orange County Supervisor Janet Nguyen kicked off a move to help thousands of veterans in Southern California when she sent President Trump a letter on Feb. 26 asking for him to order the Department of Veteran’s Affairs to comply with a court order to build homeless housing.
“Knowing that service members are one of your priorities, I am asking that you consider issuing an executive order requiring the VA to comply with a post-trial opinion from October 2024 written by US District Court Judge David O. Carter and a 2015 order by Judge S. James Otero,” Supervisor Janet Nguyen wrote. “Judges Otero and Carter ordered a total of 3,000 permanent housing structures with Judge Carter adding immediate construction of 750 temporary units. To date, only 300 have been built.”
On Friday, President Trump issued an executive order requiring construction of 6,000 units on the West Los Angeles VA campus, creating a National Center for Warrior Independence to meet the complete needs of homeless veterans. His order required an action plan within 120 days and construction of the housing by 2028.
“I’m so excited to finally see that help is coming – President Trump’s innovative vision doubled the number of beds from what the judges ordered,” said Supervisor Janet Nguyen. “It’s disgraceful that America’s brave warriors are sleeping on the streets. One of my missions is to address our homeless population that keeps growing. Thank you, President Trump!”
Orange County is home to 130,000 veterans, many who seek care at the West Los Angeles campus as it is renowned for treating brain injuries and PTSD. Those with severe injuries would live nearby if possible, for fast access to doctors rather than make the trek from Orange County.
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Supervisor Janet Nguyen represents the First District of Orange County Board of Supervisors, which is the cities of Cypress, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, La Palma, Los Alamitos, Seal Beach, Westminster and the unincorporated areas of Midway City and Rossmoor. Supervisor Nguyen served in the California State Senate, California State Assembly and as Orange County Supervisor and Garden Grove City Councilmember.
