Report 2018-112 Recommendation Responses

Report 2018-112: California Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of General Services: The Departments' Mismanagement of the Veterans Home Properties Has Not Served the Veterans' Best Interests and Has Been Detrimental to the State (Release Date: January 2019)

Recommendation for Legislative Action

To prevent future leases of veterans home property that obligate the property to third parties for unnecessarily extended periods of time, the Legislature should amend state law to clarify that leases of veterans home property may not exceed five years unless a statutory exception applies.

Description of Legislative Action

AB 240 (Chapter 61, Statutes of 2020) prohibits a lease from exceeding 5 years, unless the lessee is a local government or a nonprofit organization that provides services exclusively for veterans of the United States Armed Forces and their families, or the contract for the lease was executed before January 1, 2021. The statute authorizes a lease that was executed before January 1, 2021, to be renegotiated, except that any terms regarding the duration of the renewal of the contract shall not be extended. The statute further provides that a lease contract with any other party may be granted for a term greater than five years only with the approval of the Legislature by statute.

California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Legislation Enacted


Description of Legislative Action

AB 240 (Irwin) was introduced in 2019 and, in part, would specify that the lease or let of any real property held by the California Department of Veterans Affairs for a veterans home shall not exceed five years, unless the lessee is any state or local government, a nonprofit organization that provides services exclusively for veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families, or a lessee pursuant to a contract executed before January 1, 2020. As of January 2020, this bill is in the Senate Inactive file.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: Legislation Introduced


Description of Legislative Action

AB 240 (Irwin), in part, would specify that the lease or let of any real property held by the California Department of Veterans Affairs for a veterans home shall not exceed five years, unless the lessee is any state or local government, a nonprofit organization that provides services exclusively for veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families, or a lessee pursuant to a contract executed before January 1, 2020.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Legislation Introduced


Description of Legislative Action

Assembly Bill (AB) 240 (Irwin) was introduced in February 2019 and would specify that the lease or let of any real property held by Veterans Affairs for a veterans home shall not exceed five years.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Legislation Introduced


All Recommendations in 2018-112