Veterans and caregivers are distraught about an abrupt decision to move the veterans service office in Ukiah from a small house on Observatory Avenue to an office space at the county Public Health building. The move is supposed to be effective next week. According to a letter from the commander of the American Legion post in Ukiah, veterans groups did not learn about the move until the last week of December.
Don Burgess, a Vietnam veteran, told the Board of Supervisors yesterday that the current location is special to him and many others. “Had there not been that little house on Observatory, I never would have sought help,” he said. “I felt like I was in a secure place. I was looking for somebody who would listen. I found it there. I’ve been going back since, and they’ve helped a tremendous amount. I wouldn’t go to an office in an administrative building. I would not walk down the long hallway and try to find an office somewhere. The things that we feel, and the things that my brothers and sisters suffered and are still suffering from, whether it’s Agent Orange or PTSD, we just can’t share these in a normal environment, or a normal office.”
Veterans expressed their displeasure for about half an hour yesterday. The caregivers union, which is still in negotiations over a contract, was out in force to petition for better wages. But many union members joined the veterans in blasting the board for the abrupt move and the short notice. Veterans services include much bureaucratic wrangling for health and education benefits, which are especially difficult to navigate for those who are suffering the long term mental, emotional and physical impacts of war. Veterans visit the office for work study through college and to learn how they can obtain a new set of benefits available to service members who have been exposed to toxic chemicals.
Kennedy Cooper is an Iraq veteran who has been involved with the veterans service office since it was on Talmage, before he enlisted in the army. During public comment, he claimed two and half minutes of his allotted time for silence in memorial to veterans who have lost their lives. The only audible sounds were a few doors opening and closing in the hallway, and a woman softly weeping.
Cooper was in the office after the meeting, helping take down posters and poking through a pile of refuse that was lying on the floor. He took a knee beside it with a photo he’d retrieved, saying it hurts to kneel, but he’d do anything for this office.
“I picked something out of the pile, which is a picture of veterans from the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) and the American Legion with a previous Board of Supervisors,” he said. “That was a picture put into the trash pile. I’m not sure if that was intentional,” he added with a light laugh. “It’s just a mess. It’s like your landlord has cut your rental contract, you’re being evicted, and you didn’t have time to move out your stuff, so they’re moving it all out for you, and just throwing it into piles.”
Dr. Jenine Miller, who is head of Behavioral Health and Public Health, described the new accommodations, including a private reception area for veterans and a spot for a mural or decorations. She said “we would look at” the possibility of including a third office in addition to the two spaces that are being offered to the veterans service office. “We’re willing to do whatever we need to make that facility feel more welcoming,” she assured the board, adding that she plans to change the signage to make it more clear that the new section of the building is for veterans. “There’s also a beautiful courtyard right next to where the offices are,” which she said would be specifically for the veterans. She also expressed support for bringing the vegetable garden to the new location.
Supervisor John Haschak joined Miller and some of the leaders of local veterans groups on a tour of the new space in public health last week. “I think that the decision has been made,” he said. “So how do you make it as good as possible?” When asked who had made the decision, he said that Veterans’ Services is under Social Services, which is headed by Bekkie Emery. “Dr. Miller is the director of Public Health and Behavioral Health, so it was kind of a collaborative decision,” he added. “And Facilities was involved in this, too.” He noted that, “The communication might not have been ideal;” and that “I’m sure staff is very respectful of the veterans. It’s just that communication has to be constant.”
Haschak said the county lost its lease on the building where Air Quality Management is currently housed, so Air Quality will be moving into the building on Observatory Avenue as soon as possible. He says there will be quarterly meetings with the department heads, the leaders of veterans organizations, and him and Supervisor Glenn McGourty, so that vets aren’t abandoned to “an institutional morass.” Burgess, the Vietnam veteran, said he would have liked some of that from the beginning.
“I don’t know how many veterans organizations you asked before you made this decision,” he told the board. “But it would have been good to talk to a veteran and say, thank you for your service. We’re listening to you.”
