On Friday, December 12, Congresswoman Lateefah Simon released a statement saying that she, together with Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi and Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff had written an open letter to Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Douglas Collins asking for information on why the VA decided to cancel construction of the VA clinic and cemetery that had been planned for decades at Alameda Point.
The cancellation of the projects came as a surprise to many people because the City of Alameda was never officially informed of the decision and still has not been contacted by the VA about it. According to Communications and Legislative Affairs Officer Sarah Henry, the City of Alameda “has not received any notification from the VA about the Alameda Point project.”
Simon’s office had received a congressional notification on August 28, 2025, which announced the decision to cancel the projects, and in turn, unofficially let Alameda officials know. It is unclear why Simon, Pelosi, Padilla, and Schiff waited until December 12 to write a letter to VA Secretary Collins when they received the notice over three months ago.
According to the letter sent by Simon, Pelosi, Padilla, and Schiff, the congressional notice did state a few reasons for canceling the project:
- The city of Alameda is not accessible to veterans seeking care.
- It will cost an estimated $1.3 billion dollars for flood and foundation mitigation efforts on the site of the proposed clinic and cemetery.
- PFAS were found in the soil on the site of the proposed clinic and cemetery.
Soil testing at the site began last year (2024), but the results of the study were never released. According to Abby Thorne-Lyman, Alameda’s Director of Base Reuse and Economic Development, the VA had initially been very communicative with the City of Alameda. “They initially told us they would have preliminary results in Fall 2024. When we asked them then for the results they said they needed additional validation and expected to have that done by Spring 2025.”
Thorne-Lyman told the Alameda Post that the city of Alameda tried to contact the VA in May and June of 2025 to ask for the results of the study, but did not receive a response. “We just hit radio silence,” she stated.
The results of the study still have not been released. Also missing is the breakdown of the $1.3 billion estimate for mitigation efforts at the site—a number that Thorne-Lyman finds suspiciously high and unclear.
It remains uncertain whether the clinic and cemetery projects have been canceled or moved to another location. According to Simon’s press release, the projects have been canceled, despite having “received over $395 million in Congressionally approved federal funding.”
However, a spokesperson for the VA who requested anonymity told the Post via email, “As an alternative, VA is developing plans for a community-based outpatient clinic in Oakland, which significantly increases veteran access to care.” The spokesperson also told the Post that, “VA is also assessing other locations for a cemetery in San Francisco.”
And because the VA has not yet officially notified the City of Alameda, the project, according to Thorne-Lyman, has not yet been canceled. The VA is required by protocol to notify the City of Alameda. “The City’s position on this is: The project’s not dead until you’ve actually formally gone through the full notification process,” Thorne-Lyman stated. “… The door is still open and we are intending to fully advocate for the project to be restored.”
Henry echoed Thorne-Lyman’s sentiments, stating, “That is definitely our hope, that with the support of the delegation and more they will reinstate the project.”
Alameda Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft will hold a press conference with local veterans groups to discuss the issue on Monday morning, December 15, at 10 a.m. at the Veterans Memorial Building at 2203 Central Avenue.
This is a developing story. Stay with the Alameda Post for ongoing coverage.
Jean Chen is a contributing writer for the Alameda Post. Contact her via [email protected]. Her writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Jean-Chen.
