Congresswoman Lateefah Simon announced last week that she, along with Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi and Congressman Kevin Mullin, had successfully included in the Fiscal Year 2027 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill a request to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that would require them to produce a report explaining if and why the Alameda Point Community Based Outpatient Clinic and columbarium project has allegedly been canceled.
The bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 400 to 15 and is now headed to the Senate for a vote. If it passes, which seems likely, the VA would need to report within 60 days and clarify why the project was being pulled. The report would also have to include financial analysis of the $395 million that had been committed to the project.
On August 28, 2025, Simon’s office had received a congressional notification announcing the decision to cancel the construction of a VA health clinic and columbarium at Alameda Point. The City of Alameda, however, was not informed of that decision.
To date, the City still has not received any formal notification from the VA. So, as far as the City is concerned, the project has not been canceled.
“Until we have some answers from the Veteran’s Administration on the questions that the Congressmembers and Senators [Adam] Schiff and [Alex] Padilla asked in December, the City does not consider this matter closed,” Abby Thorne-Lyman, Director of Base Reuse and Economic Development, stated in an email to the Alameda Post.
Thorne-Lyman also pointed out that the project can only officially be terminated if the VA notifies the Navy. “While the notice stated the project was canceled, they did not notify the Navy in writing of the project termination as far as I am aware, which is a requirement of the agreement between the Navy and the VA,” she stated.
Congressmembers and City of Alameda officials are hoping that the passing of the bill will lead to answers about the VA Projects. In December, Mayor Marilyn Ezzy-Ashcraft held a press conference on the steps of the Veterans Memorial Building to rally support for the clinic and columbarium.
On Monday, May 18, Mayor Ashcraft gave a tour of Alameda Point to district directors for senators Schiff and Padilla. She told the Post that they discussed a number of issues, including the clinic and columbarium. “We were talking about what a calm, peaceful place this is for that chosen purpose. And we’re not turning our backs on our veterans.”
Mayor Ashcraft’s position on the situation echoes what Thorne-Lyman stated to the Post. Until the VA notifies the Navy and the City of Alameda, the project has not been officially canceled.
The mayor will be in Washington, D.C. next month with the Alameda County Transportation Commission to lobby for funding for their projects and programs. “While I’m there, our federal lobbyist is scheduling meetings with me to discuss the VA project and what we can do about it,” she told the Post.
“I’m not one to take no for an answer,” she added.
Jean Chen is a contributing writer for the Alameda Post. Contact her via [email protected]. Her writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Jean-Chen.
