IT'S TIME FOR GOVERNOR TO PUT UP.

Recently, the governor again vetoed funding of the voter-approved construction of the Veterans Home in Lancaster. As he has done before, he has invented new, unsubstantiated excuses for his actions.

All political excuses aside, the facts are clear. The Lancaster site was selected by three different governor's commissions and one governor's task force - all charged with finding new sites for veterans homes.

Finally, the voters statewide overwhelmingly approved the construction of the veterans home in Lancaster.

The 20-acre site in Lancaster has met or exceeded all of the requirements and specifications demanded by each of the commissions as far back as 1992.

Now the governor wants to change the rules. Either the governor is receiving erroneous information, or he does not understand the information that he is getting.

As if the governor's latest veto of the new veterans home wasn't enough of an insult to our veterans community, the governor's political cronies at the California Department of Veterans Affairs have released more ``detail'' to further defend the governor's actions. Sadly, we must again point out the errors in the governor's ways.

One of the CDVA's excuses is that the Lancaster veterans home site is not within close proximity to a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs medical center. The fact is that the site is approximately 56 miles to the USDVA hospital in West Los Angeles and even closer to the USDVA Sepulveda Ambulatory Care Center.

Both of these destinations are within an hour's driving time and even closer via helicopter in an emergency, although in a dire emergency we would expect the veterans home to send residents to one of the three hospitals in Lancaster, which are all within a five-mile radius of the home.

Secondly, the CDVA claims that ``health care facilities in the area have experienced problems in hiring and retaining qualified nursing staff.''

The Antelope Valley Hospital alone employs close to 700 nurses and currently has only 10 nursing job vacancies, far better statistics than many other urban areas in the state.

Another phantom issue the CDVA raises is the distance the Lancaster veterans home would be from veterans' families and friends living in Los Angeles. It's shocking that the CDVA would raise this issue.

Their own report, Lancaster Veterans Home Demand Analysis, shows that within the acceptable 60-mile driving distance for relatives of veterans, there are roughly 700,000 veterans, 300,000 of which are eligible for residency at the home.

Further, the USDVA has identified that California needs more than 3,500 beds for veterans, clearly demonstrating additional homes are needed and should be supported.

Finally, the CDVA stated that it ``hopes ... that proximity to a USDVA medical center, availability of medical staff, and the convenience of potential home members have been considered by all ...'' and that ``the governor and the Legislature will determine where the next veterans home will be built.''

Wrong! Where has the CDVA been the last 10 years? All of this has been done. And, the voters have spoken. They demand the next home be built in Lancaster and another in Saticoy.

``Candidate'' Gray Davis promised the veterans community that his priority would be to build the Lancaster and Saticoy homes. Davis strongly supported Proposition 16, which provided funding to construct these homes.

Governor, no more excuses. Implement the will of the voters and build the veterans homes now!