The recent coordinated resignation from the Santa Clarita Veterans Services Collaborative reeks of political theater, not genuine concern for veterans. Let’s be clear about what’s really happening here: Failed politicians are manufacturing controversy to stay relevant, and they’ve chosen to attack a man who has spent decades serving both his country and community.
Jeff Stabile is a veteran who dedicated his life to this nation and then continued that service by keeping the Veterans Center’s doors open five days a week when volunteer support evaporated. The alternative? Closing the facility that serves over 2,000 veterans and their families annually. The board unanimously chose to compensate Stabile rather than abandon the veterans who depend on these services. That’s not financial mismanagement, that’s commitment to mission.
Let’s talk about who’s possibly leading this charge. Denise Lite, a failed political candidate who can’t seem to find a role she doesn’t resign from or get removed from. This is the same person who went from divorce lawyer to removed planning commissioner to now, surprise, resigning from yet another board. Is this who wants to represent us on the City Council? Someone whose main contribution to Santa Clarita appears to be creating chaos wherever she lands?
And then there’s Dr. Harleen Grewal, the dentist recently making headlines for (joking about) withholding pain medication from patients based on their political affiliation. The irony of her claiming ethical high ground while facing her own professional integrity is laughable.
Here’s what’s particularly telling: The resignation letter specifically calls out payments to PFLAG SCV and NAACP SCV, conveniently ignoring all other expenditures, I’m assuming. Why these two organizations? Is it really so hard to believe that the Santa Clarita Valley has both queer and Black veterans? Do they not also deserve resources? This selective outrage from Republican board members says everything about their true motivations. They needed a distraction from their party’s implosion with a disgraced dentist in their ranks, so they manufactured one.
The facts paint a different picture than their dramatic resignation letter suggests. Fifty-five percent of funds went to direct program services, over $123,000 since 2019. The Veterans Center provides disability claims assistance, housing support, crisis intervention, food pantry access, and partnerships with established organizations like the Veteran Peer Access Network. These aren’t “token services.” They’re lifelines.
The center arranged temporary housing for homeless veterans, secured an RV for a transitioning veteran, and provided hotel accommodations for a veteran and his service dog. All of this happens because people like Jeff Stabile showed up to do the work when others wouldn’t.
This coordinated attack isn’t about financial transparency. All nonprofit tax returns are public record and have been available all along if those who resigned cared to do their research. This is about political opportunism, wrapped in concern for veterans who are actually being served.
Our veterans deserve better than to be used as pawns in political games by people desperate for relevance. The Veterans Center will continue its mission despite this manufactured controversy, because real service doesn’t require a press release. It just requires showing up.
Cheryl Corriveau
Valencia
