A new license plate honoring California’s Women Veterans is now available through the DMV.
California Veterans news roundup: April 10, 2023
Our second roundup for April 2023 covers damage to a Veterans memorial on Stanford University’s campus, new affordable housing for homeless Veterans in San Diego, a new Veterans services center in the Bay Area, and more.
Readers can send veterans-related stories to news@calegion.org.
Statewide: California Veterans news
- On April 7, the VA announced that it had reached a collective bargaining agreement with the American Federation of Government Employees in hopes of retaining skilled employees and filling vacancies quicker, particularly as they relate to PACT Act claims.
- A new license plate designed by Vietnam Veteran Jan Kays is now available to Women Veterans in California. The development comes after the Foundation for Women Warriors first brought the issue to CalVet almost two years ago.
Kern County Veterans news
- The World War II Memorial in Bakersfield’s Jastro Park will be adding 173 names to its display next month. The additions are expected to be completed before an unveiling ceremony set for May 20 at 10 a.m.
- On June 20, Bakersfield’s Fox Theater will host the first Central Valley Veterans Film Fest. Three films honoring Kern County veterans will be shown, while a fourth is about a Veteran from Florida. Admission to the festival will be free.
Palo Alto Veterans news
- On Thursday, Palo Alto’s Historical Resources Board is conducting a study session on a damaged Veterans memorial at the Hostess House/Veterans Memorial Building found on Stanford University’s campus. California American Legionnaires investigating the issue found that the damage occurred sometime in 2020, but the property owner allegedly never disclosed the damage to the authorities despite a legal obligation to do so, as the property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The California Legionnaire will be covering this story as it progresses.
San Diego Veterans news
- Per NBC San Diego, a new housing project in Linda Vista will provide affordable housing for up to 95 homeless Veterans, among other young people at risk for homelessness. As noted by NBC, the project took over six years to complete, leading to a waitlist of nearly 2,000 people. The project highlights an issue many affordable housing projects geared towards at-risk Veterans face: long construction periods cannot keep up with demand.
San Francisco Veterans news
- On April 11, Bay Area Veterans service organization Swords to Plowshares will be hosting a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new Veterans Community Center, which will provide a variety of services for Veterans, such as support groups, meals, and more. Congressional Community Project Funding secured by Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), San Francisco Human Services Agency, and several philanthropic organizations all made contributions to the project.
Recent Veterans articles & videos from California American Legion
Important Veterans & Military holidays in April
- April 5 — Gold Star Spouses Day
Author: Christian Southards
Coming from a family with a proud military background and wanting to contribute his writing skills to a worthy cause, Christian began writing for the California American Legion in August of 2020. His father is a 25-year Army Veteran and his grandfather served in the Navy during Vietnam.