Five Vietnam Veterans from Central California were honored in Washington D.C. this past weekend. (Photo: manhhai)

This week’s California Veterans news roundup includes new legislative updates, a promising outlook on Veterans homelessness in a Central California county, and more.

Readers are encouraged to send Veterans-related stories to news@calegion.org

Statewide: California Veterans news

Bakersfield Veterans news

  • As of Saturday, U.S. Army Veteran Jose Lopez of Bakersfield has been sworn in as Kern County’s next Veterans Service Officer. 

San Luis Obispo County Veterans 

  • Stephen Leonard Champeau, Kenny Eatherly, Ernie Gonzalez, Robert Mollenkopf, and Charles Kirk Zirion were among Vietnam Veterans from Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties who passed away from complications due to their military service honored in a Washington D.C. ceremony sponsored by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund this past Saturday. 
  • Per the San Luis Obispo Tribune, Veterans homelessness in SLO County dropped from 144 to 16 between 2019 and 2022, making the county’s efforts some of the most successful in California. 

Recent Veterans articles & videos from California American Legion

Important Veterans & Military Holidays in June

Christian Southards
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.