Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva’s Orange County Veterans Cemetery bill was signed by Governor Newsom on Sept. 27. (Photo: Airman Crystal Housman, U.S. Air National Guard)
On Sept. 27, Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation that paves the way for the California Department of Veterans Affairs, or CalVet, to evaluate new sites for the proposed Southern California Veterans Cemetery.
California bill AB 1595, introduced by Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva (D-Fullerton), authorizes CalVet to study lands outside of the confines of the original legislation that required the cemetery be built at Irvine, provided that new recommendations are made by Orange County public or private institutions. Potential sites will be evaluated by “the feasibility and costs of construction.”
Essentially, the bill allows CalVet to consider Gypsum Canyon in Anaheim Hills for the veterans cemetery. If CalVet approves the site, the cemetery will be funded, owned, and operated by the state; however, a second provision of the bill allows local and county governments, along with private organizations, to donate funds towards construction and operating costs.
The Southern California Veterans Cemetery project in Orange County has been in the works for nearly a decade. Originally, a city park in Irvine was the chosen location for the cemetery, but years of funding and potential construction issues dissuaded proponents. After searching for new potential locations, a groundbreaking ceremony was held in Gypsum Canyon by hundreds of veterans and supporters.
It’s unclear how long CalVet’s study will take to approve or deny the new location. In the event that Gypsum Canyon is denied, CalVet can evaluate alternate locations proposed by Orange County.
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.