Pressure is mounting for Gov. Gavin Newsom to expedite construction of Orange County’s first veterans cemetery after state staff said they’re set to study the issue again and would not commit to a timeline for when they would break ground, during a contentious state legislative hearing convened at Anaheim city hall.
Hundreds of veterans and their supporters packed city hall on Friday, hoping for certainty that the project is moving forward from state and county staff working on the issue.
What they got instead was confusion and outrage when no one could answer their questions, with state staff telling them to wait for another study coming in June 2026 for more answers.
“Our people are dying!” said Nick Berardino, president of the Veterans Alliance of Orange County, interjecting in the midst of the hearing. “I’m not afraid to speak the truth.”
Speaking to reporters afterward, Berardno echoed many sentiments in the room, noting “They slapped every veteran in the room today.”
Nancy Soltes, a gold star mom who spoke at the hearing, turned back around from her seat at the hearing speaking directly to CalVet and Department of General Services staff in the audience and said they should “be ashamed of themselves,” after they spoke.
“They should be ashamed,” she said in an later interview with Voice of OC.
While different leaders blamed different things for the delay at a hearing discussing the project, they all agreed on one thing: it’s time for Gov. Gavin Newsom to order the state to take over the 156 acres of county land set aside for the cemetery in Gypsum Canyon and get construction moving.
State Assemblymembers Sharon Quirk Silva and Avelino Valencia said Newsom needs to order the California Department of Veterans Affairs, also known as CalVet, to take over the site by January or they will introduce a bill to.
“There’s definitely fatigue and frustration.” Quirk-Silva said in an interview after the event. “That will at least make it real.”
Those comments were backed up by county Supervisor Don Wagner, one of the biggest proponents for the cemetery at the county level.
“I’m very disappointed,” Wagner said after the hearing. “The next steps are with the governor.”
Dozens of veterans reiterated that Newsom needs to take over the land in comments at the end of the meeting, calling the state’s current actions a “filibuster,” and saying calling on their commander in chief to get a move on it.
“The longer we wait, the more it’ll cost,” said Brian Heyman, a vice president from the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 756 in Long Beach. “Get the governor on board.”
While Newsom has signed off on several bills moving the cemetery forward, he’s never visited the site, and his office has regularly rerouted requests for comment on the project to CalVet.
Discussions for a veterans cemetery started back around 2012. Yet local debates over where it should go and delays in funding have hamstrung the project for years, despite county and state leaders setting aside over $55 million for the project in their budgets.
[Read: When Will Orange County Veterans See Ground Breaking on a Cemetery?]
The movement picked up support the last few years when county leaders offered up a parcel of land in Gypsum Canyon, just off the 91 Freeway and 241 Toll Road, which got approval for federal funding earlier this year.
[Read: [OC Veterans Cemetery Gets on Federal Funding List, Faces Priority Hurdle]
It’s also being built alongside a public cemetery, the first one built in Orange County since 1896.
Tim Deutsch, general manager of the OC Cemetery District, said they’re looking forward to working with the state and that they’re hoping to save money by splitting costs for shared utilities like electricity and new roads for the site.
“We’re the little engine that could,” Deutsch said. “There will be cost savings for both entities.”
But state staff say that splitting is complicating the process, and there’s no deal currently in position for them to split the costs, waiting until June for a new study.
Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs Roberto Herrera declined to comment on the project after the meeting, and Jason Kenney from California Department of General Services said it wasn’t up to their department when the state takes over the land.
Kenney also said there’s no final estimate in place for how much money the project could end up at, pointing to a $120 million estimate from 2023 but noting it was likely no longer accurate due to several changes.
Noah Biesiada is a Voice of OC reporter. Contact him at nbiesiada@voiceofoc.org.
Related