Orange County’s veterans cemetery that’s spent over a decade in limbo is finally in line for federal funding – but there’s a catch.
Right now, there are 26 other projects ahead of OC’s first veterans cemetery, according to a funding priority list unveiled by the federal Department of Veterans Administration on Wednesday.
It’s another hurdle for a project that’s faced an uphill battle for years, with plans for a cemetery in Irvine on the remains of Marine Corps Air Station El Toro fizzling out after years of political gridlock that pushed the project to Gypsum Canyon in Anaheim, just off the 91 Freeway.
[Read: How Did Irvine Fail to Build a Veterans Cemetery After Nearly a Decade of Debate?]
While it remains unclear how much money the cemetery will receive from the federal government or when that money will arrive, Nick Berardino, head of the Veterans Alliance of Orange County, hailed their place on the list as a step forward.
“For the first time, the Gypsum Canyon site has been placed on the U.S. Veterans Administration’s Priority List, confirming that the cemetery project has met every federal requirement for construction,” Berardino said in a written statement.
Expansion on projects for veterans in cities like Goldsboro, North Carolina and Dublin, Virginia cemeteries are ahead of Orange County on the list, alongside the establishment of new projects in states including Michigan, Texas, Alabama, New Mexico and Texas.
The Gypsum Canyon Cemetery is the highest priority project in California.
Berardino, who is a U.S. Marine combat veteran from the Vietnam War, also noted that “more work must be done in Washington” and called on Gov. Gavin Newsom to immediately take over the site and begin construction using the $55 million set aside by state and county leaders for the project.
“We call on California’s Commander-in-Chief, Governor Gavin Newsom, to immediately take possession of the Gypsum Canyon property,” Berardino wrote. “Doing so will allow California to honor its veterans and advance construction while federal funding efforts continue.”
While the land is currently owned by the county, they have to turn it over to the California Department of Veterans Affairs for construction so that it can be officially deemed a state veterans cemetery, a move county leaders have said they would welcome.
All five county supervisors issued statements on Wednesday morning calling for Newsom and CalVet to take over the property.
“Orange County veterans and their families have been fighting for this cemetery for over a decade,” said Supervisor Don Wagner, one of the proponents of the Gypsum Canyon site. “The time for progress is now. While the land is set aside, funding for this project needs to be secured and the Governor’s office can help to make this a reality.”
The project is set to be Orange County’s first and only veterans cemetery, something veterans have been calling for stretching back more than a decade.
Orange County is home to over 84,000 veterans, over one in three of which are 75 or older according to the county’s report on veterans released last month.
While Irvine leaders discussed making their own separate cemetery at the Great Park after nearly every veterans group in the county called to move to Gypsum Canyon, those plans were shot down earlier this year.
[Read: Irvine Again Rejects Veterans Cemetery Proposal in Great Park]
The news of the cemetery funding also comes as a replica of the Vietnam Memorial Wall will be displayed in the City of Orange this week as part of a tour around the country honoring the veterans who fought in the war, some of whom – like Berardino – have led the charge for the Orange County Veterans Cemetery.
[Read: The Wall That Heals Returns: Honoring the Americans Lost in The Vietnam War]
Berardino called for the cemetery’s funding to stay out of national political fights, urging lawmakers at the federal and state level to work together to get the project done.
“California’s veterans must not be caught in the crossfire of disputes between Sacramento and Washington,” Berardino wrote. “This project must move forward without delay.”
Noah Biesiada is a Voice of OC reporter. Contact him at nbiesiada@voiceofoc.org.