Gov. Jerry Brown on Saturday signed legislation establishing what would be the first veterans cemetery in Orange County on 125 acres of Irvine’s Great Park, formerly the El Toro military base.
The bill, introduced by Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva, D-Fullerton, appropriates $500,000 for the state Department of Veterans Affairs to complete preliminary design work and directs the department to seek federal funds to cover the cost of construction.
According to Quirk-Silva, a veterans cemetery in Orange County is badly needed because the one in Los Angeles is at capacity and there is a lengthy wait for veterans to be buried in Riverside County.
The Irvine City Council voted unanimously in July to provide the Great Park acreage for the proposed cemetery.
— Staff and wire report