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Orange County’s first veterans cemetery is one step closer to getting built after Anaheim City Council members signed off on needed approvals, paving the way for a final resting place in Gypsum Canyon.
“What we’re doing tonight is something none of us get to do very much. And that’s something that’s bigger than us,” Veterans Alliance of Orange County President Nick Berardino said during Tuesday’s city council meeting.
Berardino, a combat Marine in Vietnam, added, “All of you have been so wonderful, so gracious, so thoughtful. God bless each of you, and God bless America.”
There’s also a much-needed public cemetery that will be built along with the veterans’ final resting place.
Tuesday’s approval clears the last major local hurdle state and county leaders faced, but there are still questions about the final price tag for both cemeteries and how those costs will be split between the two.
Veterans have been trying to bring a state cemetery to Orange County for over a decade, with years spent debating over multiple sites in Irvine.
Yet nothing panned out despite multiple studies, ballot initiatives and city council discussions.
[Read: How Did Irvine Fail to Build a Veterans Cemetery After Nearly a Decade of Debate?]
“The debacle in Irvine … it’s nuts,” Berardino said.
But in Anaheim, things went much more smoothly, with zero denials by city leaders or alternative sites since Gypsum Canyon was first proposed in 2021.
Council members unanimously approved both cemetery projects on Tuesday night.
Councilman Jose Diaz, a Cuban immigrant, blew off the few calls to return the cemetery to Irvine that came on Tuesday night.
“Irvine? That train left the station. It’s too late. You had your opportunity to do this, and you failed,” Diaz said.
“All this country said to me was we want you to be a good citizen and contribute to society,” he continued. “It didn’t cost me nothing to be free. But freedom is not free. We owe the veterans, the ones that provided freedom for me.”
Anaheim veteran Ron Bengochea said it would be a “gem” that needs to be built as soon as possible.
“I’ve lost a lot of brothers that want to be in this cemetery,” Bengochea said during public comment “But what a great place it’s going to be. This is just awesome.”
The efforts for a veterans cemetery overlaps with the county cemetery district’s plan to set up a cemetery at Gypsum Canyon, the first new public cemetery in over a century.
[Read: Orange County is Running Out of Burial Ground in Public Cemeteries]
Tim Deutsch, director of the Orange County Cemetery District, thanked the veterans who came to the meeting and again highlighted the need for another public cemetery.
“We will be running out of casket space for all county residents, possibly effective in the fiscal year 2025/26,” Deutsch said. “I have the privilege tonight to try and carry out this community benefit.”
The biggest question still hanging over the project is how much the state and county will each pay for the infrastructure costs at the site that make up a large chunk of both project’s budgets.
While Orange County and Sacramento officials agreed to split the cost, there is still no agreement on what that final share will look like.
Deutsch said there’s no hard date yet for when the veterans cemetery will be coming, his department plans to break ground with the public cemetery by September 2026 regardless of the state’s plans.
Mayor Ashleigh Aitken clarified that the county would be required to include a section of the land for veterans even if it came later, then praised the opportunity to dedicate “hallowed ground” to those who served the nation.
“We have the opportunity to have a sacred place within our city to pay tribute to the brave men and women who have given so much to our country,” Aitken said. “It’s also going to be a place of sober reflection for their family members where they can gather and honor their legacy.”
Bill Sandlin, a Vietnam veteran who’s been pushing for the cemetery for years, said he hopes he’ll still be alive by the time they finish construction.
“I’m old,” he said. “Let’s get this done.”
Noah Biesiada is a Voice of OC reporter and corps member with Report for America, a Ground Truth initiative. Contact him at nbiesiada@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @NBiesiada.
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