For the past several years, a group of residents led by former Mayor Larry Agran have used veterans to settle a personal grudge with the developer of the Great Park. Specifically, it is alleged that while Agran was leading the Great Park’s development he and his team were responsible for wasting millions of dollars and mismanaging the Great Park’s development. Agran’s political career consequently came to an abrupt end.  

Because of the loss of funds, alleged waste and mismanagement, and the state’s termination of redevelopment funding, it became necessary for a private developer to step in and complete the Great Park. Since then, the former mayor and his followers have done everything they can to exact revenge on the private sector developer. They have stopped at nothing to get back at their rivals, including actions which would prevent veterans from having a veterans cemetery in Irvine.

We all know that deception, sadly, is a frequent tool in politics, and most of us have unfortunately come to accept this. But using veterans as part of the cemetery deception is appropriately viewed as unconscionable by most Americans. Yet the former mayor and his supporters continue to promote this unconscionable deception.

They have been actively circulating petitions (for the second time) to move the proposed cemetery to an area in the Great Park footprint that will cost taxpayers approximately $91 million (the so-called ARDA site). The current widely supported site (the so-called “golf course site”) will only cost taxpayers approximately $51 million. The governor only approved $25 million for the cemetery, but fortunately for veterans the Great Park developer is willing to contribute around $26 million for the golf course site. This generous donation fully funds the cemetery at the golf course site.

The governor was very clear and even reduced to the legislative requirements for Irvine to receive the $25 million from the state for a veterans cemetery.

The golf course site meets all the governor’s requirements, while Agran’s proposed $91 million ARDA site meets almost none of the requirements. In simple terms, it is totally disingenuous to promote the $91 million ARDA site as a possible location for a veterans cemetery.

The fact that the Agran petition would deprive veterans of their well-deserved cemetery has not stopped the petitioners from continuing to seek their petty political revenge on the developer. In fact, they have weaponized the recall process against two of the four brave and patriotic council members who have stood up to the former mayor and his anti-veterans cemetery supporters.

These council members have simply obeyed the law as set forth by the Legislature and the governor regarding the state’s requirements to build a veterans cemetery. These two public servants made a conscious choice to patriotically stand shoulder to shoulder with the brave men and women who have sacrificed so much to protect our great country and democratic principles. For this act of patriotism, they have been subjected themselves to this vicious recall effort by the former mayor.

We veterans ask you to stand shoulder to shoulder with the American Legion, VALOR (Veterans Alliance of Orange County), Southern California Memorial Park Foundation, Veterans Democratic Club and thousands of veterans and tell your friends and neighbors not to sign the petitions being circulated in front of grocery stores that will result in denying veterans their final resting place.

God bless each of you and God bless America!

Nick Berardino is president of the Veterans Alliance of Orange County (VALOR).

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