The California Department of Veterans Affairs is set to review two sites for a potential location for a veterans cemetery in Irvine, the latest in a series of moves to decide where the cemetery will ultimately be built.

CalVets will perform studies – which are required per Assembly Bill 368 – on both sites: The ARDA site, which is located on Irvine Blvd., on the northern edge of the Orange County Great Park and the golf course site, which is located on Great Park Blvd. near Skyhawk Road. 

The studies, which will be funded by $700,000 set aside for CalVets in the state budget, is said to determine which site will be the most cost-effective to build a veterans cemetery.

Based on the results of the studies, the state will award the most cost effective site $24.5 million in funding, per a statement from California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The Irvine City Council voted 4-1, during the May 12 City Council meeting, to designate the ARDA site for the cemetery in response to a ballot initiative concocted by former mayor Larry Agran. 

However, prior to the council’s vote, Irvine City Attorney Jeff Melching pointed out that regardless of the council’s action on the initiative, the decision of the cemetery’s location would ultimately be made at the state level – after the studies on both sites have completed. 

“Whether it’s adopted tonight or voted in by the electors in November, the initiative doesn’t bind the property as long as it’s in the hands of the city,” Melching said.

“This study is a colossal waste of time and money at a time when the state doesn’t have money to waste,” Agran said during a phone call with Irvine Weekly. “This matter has already been decided by the people of the city of Irvine.” 

ARDA and Golf Course Sites

Some in the community, however, vehemently disagree with Agran and believe he is using the veterans cemetery – and veterans – as a political tool to help get back on the City Council. 

“Keep us out of the politics,” said U.S. Marine Corps Vietnam combat veteran Nick Berardino, president of Veterans Alliance Orange County (VALOR). Berardino said he is concerned that voters are being misled by Agran’s petition, which had about 17,000 signatures – but is less than 20 percent of Irvine’s voters.

“VALOR’s position is whichever one is more cost effective to state taxpayers, that’s where we want to build it – and the state is only going to build it on a site that they deem appropriate and in the interest of taxpayers,” said Berardino. He added that the state is doing the right thing by studying the issue because previous studies conducted by the state and city on the ARDA and golf course sites concluded that the golf course site would be approximately $40 million cheaper.

Irvine Mayor Christina Shea, who supports the cemetery being built at the golf course site, says Agran knew about the CalVet reviews all along, but did not wait for the reviews to gather signatures for a political petition. She too believes this move was a political strategy for his campaign.

“Larry should have waited,” Shea said. “He should’ve allowed this process to take place – he understood it. I think he did that from a political standpoint, he wanted to get people stirred up, believing that the ARDA site would be it, but he has failed to be honest with the public.”

“I want the public to understand that the ARDA site is not the final site, and that it’s still in motion,” she said. “It still could be overridden by CalVet – based on the standpoint if the golf course site is superior, [the state] will not be giving the $25 million to the ARDA site.”

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