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tFy <br />RECEIVED <br />E <br />MAP ® 9 2014 <br />To: City Manager Sean Joyce <br />CITY OP I)tVW <br />From Councilmember Larry Agran CrN MANAGER'S OFFIC13 <br />Date: March 3, 2014 <br />Re: A Resolution in Support of AS 1453, Establishing a State Veterans <br />Cemetery in Orange County <br />Please agendize the above - indicated item for City Council discussion and action, 1 <br />intend to offer the attached Resolution for Council consideration and adoption at our <br />March 11, 2014 meeting, <br />Sharon Quirk - Silva, former Mayor of Fullerton and now State Assemblywoman for the <br />65th District, recently introduced Assembly Bill 1453 — legislation to establish a State <br />Veterans Cemetery in Orange County. <br />Assemblywoman Quirk - Silva, whols Chair of the Assembly Committee on Veterans <br />Affairs, has undertaken this bipartisan effort with strong support and leadership offered <br />by the Orange County Veterans Memorial Park Committee, chaired by Bill Cook, <br />Chaplain for District 29 and Past Commander of Saddleback Valley Post 862 of the <br />American Legion. The veterans and others have made clear their interest In <br />establishing the Veterans Memorial Park and Cemetery at the Orange County Great <br />Park (formerly MCAS El Toro), on a parcel of land of at least 100 acres. <br />Of course, the introduction of AB 1453 in Sacramento is just the first step. Many <br />challenges lie ahead — gaining legislative approval, the Governor's signature, budget <br />appropriations, and securing federal grant funds to pursue a specific proposal for a <br />Veterans Cemetery at the Great Park. <br />Essential to ultimate success is an outpouring of support locally — from Orange <br />County cities and citizens. Irvine should be at the forefront of this effort, It is difficult to <br />imagine a more poignant final resting place for veterans — thousands of whom served <br />at MCAS El Toro in wartime and peacetime, dating back to 1943. <br />The Great Park Master Plan, honoring the extraordinary history and service associated <br />with El Toro, calls for a Veterans Memorial at the Great Park. Now, we have a chance <br />to establish a Veterans Memorial and Cemetery at the Great Park. <br />Attached you will find my proposed Resolution of Support, as well as a copy of AB <br />1453, which is expected to be heard by the Assembly Committee on Veterans Affairs <br />within the next 45 days. <br />cc: City Council, City Clerk <br />I A,r ,,n <br />55D -23 <br />