Veterans Cemetery Timeline
2014
March 11, 2014 – Approved having a cemetery in the Orange County Great Park (Resolution 14-27)
The Council acted to:
1. Support the passage of State Assembly Bill 1453 for a State owned and State operated Southern California Veterans Cemetery in Orange County. Assembly member Sharon Quirk-Silva sponsored the bill; and
2. Express its strong interest in providing at least 100 acres of land in the OC Great Park for a cemetery.
Approved 4-1
Yes: Agran, Krom, Lalloway, Choi
No: Shea
July 22, 2014 – Approved designating the ARDA site for the State Veterans Cemetery (Resolution 14-92)
The Council acted to designate the ARDA site as the best possible site for a State Veterans Cemetery and to convey the property subject to all studies, procedures and agreements with the State and Federal governments.
Approved 5-0
Yes: Agran, Krom, Lalloway, Choi, Shea
September 27, 2014
Governor Brown signed AB 1453 that directed the State (CalVet) to work with the city to design, develop, construct, and equip a state-owned and state-operated Southern California Veterans Cemetery on the ARDA site and approved funding for the conceptual design work.
2016
June 2016
Owen Report issued. The State Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet) hired design and environmental consultants to evaluate the ARDA site for the development of a Veterans Cemetery.
2017
June 6, 2017 – Rescinded ARDA site for State Veterans Cemetery (Resolution 17-39)
The Council acted to rescind the designation of the ARDA site as the preferred site (see 7/22/14) for the Southern California Veterans cemetery, and instead pursue a land exchange with FivePoint of the ARDA site and the Bake Parkway site. Upon completion of a land exchange with FivePoint the city was to convey 125 acres of the Bake Parkway site for the purpose of creating a cemetery.
Approved 3-2
Yes: Wagner, Shea, Fox
No: Lalloway, Schott
2018
June 5, 2018 – Special Municipal Election / Voter Referendum on Measure B
Measure B asked Irvine voters if they support an ordinance approved by the City Council for a zone change to build a veterans cemetery near I-5 and Bake Parkway (strawberry fields/freeway site). This measure was put on the ballot through a successful initiative petition campaign. The signature drive turned in nearly 19,000 signatures. Result: 62.64% voted “No”. The “No” vote invalidated the previous councils approval of zoning text amendments that were initially approved by the City Council (see 6/6/17). No cemetery on the Bake Parkway site.
July 10, 2018 – Approved substitute motion to identify alternative cemetery sites and have city staff and commissions study ARDA
A motion was presented by Councilmember Lalloway, seconded by Schott, to reaffirm the City Council’s 2014 decision designating the Great Park ARDA site for the cemetery and to establish a demolition, cleanup, and site plan for immediate implementation consistent with the CalVet study approved in 2016. Lalloway placed this decision item on the Council agenda and cited the voter referendum that invalidated the Wagner, Shea, Fox preference for the Bakeway site. This motion could not be acted on due to a substitute motion proposed by Wagner and Shea.
Click here for the City Council Minutes for the list of public speakers and the Council agenda with the copies of residents written correspondence on Agenda Item 4.4.
Substitute Motion by Councilmembers Wagner and Shea
Councilmembers Wagner and Shea made a substitute motion to study the ARDA site further and also look for alternate cemetery sites, which was approved.
Approved 3-2
Yes: Wagner, Shea, Fox
No: Lalloway, Schott
July 16, 2018 – Joint Memorandum by Councilmembers Shea and Fox
Councilmembers Shea and Fox submitted a Joint Memorandum to the City Manager requesting that, in addition to studying the ARDA site, City staff also analyze the potential development of a cemetery on 100 acres of land known as the golf course site in the OC Great Park.
2019
July 23, 2019 – Approved designating golf course as the site for the cemetery (Resolution 19-76)
The resolution designates up to 100 acres of land in the golf course site in the Great Park as the preferred site for the State Veterans Cemetery. This resolution rescinds all prior resolutions in this timeline.
“The City Council directed the City Manager, with the assistance of the City Attorney, to immediately begin negotiations with the State of California on an agreement to transfer the Golf Course Site to the State of California, at no cost, once the State provides binding assurances to the City that there are sufficient funds available to remediate the entire site and to complete Phase 1 of the Southern California Veterans Cemetery.” FivePoint will contribute $18,000,000 toward the construction of the veterans cemetery on the golf course site in lieu of constructing the contracted golf course amenity.
Approved 4-1
Yes: Shea, Kuo, Khan, Carroll
No: Fox
August 12, 2019
Former Irvine Mayor Larry Agran filed an initiative petition with the Irvine City Clerk. If the initiative qualifies for the ballot and is passed by Irvine voters, it will designate and re-zone the 125-acre ARDA site for one use – a State built and State operated Veterans Cemetery.
September 12, 2019 – Assembly Bill 368 approved by Governor
“This bill would instead authorize the department to locate the cemetery at either a specified site in the Orange County Great Park in the City of Irvine, or at a site known as the Golf Course Site, as specified. The bill would require the department, after completing acquisition studies of each site, to consult with the Department of General Services to determine which site to pursue based on specified factors, including, among other things, the availability of each location.”
31 Comments
Bill Cook
November 3, 2019 at 3:05 pm“As the economic feasibility of a location is assessed, the availability of private, local and federal investment should be considered critical factors …. ” Gov. Gavin Newsom Of course, the Golf Course site now has $28 Million private / local available, thanks to generous and gracious FivePoint. ARDA has zip-squat-zero. Should be a no-brainer call for CalVet/DGS.
deefox
November 5, 2019 at 11:21 amThe Mayor of Irvine, Christina Shea, admits that she has no intention of building a Veterans Memorial Park and Cemetery in Irvine. She hosted a private meeting to solicit a plan to offer up another location as a “diversion”. Her reason: To give the ARDA site to developer, FIVEPOINT, for a fraction of what it is worth. FIVEPOINT plans to build a hotel, commercial buildings and will, no doubt, get approved to build more high rise apartment homes. This will further make Irvine much more congested than it already is and schools will be unable to handle the increased student population. For years Christina Shea has supported this developer. The entire Strader Family (contractor for FIVEPOINT) has donated money to her campaign fund and her last campaign was financed either directly or indirectly by FIVEPOINT and CEO Emile Haddad. The citizens of Irvine should be outraged that our Mayor is further allowing this developer to make billions of dollars at our expense. And, Christina Shea has no plans to add or modify existing roads to accommodate the significant increase in traffic that will impact our city. Christina Shea was APPOINTED Mayor Pro Tem by the previous Mayor, Donald Wagner. When he left office in the beginning of his term, Christina Shea AUTOMATICALLY became Mayor. She was not ELECTED by the people and she needs to go! Further adding to the corruption within the Irvine City Council is a lawsuit that is pending in San Francisco naming FIVEPOINT and Emile Haddad as defendants. This case is one of the largest coverups of serious industrial and radioactive waste on the west coast. Two homeowners are suing this developer for knowingly building homes on contaminated soil and that has, or will cause health problems and substantial loss of value of their homes. With this knowledge, (and the City is well aware of this lawsuit because I sent them a copy), it is the duty of a Mayor to refrain from dealing with any company or individual that could potentially put their City in jeopardy. As public servants, City Council members are to refrain from dealing with any person or business who has even a hint of improprieties. But this Mayor, not only solicits for FIVEPOINT and receives donations, she brings motions before the council on their behalf and includes herself in the vote! CHRISTINA SHEA NEEDS TO GO!
deefox
November 5, 2019 at 11:33 amThe never-studied, diversion “Golf Course” site will require years of studies and approvals. The approvals alone will take 3 years as outlined in the last City Council meeting. This means construction of the Veterans Cemetery will once again be delayed indefinitely. Meanwhile, we have the original ARDA site that has gone through the studies and approvals and has funding ready to begin construction. It is pretty obvious what’s going on here with this city council!
Bill Cook
November 6, 2019 at 8:40 amIt is often deceptively mis-stated that ARDA has gone thru “studies and approvals”. Agran is ‘caught’ on video spinning this BIG LIE while harassing shoppers for petition signatures.
ARDA has no approvals, not from City, State, or VA. None. Zip. Zero. OWEN is not an approval, only a concept plan required for a place called ‘Irvine’ in the VA grant queue (read it for an explanation).
As the voluminous screed above demonstrates, ARDA is all about hate and spite. A Veterans Cemetery on the ARDA site serves to block FivePoint rights as originally negotiated by Larry Agran himself. Any alternate site (Strawberry Field, Golf Course, Gypsum Canyon) sets off a tantrum.
“VETERANS” are used as a pitchfork for this manure. Despicable, disrespectful, disgusting.
AB368, which WATCHDOG supported, calls for a CalVet/DGS site evaluation and decision. To all but the ARDA-blinded, it will be a no-brainer.
Irvine Voter
November 8, 2019 at 11:14 amDee Fox is a chronic filer of FPPC complaints with her comments above and ALL have been immediately dismissed. Most everything she says above has been repeatedly proven false and her constant comments and complaints are little more than harassment. She used to be focused on Melissa Fox, but lately has turned on Christina Shea. Dee, being appointed is is no way less legitimate than being elected (which Shea was to the Council) and is in fact the law of Irvine. The Mayor Pro Tem becomes the Mayor in the case of a vacancy. You may not like Shea, but your constant allegations that she isn’t legitimately the Mayor are not based on facts.
Bill Cook is correct that you are incorrect on the ARDA. If it has been “studied” and “approved” please settle this once and for all and provide the readers of this site with a link to the study and approval. We will wait…
deefox
November 8, 2019 at 12:18 pmMARCH, 2014
Approved having a cemetery in the Orange County Great Park (Resolution 14-27)
The Council acted to:
1. Support the passage of State Assembly Bill 1453 for a State owned and State operated Southern California Veterans Cemetery in Orange County. Assembly member Sharon Quirk-Silva sponsored the bill; and
2. Express its strong interest in providing at least 100 acres of land in the OC Great Park for a cemetery.
Approved 4-1
YES: AGRAN, KROM, LALLOWAY, CHOI
NO: SHEA
JULY, 2014
Approved designating the ARDA site for the State Veterans Cemetery (Resolution 14-92)
The Council acted to designate the ARDA site as the best possible site for a State Veterans Cemetery and to convey the property subject to all studies, procedures and agreements with the State and Federal governments.
Approved 5-0
Yes: Agran, Krom, Lalloway, Choi, Shea
SEPTEMBER, 2014
Governor Brown signed AB 1453 that directed the State (CalVet) to work with the city to design, develop, construct, and equip a state-owned and state-operated Southern California Veterans Cemetery on the ARDA site and approved funding for the conceptual design work.
JUNE, 2016
Owen Report issued. The State Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet) hired design and environmental consultants to evaluate the ARDA site for the development of a Veterans Cemetery.
THEN SHEA KILLED IT!
(I know this was stated already but I felt the need because I guess you did not see it.)
You take my facts and twist them to make them your facts. The last council meeting stated the Golf Course site has to go through the whole process of studies and approvals, minimum of three years. Are they lying? You can go to the Irvine City Website and watch the video’s of all previous city council meetings.
“but your constant allegations that she isn’t legitimately the Mayor are not based on facts” … where did I state that? I said she was APPOINTED Mayor and was NOT ELECTED BY THE PEOPLE. That is a fact.
Care to comment on her video that she is upset about being made public? She hosted a PRIVATE MEETING with select members from the community to solicit her FIVEPOINT deal. CHRISTINA SHEA stated that the Golf Course site is just a DIVERSION so the ARDA site doesn’t become home to a Veterans Memorial Park and Cemetery. How much more clearer does it get? By the the way, care to state your name, Irvine Voter? Let’s see some of that Irvine City Council transparency.
Irvine Voter
November 9, 2019 at 5:47 amPerhaps you are genuinely confused and don’t understand that “expressing strong interest” isn’t an approval that allows a project like a cemetery to be built. Nothing you cute is an approval. An “approval” means that a traffic study was done, that environmental work was done, that money was allocated sufficient to build the project, etc. What you refer to is typical of Larry Agran’s decade of control of the Park, he would pass “expressions of strong interest” and then tell people he was building a Park or an unbuild able canyon and then people like you or Mary Ann Gaido would go out and repeat the lies to everyone else. The fact of the matter was that he wasted most of $200 million dollars on political and PR consultants and never designed anything that could be actually built. You have not stated an “approval” which would permit the building of a cemetery, you have pointed to PR stunts by Agran.
The bill author, Sharon Quirk-Silva said:
“The Irvine Council voted 4-1 to support the Golf Site.
I visited the Golf Site and believe it will cost much less to build this cemetery, than at the ARDA site.
Many, many established veterans groups support the Golf Site.
The council just voted to rezone the ARDA Site for small retail and some recreation. There will be no houses built and no hotels built at the ARDA site now.
Neighboring schools, and many homeowners have voiced that they are against the ARDA site.
There is an active street, Cadence, that would go right through the cemetery.
The gun salutes for veterans at funerals, could cause stress to school children.
There are many buildings and some historical/culture buildings that would need to be removed on the ARDA site.
The price of the ARDA is not fully funded.
Getting the ARDA site built and open would take much longer than the Golf Site.
With all of this information, I have decided to amend my bill. The new language will state, that the site for the veteran’s cemetery would be the Golf Site. In addition, it will state that Cal Vet, will move forward with a site analysis, as soon as possible.”
Pretty clear Dee.
And I’m not giving my name precisely because of your known propensity to file harassment claims with the FPPC which are immediately dismissed.
Bill Cook
November 10, 2019 at 10:48 amAll that timeline is water under the bridge, along with the ludicrous parsing of the “approval”.
This now comes down to the decision of CalVet, as directed by Newsom’s signing statement.
“ …the availability of private, local and federal investment should be considered critical factors …. ”
The Golf Course will be funded, thanks to generous FivePoint. Easy call for CalVet there. The ARDA lacks private funding and is prohibitively expensive.
“….the availability of each location.”
What is available? The City’s intentions are clear, the Golf Course will be offered. Another easy call for CalVet.
Funded and available = Golf Course — Not funded, not available = ARDA
The deceptive petition being peddled by liars in sky blue tees seeks to remove by zoning manipulation the ‘availability’ of the golf course, to cut off the legislated selection by CalVet . Sleazy tactics to be sure. Their signs and tees, if truthful, would say “We must keep FivePoint off the ARDA!”.
deefox
November 10, 2019 at 2:51 pmI find it interesting that the APPOINTED Mayor, Christina Shea, hosted a “private meeting” and only invited select members from the Irvine community to promote her latest scheme with FivePoint. To know that our Mayor is using a supposed “Golf Course” ONLY to divert attention away from ever getting a Veterans Cemetery should have every person outraged! From the Veterans to the families of Veterans who have been waiting to bury their loved ones ashes, such as myself. She ignored the last vote from 63% of us and she is still scheming to act on behalf of her benefactor! She was caught on video, called out on it by a private citizen, and unable to defend her actions, she tried to shame the private citizen. Who does that?
Irvine Voter
November 11, 2019 at 9:35 amThere is Dee Fox again attacking Mayor Shea, the ELECTED Councilwoman for nonsensical claims.
1. She was properly appointed after a vacancy according to the Charter of the City of Irvine. There is nothing remotely questionable about that.
2. The meeting was a meeting of Great P{ark residents because they are directly affected by the location of the Cemetery. Would you like them to determine what goes behind your back wall?
3. Veterans are not outraged because they know the truth. The golf course site is fully funded and can be built, the ARDA site CAN NEVER be built because there aren’t sufficient funds. The Governor and the Bill Author both have stated this. You are either not listening or purposefully ignoring the facts.
4. the 63% number is totally irrelevant. 28,638 voters (out of 131,000 voters, so just under 22% of the registered voters of Irvine) voted against a zone change and land swap. NOT 1 VOTER voted for the cemetery to be on the ARDA site because that wasn’t an option under Measure B. You can repeat Larry Agran’s lies in every one of your social media posts, but it doesn’t make any of them true. 102,000 voters didn’t agree with your position enough to vote for it.
5. Is the private citizen you are talking about Kevork Abazajian? The guy who came in 5th for City Council? He’s hardly disinterested. He’s a political opportunist who has now attached himself to Agran because he had no chance of wining alone.
Your repeating of the same nonsense over and over is very tiring.
deefox
November 10, 2019 at 3:11 pmBy the way, Christina …. care to comment on the major lawsuit pending against FivePoint? How is that going to affect Irvine should they be found guilty of building homes on toxic land? If our home values go down, who are you going to blame next? Please don’t use that same auditing firm that you used before because I believe they are being sued as well. I welcome your comments and sorry to hear about your issues with transparency. You may want to bring that up at a council meeting.
Bill Cook
November 10, 2019 at 6:56 pm“63% of US” spiteful Agranistas turns out to be only a mere puny 7% of Irvine voters, including those deluded by propaganda into thinking they actually were voting FOR a Veterans Cemetery, that killed the monumental Strawberry Field Veterans Cemetery for all 130,000 Orange County Veterans.
7% that’s all. And you act proud of that? Shall I tell you what OC’s Veterans think of your Irvine? You can guess.
And still you failed – Measure B did not deliver ARDA, as implied, promised, intended, or whatever you call it.
AB368 also did not deliver ARDA. AB368 will deliver the Golf Course.
The same ARDAlie zone-manipulating scheme is afoot once again, now dressed in Veteran-insulting cute baby blue tees.
Will Irvine be made fools again?
Scott Hansen
November 10, 2019 at 10:30 pmHi, Regarding former Mayor Agran’s petition, I found it difficult to find the actual petition online. The Irvine City Clerk kindly provided me a copy last week. The City Attorney’s summary is here: https://adobe.ly/2Q6JrUY. The full 30+ page petition is here: https://adobe.ly/34OSttw
I have not signed the petition and am not promoting it. But I do feel the public should be able to study the actual petition and summary. My initial impression is it’s largely a technical zoning measure.
deefox
November 11, 2019 at 8:47 pmPosted today:
“Ironically, today — Veterans Day (November 11, 2019) — was the scheduled date for the official opening of the Veterans Memorial Park & Cemetery. Instead, Irvine residents are turning to direct democracy to stop Mayor Christina Shea from her relentless campaign to delay, derail, and defeat the Veterans Cemetery at the ARDA site in the Great Park. Shea prefers the City-owned site be handed over to developer FivePoint through an unprecedented 99-year lease for massive commercial development.”
Irvine Voter: It’s easy to lie when you don’t identify yourself. Christina Shea was NOT elected by the people and EVERYONE knows that. Spin the facts however you want. Why won’t you address the Lawsuit pending with FivePoint? And what about her admitting on video that the Golf Course site is just a diversion tactic. Those are facts and you won’t even address them. And the ARDA site is the ONLY site that can be built faster than any other site. The City Council stated it would take at least 3 years with the Golf Course site and you didn’t bother to address that either. So again, you lie either because you just don’t understand or, you think you can get away with it.
deefox
November 11, 2019 at 9:08 pmBill Cook: We all know we are here today because Christina Shea voted against the funding for the ARDA site. She TRIED to strike a deal with FivePoint for the ARDA site and she failed. Then she went AGAINST the voters and is still trying to fight us from getting a Veterans Cemetery. We would have a Veterans Cemetery today but Christina Shea is more interested in money than what the voters want. And somehow, she still blames other people for where we are today … so very sad.
deefox
November 11, 2019 at 9:21 pmHere is something I researched awhile back and just thought I would share it again…it is a bit long but it explains what went on with the Audits of the Great Park from beginning to end…
CHRISTINA SHEA
State Accountancy Board (SAB) Issues Critical Report of Irvine Great Park Audits Initiated by Christina Shea Right before a 2014 Election
The California Board of Accountancy (CBA) issued a scathing report on two separate audits of spending and contracts for Irvine’s Great Park and is recommending the accounting firm that performed the audits, Hagen, Streiff, Newton & Oshiro (HSNO), have its license suspended.
HSNO, contracted by Christina Shea, reviewed spending and Great Park development contracts awarded between July 2005 and December 2012. The firm released the audits in two phases: the first in January 2014 and the second in March 2015.
Agran was on the City Council and the Great Park Board of Directors during the time of the first audit and was criticized by HSNO for underestimating the cost of developing the Great Park. The CBA report found problems with HSNO’s claims that Agran misled the public on the true cost of developing the Great Park. . . .”HSNO faulted Mr. Agran for asserting that the Great Park ‘could be built for $401 million.’ But, Mr. Agran never stated that the Great Park ‘could be built for $401 million,’” reads the CBA report.
But former Irvine Mayor Larry Agran, whose political career was damaged by the Great Park audits because Christina Shea was on a mission to smear his name in order to position herself as Major.
According to the CBA, the HSNO accounting firm violated numerous public accounting standards. There aren’t any criminal findings in the report, but the board is recommending HSNO reimburse the state an unspecified amount for the cost of the over two-year long Board of Accountancy investigation and pay an administrative penalty. It’s also recommended HSNO and its lead accountant in the audits have their accounting licenses revoked, suspended or restricted.
One finding by HSNO said $38 million was missing from the Great Park’s funds, but that was disputed by city staff at the January 2014 City Council meeting. HSNO’s Chris Money was the lead accountant in both audits.
“A city employee recounted her conversation with Money that HSNO’s analysis of this issue was outside its scope of contract, and informed the City Council that the money was in a required RDA (Redevelopment Agency) set-aside account. Money agreed that explanation was ‘perfectly good,’” the CBA report reads.
HSNO withdrew its first audit in March 2015, when it issued its second audit report. Money didn’t comment on the state Board of Accountancy report and referred Voice of OC to the firm’s Los Angeles-based attorney, Randall Dean.
Agran was critical of the HSNO’s audits and largely attributes the firm’s “misconduct” and “incompetence” to his unsuccessful bid for City Council reelection in 2014. “It was obviously intended to be a political hatchet job from the beginning and that’s what it was,” Agran said. “It was very damaging” to his 2014 re-election campaign, which he lost.
Howle’s report also found Irvine didn’t follow its policies in choosing the accounting firm and found “little evidence that the subcommittee that oversaw both phases of the performance review of Great Park contracts added value. As a result, Christina SHEA spent about $1.7 million related to the park review in a manner that compromised the review’s credibility.”
Part of the $1.7 million cost is for Irvine-based law firm Aleshire & Wynder, which helped with the second phase of the audit and issued its own report. The CBA report didn’t address any of the law firm’s claims, instead focusing only on HSNO’s two audits.
Agran accused Shea of orchestrating the HSNO audit which led to findings that ultimately sank his reelection chances in 2014. He said the CBA report, along with the auditor’s 2016 report, helps back up his claim that the Great Park audits were intended as a political assassination against him.
“Evidently, this was what it appeared to be at the start — a political hatchet job engineered by Christina Shea,” Agran said, adding that all funds and contracts were accounted for, despite auditor’s findings.
“Again, you might have disagreed with various park policies and programs, but all of those were authorized by the full board and there were no unauthorized expenditures or unaccounted for funds. Not one single penny,” Agran said.
The costs of the audit went from $240,000 to $1.7 million. CHRISTINA SHEA doesn’t seem to care about the costs. The only way she figures she can win at ANYTHING is to take the other person down . . . and when she can’t find anything she will hire someone to lie for her. She knows she can’t justify her actions so she makes things up and lies to anyone who will listen and not ask questions.
CHRISTINA SHEA – ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
“For all those who keep bringing up Larry Agran, here is a little refresher about CHRISTINA SHEA …
“Trouble comes in twos” as Christina Shea is launching yet another re-election campaign. Shea finds herself under investigation by two State agencies for misconduct in public office.
State Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC)
Earlier this year, it was reported that the State Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) had initiated an investigation to determine if Christina Shea had violated the State’s conflict of interest laws. The FPPC probe was triggered by revelations that Shea had pressured City staff for special hurry-up approval of renovation plans and construction permits for Irvine-based KIA Motors, while at the same time she was being paid as much as $100,000 per year as a KIA Motors consultant.
In recent weeks, Shea claimed that the Irvine City Attorney had written an opinion exonerating her. As it turns out, the City Attorney DID NOT exonerate Shea; he did not even address the question of whether Shea’s conduct was in violation of State law; his memorandum only spoke to issues of Irvine City law, which of course are not the basis for the FPPC probe.
CHRISTINA SHEA is under investigation by the State Auditor, who has been directed by the State’s Joint Legislative Audit Committee to look into allegations of abuse of power and misuse of public funds in connection with the Shea-led “forensic audit” of the Great Park.
In what critics called a “two-year, $1.5 million political witch hunt masquerading as an audit,” Shea failed to find even $1 in unauthorized spending or $1 in unaccounted for funds at the Great Park. Instead, taxpayer dollars were used to issue subpoenas, take endless depositions, and target political opponents.
Misuse of public funds for political purposes is a serious offense under State law, potentially punishable as a felony. The State Auditor’s report is expected later this summer.”
Bill Cook
November 13, 2019 at 2:00 pmWow! Super two-page spread in INSIDE IRVINE pages 48 & 49 (available via city’s website). Cemetery Update! Take a look!
ARDA costs how much? No private contribution? It is not in the Great Park? It does not have CEQA? It is next to an elementary school? No approvals? ARDA obviously the clear loser of a location.
What snake-oil benefit are those faux vets in the cute baby blue tees peddling? I can’t recall!
deefox
November 14, 2019 at 12:44 amhttp://irvine.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=73&clip_id=4758&meta_id=96778
Copy and paste the link above and you will see the overwhelming support of Irvine residents for the ARDA site! This is the Great Park Meeting on July 23, 2019. Irvine residents know what’s going on and know the history of this Mayor and her associations with FivePoint and StarPointe Ventures. Here are just a few of the comments from local citizens who have done their research.
1. The Great Park is suppose to be a Great Park, not a Great Development.
2. The Mayor needs to recuse herself from voting on matters that involve FivePoint, like this cemetery deal.
3. The ARDA site is 2,200 ft from Portola High School and across the street. The cemetery will be surrounded by massive trees and very secluded. It is very unlikely that the school will hear anything.
4. Christina Shea states it will cost $92 million for the ARDA site when the City’s own records state $62.7 million. She also neglects to say that the State has budgeted 24.5 million for the 1st year of construction.
5. FivePoint “promise” of $10 million is just that, a “promise” … there is no legal obligation … FivePoint could go out of business and then we would be right back to square one.
6. The utilities are already in place at the ARDA site. The Golf Course site has to share with adjoining residential.
7. The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) has already been approved for the ARDA site, but not for the Golf Course site.
8. The ARDA site is 125 acres of ideal land for a cemetery, Golf Course is 80-100 acres and has to use part of the Cultural Terrace. Also, the Golf Course site does not have the required two ways in and two ways out. The roads will have to be shared with residences.
9. 30% of the Golf Course site perimeter is considered a “dead zone” due to poor shape and layout constraints.
10. The ARDA site will cost $2.5 million for demolition and asbestos removal which will take 120 days. The contamination consists of removing leaded soil and will cost $4 million.
The contamination for both sites, whether it exists or not, is not known. It would require the soil to be tested 15 ft underground and neither site will have this done.
An Irvine resident had FUSCOE Engineering do a site comparison and they stated it would cost $54 million for the ARDA site and take 2 years to complete construction. The Golf Course site would cost $60 million and take 3-4 years.
I urge people that have not been to a City Council Meeting to watch this video. It portrays Christina Shea as a very vindictive person who will not listen to the people. She doesn’t know how to conduct herself in a civil manner and interrupts public speakers. It is clear to see why there is now a RECALL for her and her hand-picked puppet, Michael Carroll. WE NEED TO GET THESE COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT WERE NOT VOTED IN BY THE PEOPLE OFF THE DAIS!
deefox
November 14, 2019 at 1:36 amAlso, interesting to note, Bill Cook doesn’t even live in Irvine. And, neither does Emile Haddad of FivePoint Communities AND neither does Patrick Strader of StarPointe Ventures.
Bill Cook
November 14, 2019 at 10:03 amWhen ARDA was ‘chosen’ – I made the motion, at the second ad-hoc site selection committee meeting, Jeff Lalloway then quickly gaveled me down as out of order (these meetings were intended to stall, not select) – we were in desperate need of any site as a legislative placeholder. ARDA was all that was available of old MCAS El Toro at the time. Nothing anointed about it.
With Cadence Blvd already in place and bisecting it, we knew then it was an unqualified location. But we wanted to get a State of California SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA VETERANS CEMETERY into the vocabulary with the passage of AB1453.
(OWEN report: “The design in this Concept Plan has not been reviewed by USDVA and that having the site bisected in two and having two separate entrances present a challenge to the operation of the cemetery …” USDVA: “Cemeteries established under the grant program must conform to VA-prescribed standards and guidelines for site selection, planning and construction. Shape – Uniform boundaries, undivided by roads or easements ….”)
Councilman Larry Agran saw in this an opportunity to void the Amended and Restated Development Agreement, a deal that HE cut with FivePoint. And he pounced. He used us, we used him.
SCVC on ARDA festered going nowhere – no plans, no approvals, no money, certainly no opening date. With FivePoint blocked, there was no need for progress.
As we expected, more desirable and qualified superior SCVC locations were presented, and met with howling opposition by the now ousted Larry Agran and his infamous Fishwrapper.
And why does he insist on only ARDA? Promised? Beautiful? Aircraft Museum? Lies. (“we must keep FivePoint off that land!”) ARDA will never become a Veterans Cemetery, regardless of how it is zoned.
Sacrificing your Veterans in this spite-charade is repugnant, shameful, despicable, disgusting, and disrespectful.
Scott Hansen
November 16, 2019 at 6:37 amI sense some confusion about former Mayor Agran’s proposed “ARDA” Initiative, which is a limited zoning measure. I feel it is strong at preventing future commercial development on the “ARDA site. I feel it’s weaker at getting a Veterans Cemetery built there. Here is the City Attorney’s summary of the Initiative: https://adobe.ly/2XkdeuA. Here is the full Initiative: https://adobe.ly/32P2Egr
My reading of the zoning Initiative is that it would not:
* ensure a Veterans cemetery or memorial park will be built on the ARDA site
* require the City to spend money on the ARDA site
* require the City to transfer the ARDA site to the State (needed to be a State Veterans cemetery)
* start construction on a cemetery any time soon
* establish a particular design for a cemetery
* establish an air museum or maintain a runway
In fact, on P. 28 of the Petition, Section 3-37-40 9.1(C), a Park and public park facility are permitted uses. A community facility is a conditional use. So under this Initiative, the City doesn’t have to build a cemetery. It could build a park and community center – they’re both permitted uses. If the school district, nearby residents, and/or parents of school kids bring suit against an ARDA cemetery (some have already said they will), the City may choose just that: build a park on ARDA. And then no Veteran’s cemetery at all.
Bill Cook
November 16, 2019 at 4:49 pmThank you Scott. Conclusion: Buildtheveteranscemetery.org is a fraud. Those snake-oil peddlers in the baby blue tees are selling a lie.
deefox
November 19, 2019 at 2:08 amThrough a series of backroom deals, in April Councilmember Christina Shea became the first UNELECTED Mayor of Irvine in more than three decades. She filled the vacancy in the Mayor’s seat when Mayor Don Wagner was elected to the Orange County Board of Supervisors.
Since becoming Mayor, Shea has promoted her own controversial agenda, which most notably includes doubling-down on her 5-year crusade to defeat the Veterans Memorial Park & Cemetery at the ARDA site in the Great Park. Her crusade continues even after the State has budgeted millions to build, operate and maintain the Veterans Cemetery, at no cost to the City of Irvine.
In a stunning move, Shea sent a letter to Sacramento legislators on City letterhead (co-signed by Emile Haddad, CEO of developer FivePoint) in an attempt to block Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva’s bill, AB 368 (which will establish the ARDA site at the Great Park for the Southern California Veterans Cemetery so that — with the City Council’s approval — construction can begin later this year). Assemblymember Quirk-Silva called Shea’s letter “extremely irregular” saying that the State Veterans Cemetery project should not be driven by developer interests.
And here we are today. A Petition that will by-pass the City once and for all and re-zone the ARDA site as ONLY a Veterans Memorial Park and Cemetery. $24.5 million from the State in first-year funding has been budgeted for the ARDA site and there will be no additional cost to taxpayers.
There is now a RECALL from a group of concerned Irvine Residents for Christina Shea and Mike Carroll. And, FYI … Mr. Agran did not start this RECALL, it is from a coalition of residents that have had it with this Mayor and her personally selected puppet, Mike Carroll. So, who are you going to blame now and what is their Agenda, other than getting two unelected corrupt council members from working for FivePoint instead of the people of Irvine. FivePoint spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to help re-elect Shea in 2016 and she has been soliciting for them ever since.
Care to dispute the facts…I am ready.
*Bill Cook does not live in Irvine and does not support the will of the majority of Veterans in Irvine. That was apparent at the July 23rd council meeting where many, many Veterans spoke out in support of the Original ARDA site and told Shea to stop trying to defeat this city from ever having a Veterans Cemetery!
deefox
November 19, 2019 at 2:52 amScott Hansen – I can see why you are confused. Your opinion does not make any sense. The Petition is to re-zone the ARDA site, ONCE AND FOR ALL, as a Veterans Memorial Park and Cemetery. This Petition will by-pass the City Council and go directly to the State. The State will then authorize the City to begin constructing the cemetery immediately. That was Shea’s fear if the deal she has with FivePoint does not go through. (This fact is from her own words on video) I suggest you do your due-diligence instead of listening to Cook, who is Christina Shea’s pocket buddy. And if you are going to start a baseless rumor about a lawsuit, throw out some names. I don’t think a non-resident alien will spend the kind of money it would take to sue the State of California over a Veterans Cemetery. Why would ANYONE dispute a Veterans Cemetery ANYWHERE? That is just un-American!
Irvine Voter
November 20, 2019 at 9:22 pmDee,
Your ignorance is awe-inspiring. City zoning does not “bypass” the City ever under any circumstances.
You are also wrong that the State will authorize the construction if the initiative passes because it is ONLY HALF FUNDED. You yourself ask why anyone would oppose a Veterans Cemetery anywhere yet you oppose the one at the Golf Course site.
I could mock you, but I think you have done a good enough job yourself…
deefox
November 19, 2019 at 2:55 amBill Cook
November 20, 2019 at 1:06 pm• The buildtheveteranscemetery.org petition will NOT build a Veterans Cemetery.
• It will NOT build a memorial garden.
• It will NOT establish an aircraft museum.
• It does NOT require the City to transfer any land to the State.
• It does NOT by-pass the City. (deefox: “This Petition will by-pass the City Council and go directly to the State. The State will then authorize the City to begin constructing the cemetery immediately”)
• The City (or any City) will NOT construct a State Veterans Cemetery.
• It will NOT provide any funds, or require any expenditure from the City or State.
• It IS another deceptively described Agran zone-manipulation that has only a negative outcome
• If passed it will effectively terminate the possibility of any Veterans Cemetery ever on old MCAS El Toro.
• buildtheveteranscemetery.org is a BIG LIE using VETERANs as the pitchfork for their manure.
IRVINE VOTER BEWARE
deefox
November 21, 2019 at 1:47 amIrvine Voter or should I say, Christina Shea . . . YOU are the one that said it! You stated in YOUR video that we (and by “we” you were referring to yourself and FivePoint) have to offer this Golf Course site as a diversion because if we don’t, then we will have the State coming in and the ARDA site will become a cemetery, and we will have no choice. So are you calling yourself a liar?
And why are you refusing to explain why we would want a Golf Course site that will take twice as long to build? Is it because you really have no intention at all of giving the Veterans a cemetery? And why are you going against 63% of the Irvine voters who want it at the ARDA site? Is it because you are bought and paid by FivePoint Communities and you have no intention of supporting the people of Irvine? Why is this the THIRD site you are so desperately trying to sell us? It is quite clear wants going on here and you are an embarrassment to our City. If you refuse the people, then you need to go! Sign the Petition People to have CHRISTINA SHEA and her hand-picked puppet, Michael Carroll, RECALLED!
deefox
November 21, 2019 at 2:17 amBill Cook: I guess you don’t read much…even your buddy Christina admits to Funding of the ARDA site. If you lie about one thing, you lie about everything.
(Google: Utube Christina Shea)
Bill Cook
November 21, 2019 at 9:28 amI’ve read, and done it all for the SCVC from the beginning. There is/never was funding for more than a concept study of ARDA. $500K for the OWEN report. No ARDA construction funding, unlike Strawberry Field, which would be just about ready by now except for your gang of despicable clowns.
The Roseberry and Dr. Kev comic hack YouTubes? Dr. Kev is a “payed” professor at UCI who wants to become mayor and does this lame stuff?
“If you lie about one thing, you lie about everything.” sSeems you just stepped in your own Agranista poop.
deefox
November 22, 2019 at 8:28 amApril 12, 2016
The Irvine City Council voted to reaffirm its 2014 actions to support the establishment of a State Veterans Cemetery on a 125-acre parcel of City-owned land known as the ARDA, and to aggressively pursue support at the State and Federal levels. The goal of commencing cemetery operations was identified to begin on or before Veterans Day 2019.
April 4, 2017:
The City Manager was directed to deploy all appropriate resources authorized and specified in the Veterans Cemetery motion adopted by the City Council on April 12, 2016. Additionally, convey to the Governor’s office, CalVet, and appropriate members of the State Legislature, the City’s offer to guarantee local funding of up to $40 million.
June 6, 2017:
The City Council adopted Resolution 17-39 (by a 3-2 vote) to: rescind its designation of the ARDA Site and designate the Bake Parkway/Strawberry Fields site in a land-swap with FivePoint Communities.
This was the beginning of the Shea and FivePoint scheme to take away the ARDA site and prevent us from ever getting a Veterans Cemetery….and she is still trying to sic other locations, any location, EXCEPT the ARDA site. Now why do you suppose that is? She is a very vindictive person and doesn’t care what 63% of the Irvine voters want….and now she is being RECALLED! Sign the Petition!
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