California Environmental Quality Act: exemption: Gypsum Canyon Veterans Cemetery.

Assembly Member Quirk-Silva's legislation exempts the planned Gypsum Canyon Veterans Cemetery in Orange County from California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requirements through 2030, aiming to expedite construction of a facility serving the state's largest county without a veterans cemetery. The exemption applies only if the cemetery constitutes a less intensive land use than analyzed in a 2005 environmental impact report and its impacts were evaluated in a 2024 addendum to that report.

The bill responds to formal resolutions from Orange County and all 34 of its cities supporting the cemetery's development at Gypsum Canyon, where the county has deeded 200 acres to the Orange County Cemetery District. According to the bill's findings, Orange County houses over 90,000 veterans and multiple military bases, yet lacks a dedicated veterans cemetery despite multiple legislative measures since 2014 aimed at establishing one. The Veterans Alliance of Orange County, representing various veterans organizations, has endorsed the project.

The legislation includes an urgency clause for immediate effect upon passage, citing the pressing need to provide burial grounds for county veterans. While local agencies must determine whether activities qualify for the CEQA exemption, the bill specifies that no state reimbursement is required, as agencies maintain authority to levy fees covering associated costs. The Orange County Board of Supervisors, Cemetery District, and Department of Veterans Affairs continue collaborating on development and operational planning for the facility.