BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                  AB 2309
                                                                  Page  1

          CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
          AB 2309 (Fletcher)
          As Amended  July 1, 2010
          Majority vote
           
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          |ASSEMBLY:  |71-0 |(May 10, 2010)  |SENATE: |34-0 |(August 11,    |
          |           |     |                |        |     |2010)          |
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           Original Committee Reference:    V.A.  

           SUMMARY  :   Updates the Military and Veterans Code to rename  
          various veterans homes operated by the California Department of  
          Veterans Affairs (CDVA).  Specifically,  this bill  provides that  
          within CDVA there are the following Veterans Homes of  
          California:

          1)A Veterans Home of California, Yountville, situated in Napa  
            County.

          2)A Veterans Home of California, Barstow, situated in San  
            Bernardino County.

          3)A Veterans Home of California, Chula Vista, situated in San  
            Diego County.  This bill provides that this veterans home  
            shall also be known as the "John Smith Memorial Veterans  
            Home."

          4)A Veterans Home of California, Lancaster, situated in Los  
            Angeles County. This bill provides that this veterans home  
            shall also be known as the "William J. 'Pete' Knight Veterans  
            Home."

          5)A Veterans Home of California, Ventura, situated in Ventura  
            County.

          6)A Veterans Home of California, West Los Angeles, situated in  
            Los Angeles County.

           EXISTING LAW  provides for the establishment and operation of the  
          Veterans Home of California at various sites, and declares that  
          there is in the California Department of Veterans Affairs (CDVA)  
          a Veterans Home of California, Yountville.









                                                                  AB 2309
                                                                  Page  2

           AS PASSED BY THE ASSEMBLY  this bill was substantially similar to  
          the version passed by the Senate. 

           FISCAL EFFECT  :   None

           COMMENTS  :   John Smith's service to the veterans' community  
          included working with over a dozen veterans' organizations on  
          the local, state and national levels.  In 1981, John Smith was  
          one of the original founders of Vietnam Veterans of San Diego,  
          now Veterans Village of San Diego, which serves to help not only  
          homeless veterans, but all of the region's military veterans and  
          their families through a wide variety of outreach programs.   
          John Smith was a Special Representative for DVA, with Public  
          Affairs responsibilities at the California Veterans' Home in  
          Chula Vista.  Prior to this dual assignment, he was the first  
          Director of Volunteer Services for the Chula Vista Veterans'  
          Home.  After developing the Volunteer Services Department, he  
          then volunteered to take on the additional responsibility of  
          Chief Fundraiser for the Veterans' Home.

          CDVA has a mission "to provide the state's aged and/or disabled  
          veterans with rehabilitative, residential, and medical care and  
          services in a home-like environment at the California Veterans  
          Homes."

          The Chula Vista Veterans' Home is located on a 30-acre site off  
          Telegraph Canyon Road, adjacent to Sharp Chula Vista Medical  
          Center, the Veterans' Home of California, Chula Vista, is the  
          only veterans' home located in coastal, urban Southern  
          California.  Completed in May 2000, VHC-Chula Vista is a 400-bed  
          long-term care facility providing options for domiciliary -  
          independent living, licensed residential, and skilled nursing  
          care.
           

          Analysis Prepared by  :    Eric Worthen / V. A. / (916) 319-3550 
          
          
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