BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                       



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          |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE            |                  SB 1003|
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                                 THIRD READING


          Bill No:  SB 1003
          Author:   Wiggins (D)
          Amended:  As introduced
          Vote:     21

           
           SENATE VETERANS AFFAIRS COMMITTEE  :  4-0, 4/13/10
          AYES:  Denham, Correa, Negrete McLeod, Cedillo
          NOES:  Wyland


           SUBJECT  :    Veterans Home of California

           SOURCE  :     Author


           DIGEST  :    This bill updates a section of the Military and  
          Veterans Code relating to the Veterans Home of California  
          to include all of the homes which are now completed and  
          operational.

           ANALYSIS  :    Existing law provides for the establishment  
          and operation of the Veterans' Home of California at  
          various sites, and for an administrator for each home or  
          homesite.  Existing law defines "home" to mean the  
          Veterans' Home of California, Yountville, and the Veterans'  
          Home of California, Barstow.  Existing law also defines  
          "administrator" to mean the Administrator of the Veterans'  
          Home of California, Yountville, and the Administrator of  
          the Veterans' Home of California, Barstow.  These  
          definitions do not reference the Veterans' Home of  
          California located in Chula Vista, the Veterans' Home of  
          California located in Lancaster, or the Veterans' Home of  
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          California located in Ventura.

          This bill:

          1. Adds the Chula Vista home to the definition of  
             California Veterans' Homes.

          2. Adds the Lancaster home to the definition of California  
             Veterans' Homes.

          3. Adds the Ventura home to the definition of California  
             Veterans' Homes.

          4. Adds the Barstow home administrator to the definition of  
             administrator for the veterans' home system.

          5. Adds the Chula Vista home administrator to the  
             definition of administrator for the veterans' home  
             system.

          6. Adds the Lancaster home administrator to the definition  
             of administrator for the veterans' home system.

          7. Adds the Ventura home administrator to the definition of  
             administrator for the veterans' home system.

           Comments  

          In 1884, land in Yountville was given to the state to  
          establish a home for Civil War and other veterans.  This  
          was the extent of California's involvement in veterans'  
          homes for over a century.  In the 1990s, it was decided  
          that a home system should be created.  In 1996, a home was  
          opened in Barstow followed by the Chula Vista Home in 2000.  
           Proposition 16 of 2000 sought to raise money for two homes  
          - one in Ventura and one in Lancaster.  It was later  
          decided the home system should ultimately be expanded to  
          eight homes.  Eventually, with the help of the federal  
          government, the two new southern California homes were made  
          part of the Greater Los Angeles and Ventura County project  
          (GLAVC) and a home in West Los Angeles was added at an  
          extreme cost of over $180 million or over four times the  
          cost of the Ventura and Lancaster homes put together.  The  
          end of 2009 saw the opening of the Ventura and Lancaster  







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          GLAVC homes.  The third GLAVC home, Los Angeles, is  
          expected to be completed in the summer of 2010.

          Section 1010 of the Military and Veterans Code defines the  
          home when referring to the veterans' home system as "the  
          Veterans' Home of California, Yountville" and "the  
          Veterans' Home of California, Barstow."  This bill updates  
          that definition to also refer to the three remaining homes  
          which have been completed and are now operational.

           Related Legislation  

          SB 1002 (Wiggins) is a companion measure which also updates  
          Section 1010 of the Military and Veterans Code to reflect  
          the current Veterans' Homes of California which are all  
          completed and operational.

           FISCAL EFFECT  :    Appropriation:  No   Fiscal Com.:  No    
          Local:  No

          TSM:mw  4/15/10   Senate Floor Analyses 

                       SUPPORT/OPPOSITION:  NONE RECEIVED

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