Irvine City Council moves to expand veteran services | New University

The Irvine City Council unanimously passed a motion to expand veteran services and resources for the city during their meeting on Jan. 27.

The motion, introduced by Vice Mayor James Mai and Councilmember Melinda Liu, directs the city to expand support for veterans by incorporating services into existing and planned city infrastructure while also surveying the possibility of a dedicated veterans resource center in the future. 

As part of this effort, the motion calls for “veteran-focused programming” to be included in the planned Center for Healthy Living under Irvine Cares Initiative.

The city council has been in the process of developing a Center for Healthy Living under Irvine Cares, a broader city program focused on housing and community well-being. The center was inspired by the Melinda Hoag Smith Center for Healthy Living in Newport Beach — an initiative to tackle accessibility to health services from dentistry to mental health resources. 

The joint motion comes only weeks after Mai proposed a separate motion for a municipal columbarium that would give preference to veterans during a meeting on Jan. 13. That proposal was indefinitely tabled at the request of Liu after extensive council debate over whether it violated city zoning laws.

The motion was the latest development in a decade-long struggle to establish Orange County’s first veterans cemetery, which has since been allocated to Gypsum Canyon, a decision approved by Anaheim’s City Council in July 2024.

While introducing the new motion, Mai emphasized the importance of supporting both memorial efforts and living veterans.

“I want to express my full support for continued efforts around the Veterans Memorial, Veterans Garden, and Memorial Park or Memorial Walk,” Mai said during the Jan. 27 meeting. “And just as importantly, I want to explore meaningful ways we can expand services for veterans who are currently living and may be in need.”

Orange County is home to approximately 130,000 veterans, making it the fourth-largest veteran population in California. The city of Irvine adopted a Marine battalion from Camp Pendleton in 2007 “to make a difference in the lives of the military personnel and their families.”

“Irvine has a rich military history and a large veteran population and our city supports the 211

Marine Battalion at Camp Pendleton through its 211 Marine Adoption Committee.” Liu said at the meeting. “It’s our duty as a city to support them in any way we can.”

Liu added that the motion outlines a two-phase approach. The first phase would immediately leverage the Center for Healthy Living for near-term resources, while the second would initiate an exploratory process to develop a longer-term vision for a veterans resource center in the city.

Public commenters also addressed the council, including Irvine resident Byron Salvatierra, a U.S. Army Reserve veteran. He described serving a tour in Baghdad, Iraq, and struggling to transition back to civilian life after returning in 2004. 

“My family moved here to Irvine in 1984. At the time, the closest support center was outside city limits,” Salvatierra said. “I firmly believe that if we had a veteran services center here in Irvine, that barrier to entry would have been lower.”

Another speaker, Eric Nishanian, urged the council to focus its efforts on the veterans cemetery. 

“We need to build that cemetery,” Nishanian said. “That’s where the support should be coming from our council members, to support the existing voter’s initiative.”

Nishanian was referring to a 2014 citizen-led initiative that designated the Amended and Restated Development Agreement as the site for a veterans cemetery, as well as a 2018 referendum in which 62.6% of voters opposed changing the location.

Liu also highlighted a collaboration with organizations including Valor, The American Legion and UC Irvine as part of the city’s broader effort to expand veteran support. She pointed to UC Irvine’s Veteran Services Center, which provides services and programming “focused on recognition, inclusivity and accessibility” for its military students.

According to Liu, UC Irvine’s Veterans Office has expressed support for expanding its services beyond the campus to help serve the wider Irvine veteran community.

The motion passed unanimously, 7–0.

Areesha Hasan is a News Intern for the winter 2026 quarter. She can be reached at hasanaf@uci.edu.

Edited by Annabelle Aguirre