Author Archives: Jeff Jardine
California Central Coast Veterans Cemetery to receive national honor for quality
SEASIDE – The Central California Coast Veterans Cemetery (CCCVC) in Seaside has been selected to receive the prestigious Organizational Excellence Award from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (USDVA). The cemetery, which opened in 2016, is operated by the California Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet). It was jointly developed and constructed by the USDVA, […]
CalVet officials participating in California Native American Day at State Capitol
Native American and soon-to-be Oscar recipient Wes Studi will be the keynote speaker September 27 during the 52nd annual California Native American Day, on the west steps of the State Capitol. The celebration of California Native American culture begins at 10 a.m. and concludes at 2 p.m. The event is open to the public, and […]
CalVet’s Veterans Homes now among nation’s best skilled nursing facilities
Before he accepted the appointment from Governor Brown to head the California Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet) in 2015, Vito Imbasciani MD made his rounds to some of the Veterans Homes of California. “I wanted to see what I was getting myself into,” he quipped. With decades of experience as a physician, including 27 as […]
Yountville Home vet recalls World War II POW days, now exercises his freedoms daily
YOUNTVILLE – Most mornings, Albert Freitas climbs aboard his “buggy” and motors down to the bus stop in front of the Veterans Home of California-Yountville. The 98-year-old World War II veteran loads the electric chariot onto a bus and heads to a busy shopping center a few miles away in Napa. There, he sips a […]
United States Air Force celebrates 72 years of flying solo as a military branch
The U.S. Air Force celebrates its 72nd birthday today. But this birthday hardly represents the birth of aviation in the U.S. military. That actually began during the Civil War, when both sides used hot air balloons for aerial reconnaissance. It instead recognizes the day the Air Force became its own branch, free of control of […]
Though created by state legislature in 1946, CalVet’s DNA can be traced back 135 years
(NOTE: This is the first in a series of stories that will detail the history, functions, and mission of the California Department of Veterans Affairs.) The California Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet) has served California’s veteran population in a variety of ways since its creation by the California State Legislature in 1946. CalVet provides varying […]
Veteran at CalVet’s Redding Home puts heart, paint brushes to work for Carr fire victims
REDDING – As the Carr fire raged through Northern California in July 2018, residents of the Veterans Home of California-Redding began painting signs for the men and women fighting the conflagration. Vietnam-era veteran and artist Michael VanCleemput, was among those who was asked to contribute. “I agreed, but I needed an inspiration for an appropriate […]
Veterans faring well in California’s longest job growth streak in decades
Labor Day – the day America celebrates its workers – offers an opportunity to see how our military veterans are doing in the California labor market. The answer? Quite well, it seems. The number of unemployed veterans in California declined from 65,200 to 20,800 between October 2015 and October 2018. The labor force, whether for […]
Disabled veteran and small business owners lose longtime advocate Angel Carrera
Disabled veterans and other small business owners lost a great friend when Angel Carrera died suddenly on August 14. Carrera, 67, spent four decades working for the state of California, administering the Small Business and Disabled Business Enterprise programs for the California Lottery and then for the Department of Transportation. He also worked as an […]
California Veterans Board adds three new appointees to advocate for veterans
With the appointments of Zoe Dunning, Ed Campbell, and Robin Umberg, the California Veterans Board has added three new members in 2019. Dunning and Campbell were appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom. Governor Jerry Brown appointed Umberg in December 2018. She was sworn in on January 2. The seven-member board hears appeals by veterans who were […]
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