Obernolte applauds step forward for Barstow Veterans Home
The California Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet) has released their report on the Barstow Veterans Home in response to a hard-fought initiative by Congressman Jay Obernolte (R-Hesperia), local leaders and the Barstow community to save the facility.
Last year, Rep. Obernolte led an effort as vice-chairman of the Assembly Budget Committee to advocate for the Barstow Veterans Home, blocking an attempt to close it in Governor Gavin Newsom’s proposed state budget. The final budget passed by the Legislature instead included language added by then Assemblyman Obernolte requiring CalVet to hold a series of stakeholder meetings to study the issue and develop a plan for the future of the home to maximize its usage. The release of this report signals a major step forward towards protecting the veterans home from closure.
“Our veterans sacrificed everything to fight for our freedoms, which is why I have made it my mission to stop Sacramento’s attempt to try to close the Barstow Veterans home,” said Rep. Obernolte. “This facility is home to 200 of our local veterans, and while we should celebrate its safety for another year, there is more work to be done to ensure we protect it in the future. Our veterans deserve the care and respect their service has earned, and I will continue to fight for them and ensure they have a place to call home here in our community.”
Longtime High Desert public servant Beverly Lowry led the fight to secure the original funding for Barstow Veterans Home at its founding. She celebrates the work being done to keep it open now, saying, “The Barstow Veterans Home has been a point of pride for our community since we received the original funding 25 years ago. Its closure should never have been considered, and I hope that it can continue to serve our community well for years to come.”
The Barstow Veterans Home was opened in 1996 and is the only veterans home in the Inland Empire, a community with one of the highest concentrations of veterans in the state. The facility is also in close proximity to multiple military installations, including Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow, the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, the Twentynine Palms Marine Corps Base, the China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station and Edwards Air Force Base.
Rep. Obernolte is joined in his efforts to save the facility by San Bernardino County Supervisor and former 8th District Congressman Paul Cook, San Bernardino County Supervisor Dawn Rowe, former Barstow Mayor Julie Hackbarth-McIntyre, State Senator Shannon Grove, Assemblyman Thurston “Smitty” Smith, former Victorville Mayor Gloria Garcia and countless constituents in the Barstow community at large who wrote letters to CalVet encouraging them to keep the home open.