1260-1266
MILITARY AND VETERANS CODE
SECTION 1260-1266
1260. As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise indicates: (a) "Political subdivision" means any city, county, district, or other local governmental agency. (b) "Governing body" means the board of supervisors in the case of a county, or the city council or board of trustees or other governing board in the case of a city, district, or other local governmental agency. (c) "Veterans' association" means any association or organization which is composed solely of persons who served honorably in time of war or in time of peace in a campaign or expedition for service in which a medal has been authorized by the government of the United States, as members of the armed forces of the United States, or who as citizens of the United States served honorably in time of war as members of the armed forces of any nation whose government was allied with the United States during that war, and which is organized for patriotic, fraternal, and benevolent objects. 1261. Any political subdivision may lease any lot or building or part thereof belonging to it and not required for public use, for not exceeding twenty years, or may acquire and lease or sublease any lot or building or part thereof for not exceeding twenty years, to a veterans' association organized in such political subdivision, to be used for the purposes of such veterans' association. The rental shall be fixed by the governing body of the political subdivisions, and may be nominal in amount. 1262. Any county may provide, maintain or provide and maintain buildings, memorial halls, meeting places, memorial parks, or recreation centers for the use or benefit of one or more veterans' associations. For these purposes the board of supervisors of any county may: (a) Purchase, receive by donation, condemn, lease, or acquire real or personal property necessary for such buildings, memorial parks, or recreation centers, and improve, preserve, manage, and control the same. (b) Purchase, construct, lease, furnish, or repair such buildings, and provide custodians, employees, attendants, and supplies for the proper maintenance thereof. (c) Clear, grade, plant, irrigate, fence, and improve such memorial parks, or recreation centers, and provide custodians, employees, attendants, and supplies for the proper maintenance thereof. (d) Furnish sites for such buildings to be built by or for such organizations, and furnish sites for the erection thereon of such buildings, the funds for which are supplied by county authorities or from other sources. Any part or portion of any public lot, block, or park may be used for such purpose. (e) Levy a special tax pursuant to Article 3.5 (commencing with Section 50075) of Chapter 1 of Part 1 of Division 1 of Title 5 of the Government Code, and spend the proceeds for the purposes of this chapter. (f) Establish a fund for the purposes hereof, and transfer from the General Fund to such fund such moneys as the board deems necessary. (g) Incur, in the manner provided by law, a bonded indebtedness on behalf of the county for any of the purposes hereof. (h) Join with any incorporated city in the county in the accomplishment of the above purposes and to that end hold jointly with such city all property acquired, and expended money in conjunction with such city in accomplishing the above purposes. Title to any property jointly so acquired by a county and a city may at any time be conveyed by either of the joint owners to the other without consideration other than to carry out the purposes of this section. (i) Join with memorial districts in the purchase, acquisition, or construction of memorial halls, assembly halls, buildings or meeting places, or in the accomplishment of any other purpose for which a memorial district has been organized, using the funds authorized to be raised by this section. Title to any property so purchased, acquired, or constructed may be taken in the name of the memorial district, or jointly with the county, or the county may convey any property so acquired, purchased, or constructed to the memorial district without consideration to the county. The board of supervisors may transfer to a memorial district funds raised pursuant to this section to be expended by the district in furtherance of the purposes of the district under terms and conditions consistent with the purposes for which the funds were raised. 1262.1. Not to exceed 50 percent of any funds accumulated in, transferred from or accumulated by transfer from, the General Fund pursuant to, and for any of the purposes authorized in, Section 1262 for expenditure within an area or community may be contributed to any water district, sanitation district or other district or public agency encompassing or lying within the county for use by such district or public agency for construction or improvement of a water supply or water distribution facility or a sewage collection system or a sewage treatment facility servicing or designed to serve a community or area within such district or public agency, when it is found by a four-fifths vote of the board of supervisors to be in the best public interest and in the best interests of such community or area. The remainder of such funds so accumulated shall be expended within such community for one or more of the purposes authorized in Section 1262, and in connection therewith a plaque shall be placed and maintained in an appropriate public place commemorating veterans from and residing in the area and reciting appropriate credit for the community public facility to which such funds were contributed. The contributions authorized by this section may be made notwithstanding and independent of any other provision of law regarding or limiting county expenditures for such purpose or county contribution to such districts or agencies for expenditure for such purposes. 1263. Any money which is made available by the State to any political subdivision for the purposes of acquiring and constructing public buildings may be used for the purposes of this chapter. 1264. The governing body maintaining any facilities constructed or maintained pursuant to this chapter may provide for the use of such facilities by persons or organizations other than veterans, either free of charge or for stated compensation to aid in defraying the cost of maintenance, for any purpose not inconsistent with the continued use pursuant to this chapter, when such use will not unduly interfere with the reasonable use of the facilities by veterans' associations. 1265. The board of supervisors of any county may sell real property contiguous to an existing cemetery which it acquired for the purposes of Section 1262 to the owners of a private cemetery upon terms and conditions mutually agreed upon, but which shall require the buyers to use such property exclusively for the burial of veterans or widows of veterans. Sections 25524 to 25537 of the Government Code do not apply to a sale made pursuant to this section. 1266. Whenever a county has provided, maintained, or provided and maintained any building, memorial hall, meeting place, memorial park, or recreation center for the use or benefit of one or more veterans' associations, pursuant to Section 1262, the provision of that facility and its acceptance by the veterans' association constitutes a dedication of that property to a public purpose, and the county may not revoke the dedication, so long as the veterans' association has not violated the terms and conditions of the dedication, unless it dedicates substitute facilities or unless the veterans' organization has either consented to the proposed county action or has abandoned its use of the facilities.