Controversy in Huntington Beach, CA over Church and City Zoning Codes

December 31, 2002

Source: Los Angeles Times

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/orange/la-me-sprinklers31dec31.story

On December 31, 2002 the Los Angeles Times reported that "Praise Christian Center... has been forced outside because of a zoning battle that has caught the attention of several national religious and conservative organizations. Praise Christian held services inside a converted warehouse at American Landscape Supply on Goldenwest Street until it was ordered from the building because of city zoning codes... The yearlong dispute between the tiny church and the beach city could become a classic standoff, said Erik Stanley, an attorney with Liberty Counsel, a Florida-based organization specializing in defending religious civil liberties. He said the city may have violated the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act that says local governments cannot "substantially burden" the free exercise of religion through zoning laws."