The city of San Juan Capistrano in California has a zoning regulation that requires a Conditional Use Permit for regular gatherings of 3 or more for religious, nonprofit or fraternal organizations in a residential area. Officials have interpreted that rule to justify a citation against a couple for holding regular Bible studies in their home. The couple is appealing the fines they have received. The LATimes reports:
City spokeswoman Cathy Salcedo declined to be interviewed by The Times. But in a brief email, she was emphatic the city does not prohibit home Bible studies.
Instead, the Fromms' case, she wrote, is about when a residential area has been transformed into a place where people regularly assemble.
"The Fromm case further involves regular meetings on Sunday mornings and Thursday afternoons with up to 50 persons, with impacts on the residential neighborhood on street access and parking," she wrote.
The Fromms are being represented by Pacific Justice Institute, whose President says in a statement:
An informal gathering in a home cannot be treated with suspicion by the government, or worse than any other gathering of friends, just because it is religious. We cannot allow this to happen in America, and we will fight as long and as hard as it takes to restore this group’s religious freedom.
