Los Angeles County has reversed a beach use policy it adopted that discriminated, unlawfully, against churches.
The American Center for Law and Justice announced the “crucial victory” in its battle to protect religious liberties.
“The ACLJ continues to fight for religious liberty across the nation, from small towns to major cities. This victory reminds us that when we stand firm and take decisive legal action, we can successfully defend the constitutional rights of believers everywhere,” the legal team said in an announcement about the dispute.
“This case illustrates a disturbing pattern we’re seeing with increasing frequency. Government officials at all levels – federal, state, and local – continue to test the boundaries of their authority by implementing policies that marginalize people of faith and religious organizations.
“Whether it’s limiting beach permits in California, denying funding to faith-based schools in the Midwest, or censoring religious speech in public forums across the country, the assaults on religious liberty have become more frequent and brazen.”
It was earlier this year, the Church of the Beach contacted the ACLJ. The legal team explained for 18 years, this ministry has conducted peaceful worship services on Redondo Beach, providing a spiritual community for beachgoers and local residents alike.
Some 120 people gather on Sunday mornings to worship, many specifically choosing the setting because they’ve had difficult or negative experiences in traditional church settings.
The beach, therefore, is a “crucial component of their ministry’s outreach to those who might never step foot in a conventional church.”
Its members ensure gatherings don’t obstruct pathways or block traffic, and even have relocated when events are on the beach.
Then last year the county adopted its “troubling” policy that targeted religious activities, limiting faith organizations to only six permits per year while imposing no such limits on other groups.
Last month, the ACLJ sent a demand letter to the county, outlining the policy’s violations of the First Amendment.
A response from the county Department of Beaches, just days ago, conceded, “DBH acknowledges that its Beach and Harbor Use Licensing Policy and other policies pertaining to access to beach use, on its face and in application, must be content neutral and applied in the same manner regardless of the religious or non-religious nature of the activity.”
The result is that the county promised to “immediately withdraw the temporary policy to limit permits for religious activities.”
All permits now will be handled the same way, it said.