Church says California zoning law infringes on religious liberty

Representatives for Anchor Stone Christian Church on Thursday urged the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California to allow the church to meet in its building. The city of Santa Ana, California, last year denied the church a permit to conduct religious services at a property it owns in the city southeast of Los Angeles. The congregation in February filed a federal lawsuit against the city and is represented by First Liberty Institute and the law firm O’Melveny & Myers.

What is the history of the case? Anchor Stone began as an in-home prayer group in 2018 for first-generation Chinese and Taiwanese Americans in Orange County. By 2022, the church had grown to 50 members and bought a vacant office building, according to First Liberty. Church leaders spoke with city planning officials before purchasing the building to ensure they would receive the permit to hold services and authorities confirmed they would be able to use the property. The city then rejected Anchor Stone’s permit application and denied an appeal to the planning commission. According to the lawsuit, the church has lost at least $575,000 over the last two years as the building sat vacant.

Have federal officials said anything? The U.S. Department of Justice earlier this month filed a statement of interest in the case, siding with the church. Federal officials said zoning practices that unfairly limit the assembly of faith-based groups violate federal laws. The church argued that the city’s decision violated the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act. That law protects people and religious institutions from discriminatory land use regulations.

Dig deeper: Read Steve West’s report in WORLD Magazine about the church’s fight to use its property.