Couple: County Trying To Stop Home Bible Studies

[Dondi]

If that is the case, how did Johnny law get involved? Someone had to complain about traffic, some other issue to bring them in.

A one time party may violate some sort of zoning but most neighbors put up with it.

Face it, if it was an every tuesday night orgy or wife swapping or amway meeting or band practice and disturbed the neighbors on a regular basis someone would complain and the law would step in.

This has nothing to do with a bible study, they are just making it so.

The most frustrating aspect of this entire issue for Jones is that he feels the county officials are not telling the truth about the parking issue.
Jones said in all of the written and oral complaints over five weeks, nowhere has parking been mentioned. "None of it is on parking, all of it talks about a religious assembly...We've had hours of conversations, that's what it has been every time."

This is the issue right here. They approached the pastor on the religious assembly issue, not on a parking issue, which I think is disingenious. If parking was the problem, they ought to have said so.

And BTW, it may even come up that a bible study does not constitute a 'religious assembly', since the ordinance code states the definition:

1370 RELIGIOUS ASSEMBLY.
The Religious Assembly use type refers to religious services involving public assembly such as customarily occurs in synagogues, temples, and churches. [Emphasis mine]​

A bible study is not a religious service, per se. It is an informal gathering in private setting and by invitation only, not a public forum. Now it might be because the person conducting the bible study in this case is a pastor. I wonder if he would have gotten the same treatment if it was a layperson. In any event, it wasn't like it was a primary place of worship where anyone could waltz in.

 

[wil]

This is the issue right here. They approached the pastor on the religious assembly issue, not on a parking issue, which I think is disingenious. If parking was the problem, they ought to have said so.

Namaste Dondi,

I am not one for siding with the gov't but...

"The county is not saying don't pray at home, what the county is saying is be a good neighbor" said Chandra L. Wallar, who serves as general manager of San Diego County's Land Use and Environment Group.
Wallar said the county received a complaint regarding parking, and they were obligated to investigate.
The complaint alleged that "cars were blocking access for themselves and for public safety" said Wallar. "The staff believed there were traffic issues...There were violations, principally due to the parking, and it appeared the use of the property was a religious assembly."
Wallar believes there is a "miscommunication" here; often, she said, people who are cited for the first time take it "personally". "They focused on the 'use' because they really didn't understand our process."
She wants to work with the Jones family on solutions to the parking problems including carpooling, parking down the street, or having bible study members rotate their homes.

Me thinks someone is making a mountain out of a molehill, wanting to scream constitutional and religious rights, feels blocked into a corner and then wants to come out swinging with anything available.

We have 'he said, she said' and then we have written documents...which say it is a parking issue, a complaint by a nieghbor. You tell me how you would feel if every tuesday night you and your guests couldn't park in front of your house because of the nieghborhood bridge party, or whatever...it would be tiresome after 5 years would it not??

There is such a thing as personal enjoyment of your own porperty and when someone else regularly infringes upon it it becomes an issue...doesn't matter if they came to pray. Nobody would raise an eyebrow about the occasional party or wake or backyard wedding that caused parking problems around the block for a day...but every tuesday for five years??

According to the article, they suggested alternating houses or carpooling in....neither of these sound like they were objecting to the gathering, just the parking issue.

As to the nature of the questions at the door, think about how questioning goes, sure they focused on the prayer and religious aspect...that was the answer they got.

Police are you having a party? No, this is a prayer group. Well you aren't going to continue a line of questioning now as to whether this is a tupperware party or a poker game...you are now going to ascertain all you can about what kind of gathering it is, how often, how many etc. for your report.

Again, this is not a religious issue as I see it. Folks are trying to make it out to be one, but it isn't.

 

[Dondi]

Me thinks someone is making a mountain out of a molehill, wanting to scream constitutional and religious rights, feels blocked into a corner and then wants to come out swinging with anything available.

Then they need to drop the major use permit issue.

 

[citizenzen]

Then they need to drop the major use permit issue.

It sounds as if they would, if they used carpools... parked further down the street... rotated houses... etc.

Compromise is possible. But it would help to de-escalate the rhetorical war. (said a rhetorical warrior)

 

[wil]

Every Tuesday night about 15 people drive to Jones’ Bonita home to eat dinner and discuss the Bible. They usually park on Jones' property, he said but sometimes, that parking spills out into the cul-de-sac.


Last month, someone filed a complaint about the number of cars.

Cul-de-sac, for those that are unaware that would mean a dead end street, where when cars overflowed there would be no where to go.

Won't be long we should get google street view pix of the pastors place and cars parked up and down the street...

 

[Tao_Equus]

Cul-de-sac, for those that are unaware that would mean a dead end street, where when cars overflowed there would be no where to go.

..

And here was me thinking it was French for castration!!

 

[Dondi]

Cul-de-sac, for those that are unaware that would mean a dead end street, where when cars overflowed there would be no where to go.

Won't be long we should get google street view pix of the pastors place and cars parked up and down the street...

Cul-de-sacs do present a problem. I happen to live on one and can tell you that if there is a party, the cars line up both sides, making it somewhat hazardous to manuveur through the gauntlet.

 

[wil]

Cul-de-sacs do present a problem. I happen to live on one and can tell you that if there is a party, the cars line up both sides, making it somewhat hazardous to manuveur through the gauntlet.

I think we are starting to get a picture of the problem....Every tuesday night...mom would have to park a block away and manuever her walker up the street...

I wonder if they are praying for the neighbor that complained...

 

[bob x]

If that is the case, how did Johnny law get involved? Someone had to complain about traffic

The neighbor whose car was hit by one of the Bible students. But apparently the fender-bender was just the last straw; this had been going on for years.