Politics & Government
After Bible Study Brouhaha, a Push to Change City Law
The San Juan Capistrano Planning Commission weighed in about the current law, complaining it is too vague. Members recommend the City Council initiate a rewrite.
Following the uproar of fining a local couple for conducting semiweekly Bible studies, the San Juan Capistrano Planning Commission kicked off what may be a long process to change the city law that governs in-home gatherings.
“The whole world is watching,” said Chuck Fromm, whom the on Branding Iron Road.
He wasn’t kidding. In response to news reports about his travails, the city was inundated with , criticizing the city for enforcing its laws.
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Recently, Fromm served on a panel at MIT in connection with his role as an adjunct professor at the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at USC.
“The girl next to me said, ‘You’re the Bible study boy.’ This is in Boston!” Fromm told the Planning Commission.
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The City Council will have to formally initiate a change to the municipal code, said Grant Taylor, director of development services. The council is scheduled to do just that at a meeting in January. Council members, however, wanted input from commissioners first, he said.
“The code is very archaic. This definitely has been on the books for a long time,” Taylor said.
Planning commissioners expressed concern with how vague the law currently is and how complex it is to address the problem.
“There’s no one answer that’s going to fit every situation,” said Commissioner Ginny Kerr. “I’m not one for over-regulation. How do people know if they have gatherings that they need to get a permit?”
Taylor said the city could consider replacing specifically calling out religious, fraternal and nonprofit organizations with “routine assembly uses” by allowing without permit gatherings of most any sort up to 24 people who meet less than once a week.
But commissioners found that also to be vague. Chairman Sheldon Cohen noted that some neighborhoods could easily accommodate 25 people or more, while others would be impacted with just a handful.
Commissioner Jeff Parkhurst wondered aloud if such permission would have to travel with the organization “as it goes from one building to another” or stick to a property.
As for Fromm, he was just happy the city was finally talking about the issue. He was initially set to go to court with the city in response to his fine, but has .
“We stopped pursuing litigation because we want legislation," he said. "You know, that’s a much tougher process.”
