Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Nativity Scenes in SaMo Park a No-Go, Rules Judge
Call them Scrooges or Grinches or some other four-letter word that's not quite in the holiday spirit, but the decision of the Santa Monica City Council to ban nativity scenes altogether has been upheld by the legal grinches of the federal judicial system.
If this leaves you exclaiming "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!" well, that might be part of the problem. Though having nativity scenes set up in Santa Monica along Ocean Avenue is a tradition that goes back six decades, recently atheists have deemed the annual displays exclusionary, and when the lottery for scene spots was opened up to non-believers in 2011, those non-believers ended up winning a majority of the slots. Of course, this pissed off the traditionalists, and things were pretty ugly in the season of love and light (or doubt and dismissal, if you're in the other camp).
The issue is before the court now because The Santa Monica Nativity Scenes Committee filed suit against the ban. The committee is a group comprised of 13 area churches and the police officers’ union, according to ABC News.
As she intimated she would, U.S. District Court Judge Audrey Collins affirmed today she would uphold the ban.
Support for LAist comes from
William Becker, the attorney for the Christian group, said he expects the case will be dismissed at the next hearing and plans to appeal, reports the Associated Press.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
Kimmel returned less than a week after ABC suspended his show over comments he made about the assassination of right wing activist Charlie Kirk. -
Southern California might see some light rain tonight into Wednesday morning. After that, cooler weather is on the way, but expect the humidity to remain. -
A gate tax at Disney? It's a possibility. -
UCLA and University of California leaders are fighting Trump’s demands for a $1.2 billion settlement over a litany of accusations, including that the campus permits antisemitism. -
Wasteland Weekend is all about souped-up rust buckets, spikey costumes and an ‘ideal apocalypse.’ -
The Shadow the Scientists initiative at UC Santa Cruz strives to demystify astronomical research.
Best of LAist