A 2004 lawsuit filed by a watchdog group against the California
Missions Preservation Act was dropped this week, allowing local
Congressman Sam Farr to continue his crusade to fund renovations of
the San Juan Bautista Mission and 20 other missions throughout the
state.
San Juan Bautista – A 2004 lawsuit filed by a watchdog group against the California Missions Preservation Act was dropped this week, allowing local Congressman Sam Farr to continue his crusade to fund renovations of the San Juan Bautista Mission and 20 other missions throughout the state.
The lawsuit, filed by Americans United for Separation of Church and State, took issue with the proposed federal funding of California missions because of concerns that the bill violated a clause in the First Amendment prohibiting the establishment of a national religion.
However, it was later dropped because no money had been appropriated for the bill, said Jeremy Leaming, a spokesperson for the non-profit First Amendment advocacy organization.
The California Missions Preservation Act, authored by Farr and signed into law in 2004, authorized the use of funds to restore the missions, but did not allocate any money toward the restoration effort.
Farr, whose efforts to get money for the bill had been stymied by the lawsuit, was pleased to hear the matter had been dropped and will move forward with his endeavor to draft an appropriations bill – which would designate a certain amount of money toward the restoration of the missions.
“San Juan Bautista is a gem among California’s missions, where our children and other visitors can literally learn history by walking through the building and its grounds,” Farr stated via e-mail Thursday. “But time, natural deterioration and neglect have taken a heavy toll on these historical treasures. With the withdrawal of American United’s lawsuit, I will be working to bring funding authorized by my California Missions Preservation Act of 2004 to our missions.”
After First Amendment concerns were brought up during Congressional debates about the bill in 2004, Farr inserted a clause into the bill stating that no money would be designated unless the United States Department of Justice confirmed that the act did not violate the Constitution.
The funding bill “has nothing to do with the religious activities in the mission,” but was focused rather on repairing the historical sites, said Jessica Schafer, Farr’s spokeswomen.
Just how much money will be coming to San Juan Bautista’s mission is not yet known because Farr just started working on the appropriations bill to accompany the act.
However, he is hoping for at least $10 million in federal funds over the next five years to help restore the missions, Schafer said.
Mission representatives were unavailable for comment Thursday.
However, Americans United for Separation of Church and State plan to re-file the suit if congress approves taxpayer dollars to fund the bill in the future, Leaming said.
“If we do see those funds going to the Catholic missions, we will essentially re-file our complaint,” he said.
Schafer said that while such a move was to be expected, Farr will continue with his efforts in the meantime and deal with any future lawsuits if and when they arise.
Brett Rowland covers public safety for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or [email protected].
