San Diego County Backs Off Permit Requirement for Home Bible Study

I previously mentioned the sad saga of Pastor David Jones and his wife's run-in with San Diego County bureaucrats over the fact that they were holding regular Bible study sessions in their own home.

I am happy to report that this lunacy has stopped, as the bureaucratic powers-that-be have seen the error of their ways and have backed off their ridiculous demands for a major use permit and threats of escalating fines:

"I want to offer my apology to you, your wife and your congregation for the unfortunate events of the past several weeks," said the letter from Walter F. Ekard, chief officer of the county. "My review of the situation shows that no administrative citation warning should have been issued and that a major use permit is not required for the Bible study you have in your home."

The letter continues:

"Our Code Enforcement Officer incorrectly made the finding based in no small measure on unclear language in the zoning ordinance," Ekard continued. "I have already issued several directives to county staff. First, I have asked the Department of Planning and Land Use and our county counsel to conduct a thorough review of ordinances regarding all assemblies to clarify that meetings

such as you are holding in your home may continue without regulation."

You will find Bob Unruh's entire WorldNetDaily article here.

Mr. Ekard, in his letter, did go on to say that this was, "in no way an attempt by San Diego County to infringe upon your religious freedoms."

I'm not sure I'm buying that given the nature of the inquisition Pastor Jones' wife underwent.

At any rate, this is one instance where an American citizen stood up to government insanity and successfully asserted his constitutional rights. Perhaps the next government bureaucrat will think twice before doing something similar to someone else in the future.

Who am I kidding?