NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. - Church members should have to pay to park, agnostic John Nelson believes. Nelson filed a federal lawsuit in mid-January alleging that the city has violated a constitutional separation of church and state for 32 years by exempting meter fees for Sunday churchgoers.
Metered parking is enforced daily in Newport Beach, Calif., but the 25-cents-per-quarter-hour meters are turned off from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sundays around the neighborhood?s surrounding churches, The Los Angeles Times reported.
Lifting the free parking would entice churchgoers to take unmetered spots in front of neighborhood homes, causing problems for those living in the area, Newport Beach Mayor Tod Ridgeway said.
Nelson already has spent thousands in legal fees, according to The Times.
