Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Judge Orders California Church to Halt Large Indoor Services
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 4 years ago on
November 3, 2020

Share

A California judge Monday ordered a San Jose church to stop holding weekly indoor services for hundreds of people, granting county officials a restraining order against the church that has accrued more than $350,000 in fines for violating coronavirus shutdown orders.

Santa Clara County last week filed for a restraining order against Calvary Chapel San Jose and Pastor Mike McClure over the weekly services that attract about 600 people who don’t wear masks or social distance.

Indoor Gatherings Limited to 100 People

Under the county health order, indoor gatherings for religious or any other purposes are limited to 100 people, face coverings must be worn, and social distancing requirements must be followed. The church has been hosting weekly indoor services with approximately 600 people who do not wear face coverings or socially distance from one another.

“The Court agreed with the County that Calvary’s manner of hosting indoor gatherings poses a threat of a large outbreak, and it explained that Calvary must comply with the same set of rules that apply to the rest of the community,” county officials said in a statement.

County Sought Voluntary Compliance for Months

County officials spent months trying to work with church representatives to get them to come into compliance voluntarily and issued fines when they refused, official said.

“The County fully supports the right to worship, and the health orders create a pathway for religious institutions to do so in a safer manner that helps protect the community’s wellbeing during a pandemic,” said Santa Clara County Counsel James Williams.

Mariah Gondeiro, an attorney representing McClure and the church, said the ruling was disappointing and that shutting down the church is unnecessary.

“The reality is, the church has not experienced one known COVID-19 case,” Gondeiro said. “Pastor Mike McClure’s church has been a refuge for so many hurting people suffering from anxiety, depression, and even thoughts of suicide.”

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Who Runs Elon Musk’s DOGE? Not Musk, the White House Says.

DON'T MISS

New Self-Pollinating Almond Tree Could Be Huge for a Big Fresno Cash Crop

DON'T MISS

Madera County Secures First Fentanyl-Related Homicide Conviction

DON'T MISS

Musk Team Seeks Access to IRS System With Taxpayers’ Records

DON'T MISS

Bannon Calls Musk a ‘Parasitic Illegal Immigrant’

DON'T MISS

Fresno Weather Forecast: Pretty as a Postcard

DON'T MISS

Kennedy Says ‘Nothing’ Off-Limits in Scrutinizing Chronic Disease

DON'T MISS

Judge Declines to Immediately Block Elon Musk or DOGE From Federal Data or Layoffs

DON'T MISS

NBA Playoff Race Heats Up as All-Star Break Ends

DON'T MISS

NASCAR’s Jeff Gordon Talks ‘Days of Thunder’ Sequel With Tom Cruise

UP NEXT

CA Electricity Bills Could Soar Even Higher as Big Tech Builds More Data Centers

UP NEXT

Small Businesses Drive the Economy. Yet Their Funding Is at Risk Under Trump.

UP NEXT

Death of South Korean Actor at 24 Sparks Discussion About Social Media

UP NEXT

Former Vice President Kamala Harris to Be Honored by NAACP With Its Chairman’s Award

UP NEXT

Should Builders Permit Their Own Projects? Post-fire LA Considers a Radical Idea

UP NEXT

Royal Caribbean to Launch First-Ever San Diego Cruises in 2026

UP NEXT

California’s Aging Population Will Test Whether Its Demography Is Destiny

UP NEXT

A Former Firefighter in the Legislature Has Ideas. Will Democrats Listen?

UP NEXT

Big Homeowner Rate Hike From State Farm Shot Down by California Regulator

UP NEXT

Poll: Where US Adults Think the Government Is Spending Too Much

Musk Team Seeks Access to IRS System With Taxpayers’ Records

2 hours ago

Bannon Calls Musk a ‘Parasitic Illegal Immigrant’

2 hours ago

Fresno Weather Forecast: Pretty as a Postcard

2 hours ago

Kennedy Says ‘Nothing’ Off-Limits in Scrutinizing Chronic Disease

2 hours ago

Judge Declines to Immediately Block Elon Musk or DOGE From Federal Data or Layoffs

2 hours ago

NBA Playoff Race Heats Up as All-Star Break Ends

2 hours ago

NASCAR’s Jeff Gordon Talks ‘Days of Thunder’ Sequel With Tom Cruise

2 hours ago

Adames Joins Giants, Excited to Team Up With Gold Glover Chapman

3 hours ago

Leonard Peltier Released After Biden Commuted Sentence in FBI Agents’ Killings

4 hours ago

Not Quite a Unified Theory of Trumpism, but Still an Alarming Pattern

4 hours ago

Who Runs Elon Musk’s DOGE? Not Musk, the White House Says.

WASHINGTON — Who, exactly, runs the so-called Department of Government Efficiency? You might think it would be Elon Musk, the man who Presid...

3 minutes ago

3 minutes ago

Who Runs Elon Musk’s DOGE? Not Musk, the White House Says.

39 minutes ago

New Self-Pollinating Almond Tree Could Be Huge for a Big Fresno Cash Crop

Fentanyl M30 Pills
1 hour ago

Madera County Secures First Fentanyl-Related Homicide Conviction

2 hours ago

Musk Team Seeks Access to IRS System With Taxpayers’ Records

FILE — Steve Bannon speaks to reporters outside State Supreme Court in Manhattan, Feb. 11, 2025. Stephen Bannon, a top adviser during President Trump’s first term and a key figure among his supporters, said Elon Musk wants to “play-act as God” as part of his push to overhaul the federal government. (Jefferson Siegel/The New York Times)
2 hours ago

Bannon Calls Musk a ‘Parasitic Illegal Immigrant’

2 hours ago

Fresno Weather Forecast: Pretty as a Postcard

2 hours ago

Kennedy Says ‘Nothing’ Off-Limits in Scrutinizing Chronic Disease

President Donald Trump speaks with reporters as Elon Musk listens in the Oval Office at the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in Washington. (AP/Alex Brandon)
2 hours ago

Judge Declines to Immediately Block Elon Musk or DOGE From Federal Data or Layoffs

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend