Decision On Santa Monica Nativity Display Postponed Until June
SANTA MONICA (CBS) — A nearly 60-year-old Christmas tradition in Santa Monica could come to an end this summer.
The City Council will vote next month on a proposal to ban a Christian nativity display in Palisades Park during the Christmas season after a contentious meeting over the exhibit on Tuesday evening that lasted well past midnight.
Supporters argued the tradition has been a city fixture since 1953, while those who opposed the display said religious displays of any kind should not be allowed on public land.
The proposal would prohibit a coalition of churches as well as other groups from erecting displays- including a Hanukkah menorah from Chabad in Santa Monica.
Thirteen churches along with the Santa Monica Police Officers Association has overseen the exhibit since 1983, and recently made headlines when it failed to win a fight against out-of-town atheist groups who sought to shrink the display down from 14 booths to three.
Council members will meet to consider the proposed ban on June 12.
