Irvine will display U.S. motto at City Hall

Following the lead of several cities in Orange County and hundreds around the country, Irvine will display the national motto “In God We Trust” in a yet-to-be-determined area of City Hall.

In addition, the City Council voted last week to include the Latin phrase “E Pluribus Unum” — “Out of Many, One” — in a display at the facility.

“It is a bit belated in our city while many other cities in the country picked up on this,” Mayor Steven Choi said in raising the agenda item before the council. Councilwoman Lynn Schott added in an amended motion the push for “E Pluribus Unum,” a phrase displayed on the Great Seal of the United States.

“I think that is proper for reminding our children how our nation has been founded on this principle,” Choi said.

“In God We Trust” was formally adopted by Congress as the national motto in 1956 during President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s administration and appears on various denominations of U.S. paper currency and coins. The motto was reconfirmed by the Senate in 2006 and by the House of Representatives in 2011 with language that encouraged display in civic buildings and public schools.

Since 2007, more than 500 cities in the U.S., including more than 100 in California and 18 in Orange County, have voted to show the motto in public spaces.

A lengthy discussion in Irvine City Council chambers included more than a dozen members of the public expressing varied opinions about the motion. The council voted 4 to 1 to pass the motion, with Councilwoman Beth Krom dissenting.

“I kind of think putting words above our heads here at the Civic Center will have no real purpose other than to possibly make some of the people that come here uncomfortable, or make them feel there is a real effort to bring a religious message into a civic space,” Krom said.

“I’m not questioning the constitutionality of this,” she added. “I’m not arguing if it can be done, I’m speaking to whether it should be done.”

Other council members downplayed any religious aspect, citing tradition and heritage as the driving principles behind supporting the display.

“This is not about God,” Mayor Pro Tem Jeffrey Lalloway said. “This really is about a motto that people have used in America for generations.

“The court systems have ruled repeatedly that this phrase does not have a religious overtone,” he added. “They’ve ruled, and I think we need to have respect for their decision.”

“I think honoring our heritage by displaying both of these ardent national mottoes would promote a great balance within our community,” Schott said. “To balance both visually and ideologically — to acknowledge those that do practice faith with our fellow neighbors who don’t.”

The issue of tolerance was debated as a two-way street amid concerns over the separation of church and state and the right of religious expression.

Choi, a naturalized U.S. citizen of South Korean heritage, said he thought that singing “God Bless America” at sporting events seems to unify crowds.

“This is not about religion; it’s about American tradition, of which I am so proud,” he said.

metroweb@latimes.com

Morrison writes for Times Community News.