Laguna Beach : Beach Too Crowded for Krishna Fete, City Says

They’re not out to stifle religious expression, city officials said Tuesday, commenting on a lawsuit filed by the Hare Krishnas, it’s just that Main Beach Park is too crowded for a large-scale festival.

However, the religious group is charging that the city denied its members the right to free speech, religion and assembly in turning down an application for a “Festival of India” celebration planned for August. The lawsuit, which seeks a judgment for the festival but no cash damages, was filed last week in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. David Liberman, attorney for the Krishnas, was unavailable for comment.

After the group applied in February to erect seven tents in the small park area, the council approved a resolution stating that all activities requiring structures must be held in the Festival of Arts area further inland. “We offered them another site,” said Councilwoman Martha Collison. “It’s just that that area gets so crowded this time of year. It would be very difficult for any group to hold a large event there.”

Said Councilman Dan Kenney, “Laguna Beach has historically been a live-and-let-live kind of town. The city does allow for freedom of religion, assembly and speech. The only thing we’re concerned about is the erecting of substantial structures at Main Beach.”

City Manager Kenneth Frank said the city has allowed the Hare Krishnas and other groups to use city parks in the past. “It doesn’t make any sense at all because anybody is welcome to go to any park at any time of day and say anything they want to say, hold religious ceremonies or carry signs or placards,” he said. “What they cannot do is set up a table or several large tents at the same time.”