A Question of Church and State
On Sept. 16, 1986, the city of West Hollywood’s Community Development Department approved the continued use of the United Methodist Church, 1296 N. Fairfax Ave., for the political activities of the Coalition for Economic Survival (CES) for a period of six months.
The city justified this by using a quote from the IRS tax code 501(c)(3) that defines nonprofit organizations. . . .
What the city chose to overlook was a paragraph in the tax code which states: “If any of the activities of your organization consist of participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office, your organization will not qualify for tax-exempt status under section 501(c)(3).”
The CES, as everyone in West Hollywood knows, is a political organization and (it has) endorsed a candidate for our City Council on Nov. 4. The city’s decision allows the CES to run (its) political campaign out of the United Methodist Church.
So much for separation of church and state and the power of the “political machine” in West Hollywood.
JOHN PARKS
Los Angeles
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