Church, Bernson at Standoff in Plans for Move

Leaders of a church that wants to move into an exclusive Chatsworth neighborhood apparently were unsuccessful Friday in their efforts to soften a Los Angeles city councilman’s opposition to the move.

After a meeting with Councilman Hal Bernson, who has said having a busy church center in the rural Monteria Estates neighborhood would be inappropriate, leaders of the First Baptist Church of Van Nuys said little had changed.

“Nothing was gained out of it, and we’re going back to our board to discuss it,” said the Rev. Jim Rives, associate executive pastor of the 10,000-member church.

An aide to Bernson said the meeting helped clear the air in the dispute between the councilman and the Rev. Jess Moody, the church’s senior pastor.

Rives said Bernson maintained his opposition even after church leaders presented evidence which they believe shows the use of bigoted appeals to arouse community opposition to the move.

Bernson’s chief deputy, Greig Smith, said the councilman suggested two sites the church could investigate as alternatives to the 12-acre property it is now buying in Monteria Estates, a sprawling community of ranches and expansive homes at the northern end of Winnetka Avenue.

However, Rives said the church was already aware of both sites and that neither appeared acceptable.

Rives said the church will continue to look for other properties in the West Valley but, in the meantime, it will continue efforts to complete the $2.5-million purchase of the Monteria Estates property, which is in escrow.

Bernson, whose district includes Chatsworth, originally offered church leaders at least qualified support in their plan to move to the Monteria Estates property. To build on the property, the church would need a conditional use permit from the city. Bernson’s support is important because the council generally defers to council members in their own districts.

Bernson later dropped his support after residents of Monteria Estates voted 41 to 1 to oppose the church moving into their neighborhood and Bernson received phone calls and petitions from numerous residents of other nearby neighborhoods opposing the move, Smith said.

Opponents are concerned that the church would increase traffic and damage the character of the neighborhood, Smith said.

On Friday, Bernson told church leaders that they could count on his support in moving anywhere in his district where residents did not object in great numbers, but that he could not support a move to any location where 60% or more of the neighborhood opposed such a project, Smith said.

Rives said Friday that the church showed Bernson documention of instances in which people gathering signatures on petitions opposing the church move referred to its large ethnic membership.

It appeared, Rives said, that petition gatherers suggested that the church would “bring that kind of people” into the neighborhood.

Smith said that Bernson agreed that the use of such tactics was “inappropriate,” and if he believed bigotry was the reason for opposition, he would support the church.

Ray Mulokas, president of the Monteria Estates homeowners group, dismissed the bigotry charges. “There is nobody in our association doing that. We have a very multi-ethnic community.”