Christian Group Official to Deny Permit Violations
A leader of a Christian group that lives communally and sells crafts at an Adams Avenue store said she will plead innocent to charges the group violated city law by holding a musical without a permit.
Anne Marie Sorensen, 68, said the Piecemakers group decided against seeking a permit for a Sept. 27 performance of “Big River” in its parking lot because of religious principles.
“We’re not admitting that the law was broken,” she said. “We feel that permits are unlawful.”
A lawyer representing the city said permits are critical to help ensure health and safety at events drawing large numbers of people. “The city’s not going to negotiate on those objectives,” attorney Steven H. Rosenblit said.
Sorensen, who will be arraigned Oct. 30 in Municipal Court in Newport Beach, faces as many as six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. She was named in the misdemeanor complaint because she is an officer of Piecemakers Inc., Rosenblit said.
The city continues to investigate whether to cite the group for hosting a crafts fair last weekend without a permit.
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