City Rigged Sale of Cross Site, Judge Rules
For the second time, a federal judge Tuesday ruled that the city, in effect, rigged the sale of public property on Mt. Soledad to ensure that a 43-foot-tall cross would remain on the site.
U.S. District Judge Gordon Thompson said the sale of the land to a group dedicated to maintaining the cross was improper because other groups were blocked from the bidding. He had earlier ruled that the cross violated the constitutional separation of church and state.
Thompson’s ruling clears the way for a vote on Proposition K, which would allow another sale without restrictions.
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