‘In God We Trust’ sign installed at Costa Mesa City Hall

Costa Mesa Councilwoman Wendy Leece got what she wanted Friday morning, when workers installed the “In God We Trust” slogan in the Council Chamber at City Hall.

The sign’s installation was stalled two weeks in a row – once because the sign-maker drilled an extra hole into it, and another time because the letters forming the slogan weren’t up to standard. The sign is now affixed to a chamber wall right beneath the city’s seal.

“We could’ve done it earlier, but we wanted to make it just right, so they went back and re-posted the lettering to ensure that it would look perfect, and now it’s perfect,” said Tom Hatch, the assistant city manager.

Leece pushed a council resolution to have the sign installed in the chamber, stirring a lot of public emotions both for and against it. The resolution’s opponents said that posting the sign, which contains a reference to God, could blur the American governing principle that the church and state be separate and distinct institutions. Leece had argued that posting the slogan was not really about religion but about being patriotic.