Orange County Register

In a move that sets the city apart in the “In God We Trust” saga, the Tustin city council voted unanimously Tuesday to place a trio of mottoes at City Hall, including the national motto, “In God We Trust,” as well as California’s “Eureka!” and Tustin’s “City of Trees.” From the Register story:

The national, state and city mottoes will be placed at the Freedom Shrine, an exhibit at city hall that features copies of historical documents, including the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, the Gettysburg Address and the Bill of Rights.

The motto display won’t be paid for by the city. The Millennium Exchange Club of Orange County, which also sponsored the Freedom Shrine, has volunteered to fund the display near the main lobby of City Hall, said Amante, who is a member of the Millennium Exchange Club.

The only other governering body in Orange County to consider other city, state and national mottoes besides “In God We Trust” is the board of the Ocean View School District, which decided last month to postpone a vote until they have more information.

The LAV’s Take: As against the whole idea of displaying “In God We Trust” in civic arenas as I am, I really don’t have a problem with this kind of presentation. Assuming “In God we Trust” isn’t the theme of the “Freedom Shrine” and larger than the other mottoes, this falls squarely into the “history/civics lesson” category much more than other cities’ displays. The fact that no city funds are paying for it is just icing on the cake. Good show, Tustin!

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