Church Leaders Upset After City Calls Off Negotiations

Despite the city's decision to in favor of Faith Fellowship Foursquare Church to the U.S. Supreme Court, church leaders still hoped they could settle out of court. Not any more. 

Pastor Gary Mortara said he was informed Thursday by Mayor Stephen Cassidy that the city is not willing to negotiate the church's lawsuit over a zoning dispute. 

Earlier in the week, Mortara was disturbed when the city called off a meeting with church leaders scheduled for this Friday, he said. Mortara said City Manager Stephen Hollister called him following last Thursday's vote by City Council to take the case to the nation's highest court, if necesary.

But at the same time, Mortara said, Hollister told him the city wanted to continue negotiations, and asked for a private meeting with church leaders on Friday, May 13. 

Mortara agreed, and set up his own emergency meeting with church board members to discuss settlement possibilities before the meeting with Hollister and Mayor Stephen Cassidy. But yesterday, according to Mortara, the city called off the meeting on the advice of City Attorney Jayne Williams.

"I told them I was highly, highly upset about it," Mortara said.

The pastor says the city has continually dragged its feet in negotiations with the church since Mortara first approached city leaders in 2006 with plans to purchase adjoining properties in an industrial zone and relocate Faith Fellowship. 

"It’s the same old stuff with the city that they’ve done since day one," Mortara said. 

"The attorney’s firm, they’re the ones that make all the money, so why would they want to stop fighting the lawsuit?” Mortara said.

Williams, who functions as San Leandro's city attorney, is a principal in the law firm Meyers Nave, which specializes in providing legal services for cities and other public agencyes.

Last week, City Council authorized the retention of Marci Hamilton, a professor at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and an expert in religious land use cases, to provide legal expertise in the case. Williams said Hamilton had been retained for a fixed fee of $25,000.

Williams and City Manager Hollister declined to comment on negotiations with Faith Fellowship since the matter is in litigation.