Tensions Continue, Mount Over New Elk Grove Catholic Church

Roman Catholic Dioceses of Sacramento Attorney Sweeney lightening rod during new Elk Grove church hearings

Although the last two hearings for the proposed new Catholic Church located on Bradshaw Road in Elk Grove drew dozens of public comments and over eight hours of testimony and council deliberations, the council voted Wednesday night to continue the controversial matter to an undetermined date.

In lieu of making a decision, the council decided to create an ad hoc committee consisting of Mayor Patrick Hume and council member Gary Davis along with local residents and representatives of the Catholic community to hammer out final details of the controversial project.

At the heart of the matter is the contention from nearby residences that the scale of the proposed church and accompanying elementary school is not fitting with the preservation of the area's rural nature as specified in the city’s General Plan. On the other side are members of the proposed parish, St, Marie Goretti, as well as other local Catholics, who content they will be respectful of the rural area and more importantly, have a right to build the parish where they see fit.

The intent of the ad hoc committee is to put together a plan that will be agreeable for all stakeholders. During the waning minutes of the hearing, a majority of council members seemed to indicate they supported the project if the scale was reduced and a more current water study was conducted. The most recent water study was completed in 1997.

Much of the tension seemingly evolved from the first meeting where many people in the audience who opposed the church felt as if the applicant, the Diocese of Sacramento, and specifically their attorney, James F. Sweeney of the Elk Grove-based Sweeney & Green, seemingly made implied litigation threats on behalf of Dioceses of Sacramento if the project was denied.

By the time the matter had reached the city council, the planning commission had already unanimously turned down the applicant.

When the matter was heard in September, Sweeney said supporters were under the impression the proejct was approved and was surprised to learn that its final approval had not been granted.

Before Sweeney started his presentation council member Steve Detrick addressed a meeting the two had held following the September meeting. “I know you have a job to, do but it can be done with etiquette and respect and I look forward to hearing your comments with that in mind,” Detrick said.

Sweeney started off his presentation by stating that he had not received a counter proposal submitted by a group of neighbors. "That [alternative proposal] was not submitted to the applicant. So we have not had an opportunity to respond or review,” Sweeney said.

Sweeney calls audience members "tolerant mob"

Immediately council member Gary Davis interrupted Sweeney. “I e-mailed it to you and e-mailed it to someone on your team and you had a print out of it when I met with you,” Davis said.

Davis went on to call out Sweeney by saying that he met with him 24 hours earlier and that Sweeney was giving the audience the impression he had not seen the proposal. “I think it is important we are clear with the folks here,” Davis said.

“That’s not proper service,” Sweeney replied.

A few minutes later Davis asked Sweeney’s opinion of the alternative proposal, to which Sweeney responded negatively. “It was a church in the amount of 400 seats that is not acceptable to the dioceses,” Sweeney said.

Elk Grove resident Steve Lee thanked Davis for his comments regarding Sweeney. “I also want to thank Gary Davis for calling the attorney out on an item in which he lied about,” Lee said. “We cannot trust these people to come forward and lie to us. Again thank you Gary for bringing it up and pushing the item.”

While most members of the audience were against the church, former Elk Grove planning commissioners Paul Lindsey and Tim Murphy spoke in favor of the new parish.

“Do you want your legacy [the city council] that you approved a tattoo parlor in Old Town and denied a church,” Lindsey said.

Later in the meeting Sweeney seemingly relished agitating audience members opposed to the church sarcastically calling them a “tolerant mob” and saying “Nothing we do will please these people.”

When Sweeney addressed Hume as “your honor” several audience members chuckled. In response Sweeney sardonically said “That’s what you call the mayor, in case you’re not aware. Apparently you're not.”

During council deliberations Detrick seemed firmly opposed to the proposal and played video from the planning commission meeting that denied the church. Davis said he would be in favor of a much smaller facility in keeping with the spirit of the General Plan. 

Cooper indicated that he was in favor of the plan in the current scaled down form. Hume said he felt there was a consensus for a scaled down facility and did not want to immediately deny the project. Council member Sophia Scherman was absent.

The next hearing on this matter before city council meeting will be based on the findings of the ad hoc committee.