LA PALMA : Baptist Church Given OK for Preschool

Although some neighbors protested, the City Council this week voted 4 to 0 to allow the Cerritos Valley Baptist Church to build and operate a preschool.

Council members said the church had diligently tried to solve all potential problems with neighbors. Mayor Wally D. Linn said he believes the church preschool is a wholesome addition to La Palma.

“Church, school, kids: These are the most important things we have in this country,” Linn said.

Twenty-two residents presented a petition to the council urging them to reject the preschool application.

“This has nothing to do with the church,” said one of the signers, Robert Valencia. “This has to do with the issue of privacy. . . . We know the privacy of our homes will not be the same again.”

Supporters of the preschool said that a six-foot block wall will be built around the play area at 8201 Moody St. Cypress trees and hibiscus plants will landscape the perimeters as additional privacy shields, they said.

Ron Carson, son of the church pastor, told the council that he was baffled by any remaining neighborhood opposition.

“I don’t see how in the world a preschool could negatively affect a neighborhood,” he said.

Councilwoman Charlene Hatakeyama abstained from the discussion and vote on the project. She said she is a member of the church.