Not long ago I wrote that an agreement had been reached in the 15-year legal battle over the Mount Soledad in San Diego. The cross was supposed to be removed from public land and taken to private property, but the agreement hadn't been finalized yet and now it looks like more time is needed.

NBC San Diego explains that City Attorney Casey Gwinn has recommended that a public vote be taken:

"Plaintiff Philip Paulson, the American Civil Liberties Union, or the Ninth Circuit should not decide the future of this historic war memorial," said City Attorney Casey Gwinn in a statement. "The voters and taxpayers of San Diego have a right to weigh in on the future of this cross. That is why I am recommending a new public vote and then, if the vote passes, a new public sale. Whether the cross comes or goes should be decided by a private property owner, not by the City of San Diego."

Is this just another delaying tactic? A federal court ruled in 2002 that the city had violated the Constitution when it sold the cross and land under to an organization which just happened to be the same organization that had been taking care of the cross for decades and which intended to keep the cross right there. There was an agreement to move the cross, but now the city is looking at taken a vote which will delay things even more. I expect that they will be challenged and I expect that they will lose, leading to even greater legal costs for San Diego.

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