Salinas City Council considers a sponsorship that violates the church/state separation.

First thing’s first: I love a good fireworks show, and the best I’ve ever seen is during the California Rodeo Salinas, where from the Salinas Sports Complex viewers surround the explosive show, which includes multiple finale-worthy moments. 

Sara Rubin here, with fireworks on my mind because a different fireworks show at the same venue comes before Salinas City Council tomorrow (Tuesday, Aug. 12) seeking a retroactive sponsorship. 

For the second year, Compass Church hosted the “Celebrate America Fireworks Extravaganza” on July 4 with live music, a plane flyover, color guard, speeches and a fireworks show, also at the Salinas Sports Complex. (I have not yet been able to attend, but heard the fireworks were epic.) 

The church thanked a great many sponsors, including businesses, the Salinas Valley Chamber of Commerce, and public entities including the Alisal Union and Salinas City Elementary school districts, plus the City of Salinas. SCESD Superintendent Rebeca Andrade and Salinas Mayor Dennis Donohue were among the speakers. 

Tomorrow night, the City Council is set to consider a retroactive $100,000 sponsorship of the event. Organizers obviously banked on it in their budget; the event FAQ even included the Q “Why is the city contributing $100,000?” A: “The City’s contribution is specifically designated to help cover the costs of the professional fireworks display and a portion of the public safety services for the Fourth of July celebration.”

That Q&A seems, if obliquely, to acknowledge the church/state problem—public safety and fireworks, not religious. The event, which was videotaped and posted to YouTube, was unabashedly religious. 

Army Chaplain Maj. Abraham Sarmiento of DLI offered a Christian prayer. “Lord, we lift the city of Salinas to you…Lord, as we commemorate the birth of this great nation, we acknowledge that true freedom comes from you alone,” he said. “Let your light shine over the city of Salinas tonight, brighter than any firework in the sky.”

Lead Compass Church Pastor Todd Anderson delivered a final speech. “Freedom doesn’t come from fireworks or celebrations—true freedom comes from faith and faith in an Almighty God,” he said. “The foundation of America was never built on a political party…it was built on a faithful god who still reigns today.”

He spoke about history and the Founding Fathers. “Somewhere along the way, it feels as though we’ve gotten off track,” he said. “We seem to have pushed faith out of our schools and out of our government…We have made God a private belief rather than a public foundation.”

To which I say: Thank God. 

The notion of America as a place independent of any particular religious tradition is as old as America itself. The First Amendment put it in writing. The courts have repeatedly upheld the separation of church and state. 

I love the Fourth of July and celebrating the roots of our free nation. Of course churches, among other institutions, should be free to celebrate the occasion too. I’m stoked that Salinas has a grand fireworks show. But city officials will have to decide: Is it a city event, or is it a church event? It cannot—according to our founding American documents—be both. 

The council will have to deliberate about where the money comes from, if they grant it. One option is dipping into a $1 million contingency fund for unanticipated expenses in 2025-26; the anticipated unallocated fund balance for the year; or the Community Sponsorship Program. 

The latter has a budget of just $150,000 for 2025-26. A total of 37 requests, exceeding $1 million, were submitted by an Aug. 2 deadline. City Manager René Mendez recommends pushing the Compass Church request into that decision-making process. “Providing $100,000 outside this process to Compass Church…could set precedent and invite other requests,” he wrote in a report to council. 

He’s right—the same rules should apply for this sponsorship as for all others. 

Besides, eligibility criteria in the city’s own sponsorship policy states: “The City will not award sponsorships to any religion, church, creed or sectarian organization to promote religious purposes.”