City Still Part of Mt. Soledad Cross Case

By Alison St John / Reporter, KPBS Public Broadcasting

Published November 30, 2006 at 7:03 AM PST

This story was published more than 18 years ago.

A San Diego federal judge has squashed the city of San Diego's hopes of extracting itself from the controversy over the Mount Soledad Cross. KPBS reporter Alison St John has more.

A San Diego federal judge has squashed the city of San Diego's hopes of extracting itself from the controversy over the Mount Soledad Cross. KPBS reporter Alison St John has more. The city attorney's office hoped to convince the judge presiding over the next phase of the epic battle over the Mt. Soledad cross that, since the land has been transferred to the federal government, the city should be released from the suit. But Judge Barry Moskowitz said instead that the city is an indispensable party.

Attorney Jim McElroy, who has fought for 17 years to prove the cross on public land violates the constitution, says the city is not off the hook.

Become a KPBS sponsor

Jim McElroy: As the judge was pointing out, why wouldn't you want to be here. If they're not in the case they can't even appeal a decision that is adverse to them so obviously they should be in the case.

In other words, if the judge ends up ruling the land transfer to the federal government was unconstitutional, the land would revert to the city and the ball would be back in San Diego's court. Alison St John, KPBS News.

Alison St John

twitter

Alison St John currently serves as a general assignment reporter and occasionally co-hosts KPBS Midday Edition. She fell in love with KPBS Radio when she arrived in San Diego in 1985 and first heard NPR. She has been a voice on KPBS Radio since 1989, and has served as a news reporter for radio, TV and the web, as well as anchoring, hosting, producing and editing. Alison has reported on stories about North County and was based in the KPBS' North County Bureau. Alison covered the metro beat during the critical period of the San Diego City pension crisis, and the education beat while Alan Bersin was the controversial Superintendent of San Diego City School District. She covered health when the industry was converting to managed care and told welfare reform stories in the late 1990s when Clinton was “ending welfare as we know it.” She has covered land use issues extensively, looking at the challenges of meeting a growing population while preserving community character, and developing a better transportation system to meet environmental concerns. She has done many stories on the military in San Diego, and the series she edited on the challenges veterans face returning from active duty to civilian life won “Best of Show” from the San Diego Society of Professional Journalists. She occasionally hosts the KPBS Roundtable and KPBS Midday Edition. Alison has won awards from the San Diego Press Club, the Society of Professional Journalists, the Associated Press TV and Radio Association, and the California Golden Mike Awards. Alison was born in Tanzania, brought up in Scotland, and earned her degree in psychology and sociology from Durham University in England. Her postgraduate diploma is in student counseling. She worked in England, Nigeria, Switzerland, Belgium, India, and Japan before moving to the United States in 1981. She now lives in Oceanside and enjoys how her community is growing and changing.