Source: Los Angeles Times
On June 16, 2000, the Los Angeles Times reported that city council members from Garden Grove, California have approved plans for the state's first Cao Dai church, despite the protest of residents who feel that the new religious facility will be a detriment to their neighborhood. Cao Dai, a faith begun in Vietnam in the 1920's that combines aspects of Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Judaism and Taoism, has approximately 200 followers in Orange County, CA and commands about 5 million followers worldwide. The new facility approved by the city council is a 2,150-square-foot church and a caretaker's home that will be located in a residential section of Garden Grove. Frank Fedak, who has lived next to the proposed church property for 35 years, collected about 200 signatures from neighborhood residents citing that the new facility will detract from the physical appearance of the town while bringing increased traffic, noise, and parking problems. Fedak stated: "It's going to shatter the peace of the neighborhood. This is a nonreligious issue. It's a neighborhood integrity issue. If there was a Catholic church there, I'd be just as upset. It's a nonresidential activity in a residential neighborhood."