Guru Nanak Sikh Society of Yuba City v. County of Sutter

I. Facts and Background2

1 This opinion refers to Appellants County of Sutter, Casey Kroon, Den- nis Nelson, Larry Munger, and Dan Silva, in their official capacities as County Supervisors, collectively as “the County.” 2 The facts in this case are not disputed. This summary draws exten- sively from the district court opinion, Guru Nanak Sikh Soc’y of Yuba City v. County of Sutter, 326 F. Supp. 2d 1140 (E.D. Cal. 2003). GURU NANAK SIKH v. COUNTY OF SUTTER 8593 A. Denial of Guru Nanak’s First CUP Application3

Guru Nanak is a non-profit organization dedicated to fos- tering the teachings and practices of the Sikh religion. In 2001, Guru Nanak attempted to obtain a conditional use per- mit (CUP)4 for the construction of a Sikh temple—a gurudwara—on its 1.89-acre property on Grove Road in Yuba City (“the Grove Road property”). The proposed use included about 5,000 square feet dedicated to an assembly area and related activities. The proposed temple site would have held religious ceremonies for no more than seventy-five people at a time. The Grove Road property was in an area designated for low-density residential use (R-1), intended mainly for large lot…