On Wednesday night, June 28th, after a raucous four hour
hearing, the new temple project was approved by the Escondido
City Council and Mayor by a vote of 4 to 1. This is full,
final, and legally binding approval of the project. There is no
more appeal process available to those opposed the project.
The fight is over.

This has been a long struggle. Those who have been follow-
ing this story know of its many twists, turns, and surprises
and the last days were no exception. Those opposed to the
project put immense pressure on the City Council via every
trick they could think of.

Simultaneously, friends of the temple came out of nowhere.

The hearing itself had its own share of excitement. There was
even a speaker who said she had spoken with Jesus and he had
told her to vote "no". (Our guess is that she must have heard
him wrong judging by the favorable results.) The main chamber,
the side rooms, and the lobby outside were all packed. Indo-
American teenagers who are Boy Scouts and uniformed police
were on hand to keep order. But in the end, the reasoned argu-
ments presented by our traffic consultant, members of the tem-
ple board and congregation, senior leaders in the Indian com-
munity, and new-found friends of the temple carried the day.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of those who
made this success possible. Without the good guidance, support,
and active participation of so many sincere souls, I would have
folded under the weight of this endeavor long ago. Now that we
have the green light, the real fun begins.

With the permit in hand we are now working to close the escrow.
Our plan is to pay for the land in full, so that there is no mortgage
or encumbrance on it. This way the temple is built on a safe and
secure site. Please consider donating towards finalizing the
purchase of the land for this wonderful project.

Thanks again to all those who have helped us get this far.

Yours in the service of Lord Krishna,

Badrinarayan dasa