According to the Fresno Bee, and Church and State magazine, Fresno Mayor Jim Patterson, without the approval of the Fresno City Council, used $75,000 of public funds for the rental of Bulldog Stadium for a Promise Keepers rally.

Promise Keepers is a Christian religious organization which holds rallies all over the country, inviting only men to take part in the events. The Fresno rally was held on June 27 and 28, 1997.

Mayor Patterson compounded the error, according to city documents, by using an additional $731.88 in taxpayer funds to host a skybox reception at the Promise Keepers event.

Church and State is the monthly magazine published by Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and includes reports on the many violations of the separation of church and state which occur too frequently in our country. The magazine is a tremendous resource, and is mailed free to all members of Americans United. The magazine pointed out that both the US Constitution and the California State Constitution forbid the use of tax money to subsidize religion.

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