A cross recently popped up on Pismo Beach. It’s not the first to stir controversy

Pismo Beach Public Works employee Clyde Miears replaces Christmas lights on Boosinger park cross, while fellow employee Ray Torres steadies ladder on Dec. 6, 1988. The cross was erected in 1957 by former City Councilman Ural Foresee and two friends, in an effort to clean up the image of a town renowned for its gambling and prostitution establishments. The 16-foot cross was the centerpiece for an Easter sunrise service that year, held at the park in the empty fields at the foot of Pismo Heights. The cross was lit every Easter and Christmas since until it was moved in 1997 after an objection was lodged with the city.