Clovis Council Approves Privately Funded In God We Trust Display in Chambers

The Clovis City Council approved to display the national motto "In God We Trust" in the council chamber, and city officials said the installation will be privately funded. KFSN/ABC30 reported the council action using the phrasing "approved to display" and described the location as the "council chambers."

KFSN/ABC30 reported that a community survey conducted between November and December of last year drew 508 Clovis residents, with 68% supporting the display and 22% opposing it. The station’s coverage framed those figures as part of the outreach that informed the council’s decision.

Mayor Pro Tem Diane Pearce told KFSN that the outreach process helped involve residents in the vote and argued the display reflects local values. "The results of the survey the Clovis Community, showed overwhelming support for display of our motto & the fact what it really does is symbolize visually to people what some of our community values are who Clovis is what Clovis is about," Pearce said in the KFSN report.

Fresno Bee coverage placed the vote in a broader context, saying the decision came "after five months of research and discussions" and noting it occurred amid ongoing debates on religious symbols in government spaces. The Original Report and Fresno Bee used the stronger phrasing that the display would be "funded entirely by private donations," while KFSN described the project as "privately funded."

Local social media accounts republished the KFSN headline; an Instagram post repeated that the Clovis City Council approved the motto for the chambers, and a Facebook post echoed the headline while beginning to repeat the November-December survey timeframe reported by KFSN. The KFSN article page also appeared alongside related Clovis topics such as a proposed water rate increase for Clovis residents, a new election district map, election changes coming to the Clovis City Council in 2026, and a debate over a councilwoman’s comments on an LGBTQ+ display at the library.

Reports available at publication did not include several details city residents may want to know next: the exact council vote tally, the calendar date of the vote, the timeline for installation, the display’s size or design, and the identities or amounts of private donors. Those specifics were not provided in KFSN/ABC30 or Fresno Bee excerpts supplied with the council announcement.