San Joaquin officials say they did not order Camping World to take down American flag

Posted by Admin August 10, 2024 World

San Joaquin County officials say they did not order an American flag flown at Camping World in French Camp to be taken down.

The chain that sells RVs, camping equipment and other outdoor gear is known for flying giant American flags outside of their stores, including the location just south of Stockton off Interstate 5.

But the flag had not been spotted in its usual spot for months.

This week, after some news outlets reported the county ordered the business to take the flag down, Marcus Lemonis, the CEO of the company, ordered employees at the store to raise the flag once again.

Lemonis was lauded as a “patriot” on social media for ignoring the county’s alleged order.

However, county officials said on Friday they never asked the business to remove the flag from its premises, and the business didn’t have a permit to fly it.

The 2022 California Building Code adopted by San Joaquin County requires building permits for flagpoles that are taller than 30 feet.

The flagpole at Camping World is 130 feet in height, according to county officials.

Camping World did not respond to a request for comment.

‘Not about the flag’

Jennifer Jolley, the county’s director of community development, said that her department received a complaint about the store’s flagpole in June 2023 — “not about the flag.”

“Our code enforcement followed their process, they investigated it, and they determined that it had been erected without a building permit. A code enforcement case was opened and the business was informed that they needed to get a building permit for the flagpole,” Jolley said.

Camping World submitted engineered plans to the county in December 2023, according to Jolley, but they did not turn in a site plan, which was necessary to move forward in the process.

“That’s a required standard for any building permit,” Jolley said. “We reached out to them multiple times between December and June 2024, when they ultimately did provide us a site plan.”

Before the building permit could be approved, Jolley said the county needed to meet with CalTrans due to concerns that if the pole fell, it could land on the freeway.

After a consultation with CalTrans, it was determined that it was safe to issue a permit and a permit was issued by the county on Thursday.

County staff face harassment, threats

After the permitting issue made national headlines, some county staff have faced harassment, verbal abuse, and threats, according to Miguel Villapudua, chairman of the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors.

“We understand and appreciate the strong feelings this matter evokes, but we ask that those who wish to offer support do so in a respectful and appropriate manner. Our employees and staff are committed public servants, focused on ensuring safety and care in their duties,” Villapudua said. “We urge everyone to maintain common decency and courtesy in their interactions with our staff and officials.”

The chairman added that the board of supervisors “is proud to support the ability of local residents and businesses to fly the American flag.”

“As elected representatives, we value the symbol of freedom and democracy and have done much to encourage public support and reverence for the flag,” Villapudua said. “The situation at one of our local RV sales centers is an issue of safety and permitting to ensure that the flagpole is properly installed and anchored to protect our residents and neighboring properties, which includes Interstate 5.”

Not the first time Lemonis has defied local ordinances

This was not Lemonis’ first time defying local ordinances.

In 2019, city leaders in Statesville, North Carolina filed a lawsuit against Lemonis’ business after he allegedly violated a city ordinance by flying an American flag that was significantly larger than what the city permitted, according to a USA Today article.

Lemonis was ordered to pay $14,350 in fines he racked up for refusing to take the flag down for months, The Tuscaloosa News reported.

Record reporter Hannah Workman covers news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at hworkman@recordnet.com or on Twitter @byhannahworkman. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.