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Choi, 80, served in the state Assembly from 2016 to 2022 and was previously mayor of Irvine, where he made a splash when he fought to display “In God we trust” on a wall in the City Council chambers despite concerns about keeping church and state separate.

The city of Irvine is planning to join hundreds of municipalities around the state and country in displaying the national motto — “In God we trust” — on a wall of its City Council chambers.

An atheist group Tuesday called on the city of Orem, Utah, to drop “In God We Trust” as its motto after the city of 98,000 recently adopted the phrase.

“Adopting ‘In God We Trust‘ as our city’s motto is a reflection of our collective faith, our commitment to one another, and our trust in the foundational principles that guide us.”

Mr. Line said, “The history of the motto ‘In God We Trust’ evidences no secular purpose; on the contrary, the motto was first adopted during the Cold War as a reaction to the purported ‘godlessness’ of Communism.