Santa Ana city officials will preserve the iconic Chicano Gothic mural as part of the Memorial Park pool renovation.
That clear sentiment – through a unanimous city council vote earlier this month – came on the heels of a wave of resident feedback and artist activism over concerns that city officials didn’t have mural restoration in their plans.
It’s a rare moment when all Santa Ana city council members find themselves on the same page.
Earlier in the month, Santa Ana city hall staff triggered a controversy when renovation renderings didn’t picture the Chicano Gothic mural, fueling concern that the city might not be focused enough on saving the artwork.
An 11th Hour Push Saves a Chicano Mural
After local artist Alicia Rojas and other activists started ringing alarm bells, city council members started re-engaging with staff — and publicly asking for assurances.
[Read: Santa Ana Move to Erase Chicano Gothic Mural Triggers Debate]
Following a Voice of OC story on the issue, city officials issued a press release noting that the mural could be saved.
Yet questions remained.
[Read: Santa Ana Officials Say the City’s Iconic ‘Chicano Gothic’ Mural Stays; Now What]
Earlier this month, Santa Ana City Councilman Ben Vazquez briefly held up a construction contract on the Memorial Park pool to ensure council comments on the mural went on record.
That action prompted the words from city staff that everyone wanted to hear:
“Yes. We are saving the mural.”
In addition, the episode seems to have triggered unique support for a permanent effort on mural preservation in Santa Ana – an initiative that has gathered steam across the U.S. in recent years.
“Take this as a learning experience,” said Santa Ana City Councilman David Penaloza at the June 4 public council meeting to city staff, urging publicly that mural preservation become a focal point in future construction projects.
Saving murals should be the first order in any future renovation project, said Penaloza, who represents the city ward that houses the Chicano Gothic mural.
“That should be the first focus,” Penaloza added.
Santa Ana Mayor Valerie Amezcua also was supportive of the efforts, adding, “We got to get it done.”
Councilwoman Jessie Lopez also voiced support for the mural, saying it was a “learning experience for everyone.”
Councilwoman Thai Viet Phan noted the unanimous support for mural restoration was a rare moment of unity for council members.
Ultimately, council members made a motion to ensure protection of the mural as part of the construction contract.
Councilman Vazquez publicly credited the activism of local artist Rojas, one of the lead activists ringing alarm bells on the mural.
Rojas – who is also a muralist and member of the Santa Ana Community Artist(a) – has spent countless hours on mural restoration across Santa Ana.
Who’s Looking Out For Santa Ana’s Murals?
“How come the city of Santa Ana doesn’t have a line-item for mural preservation?” questioned Rojas in an earlier interview with Voice of OC Photography Director Julie Leopo, who was the first journalist to write about the issue.
Rojas and others want the city of Santa Ana to have a more systematic approach to the aging murals across Santa Ana.
It’s something that other cities and regions across America – like San Diego, Los Angeles and Colorado – are already working on.
“It can transform Santa Ana,” said Santa Ana City Councilman Jonathan Hernandez, saying such an effort should be created at city hall.
Street art in local communities is often criminalized, Hernandez noted in an interview last week.
“The reason they (street murals) are not widely received and supported by the city,” he theorizes is “because the people creating this are subject to historical violence.”
The murals often reflect the cultural and historical dramas that these communities have experienced and much like the gentrification of buildings, letting this urban archive decay erases that legacy.
Preserving murals does just the opposite.
It embraces art as protest.
Whether it’s muralists like Carlos Callejo or Emigdio Vasquez’s cultural commentaries on Chicano culture, Hernandez sees restoration efforts as a way to lift local storytellers and the communities they represent.
Hernandez called the idea of a city office of sorts on Murals “a perfect fit.”
That kind of effort could help catalog existing works, identify those in need of restoration and also even fuel local tourism around mural tours – most notably during Chicano Heritage month, something city leaders keep expanding programming around through public events like festivals.
Art brings communities together.
It’s a concept most Santa Ana city officials and council members keep publicly embracing.
As those same officials unveil the next city budget this week, it will be telling to see whether those public comments from the dais actually find a permanent home on the city’s balance sheet.
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