Ventura City Council Votes Unanimously to Relocate Father Junipero Serra Statue

The Ventura City Council unanimously voted to remove and relocate two statues of Father Junipero Serra at a special public meeting on July 15, 2020.

"In recent weeks, the City of Ventura received thousands of emails, phone calls, and public comments about the Father Junipero Serra statue. Last night, the City Council reached a peaceful resolution to remove and relocate two Serra statues," commented Ventura City Manager, Alex D. McIntyre.

The decision will allow the bronze statue of Father Junipero Serra, located on public property in front of City Hall, to be put in storage with the goal of moving it to Mission San Buenaventura. The City Council also approved the removal of a wooden statue of Father Serra from inside City Hall and asked that it be moved into storage until an appropriate site is identified.

The Council voted 6-0 to remove the statutes with Mayor Matt LaVere absent. The Mayor recused himself from the public meeting to ensure that the community discussion was conducted free of bias after signing a joint statement in support of safely moving the statue with the Barbareño/ Ventureño Band of Mission Indians (Chumash) and the Mission San Buenaventura.