Coalition for Historical Integrity v. City of San Buenaventura CA2/6

FACTS

The Statue of Junípero Serra In 1936, a concrete statue of Serra was dedicated in front of the Ventura County courthouse, now San Buenaventura City Hall. At nine feet four inches the statue was larger than life and stood on a rise overlooking all of downtown. In February 1974, the City adopted a resolution declaring the statue to be a historic landmark, designated as Landmark No. 3. The Bronze Replica Statue Departure By 1983, the statue was showing its age. It was cracking and in danger of falling apart. The City replaced the concrete statue with one cast in bronze. A local woodcarver created the form that was used for the cast. The new bronze statue of Serra was dedicated in 1989. A plaque was placed at the base of the replica statue that stated, “Landmark No. 3.” The City’s Review of the Statue’s Landmark Status In 2002, the City created a list of historic landmarks. The bronze statue was placed on the list designated as Landmark No. 3. Also in 2002, at the City’s request, the Ventura County Recorder recorded the 1974 minute order designating the original Serra statue as a historic landmark. In 2005, the environmental impact report for the City’s General Plan included…