San Mateo eyes public mural for racial equality

After the Civic Arts Committee considers the council’s input thus far, a joint public meeting with both bodies may be held and then a request for proposals that broadly outlines parameters for the project will be drafted, officials said.

The concept for the project evolved from a proposal by a resident in July to paint a Black Lives Matter mural on a city street.

Councilmembers during Monday’s meeting discussed two main options for the project: a single large mural or a series of smaller murals, potentially on utility boxes throughout the city.

The idea of multiple smaller murals tied to the theme of racial equality on utility boxes or other surfaces seemed to be the most popular among councilmembers. The murals could either be painted or printed on vinyl wrap, which would make repairs much easier than the former option.

“I personally find it very compelling the idea of different works of art in different places, whether it’s utility boxes or what,” said Deputy Mayor Eric Rodriguez. “The reason I believe that is if it’s just in one location unless it’s the perfect central location I don’t think the whole city is going to experience it as much as they could and it’s hard to get everyone involved. If it’s in different locations I think it’ll be easier to rally community input.”

Councilwoman Diane Papan also liked the idea of having the project span multiple locations.

“The utility boxes has a great deal of appeal to me. … I think it’s good to be reminded in different locations about [racial equity] and how that concept exists in different ways,” she said.  

Central Park, downtown parking structures, the First Avenue Caltrain station and other sites along the train tracks were a few potential mural locations discussed during the meeting. MidPen Housing was recently approved to construct an apartment building and parking garage downtown that was cited as a possible mural location, but the nonprofit has already determined the public art component of the project, officials said.

Heather Stewart, a senior management analyst for the city, said smaller murals on utility boxes would cost roughly $3,000 each, which could be covered by available funds. Stewart didn’t offer a cost estimate for a large mural, but suggested it would be considerably more than smaller ones.

There is $182,000 available in the city’s public art fund that can be used for the project. Councilmembers adamantly said they don’t want to spend the entirety of the fund's balance on the project.

The public art fund gets its money from in-lieu fees. If developers don’t include public art in a project valued at $3 million or more, then they can instead pay .5% of the permit valuation into the city’s public art fund.

But developers are increasingly choosing to include public art in their projects so the fund won’t be replenished for at least the next two years, Stewart said.

Rodriguez suggested pursuing a public-private partnership to help offset project costs.

Rodriguez and his colleagues also said vandalism is a top concern that should be considered in identifying a location for the project.

“We’re seeing vandalism on a lot of our murals all over downtown,” he said. “At least for me that has to be one of the top concerns. It doesn’t matter how beautiful it is if the next weekend it’s all tagged.”

In other business, the council expressed interest in banning the sale of flavored tobacco products, including flavored e-cigarettes, in the city. An ordinance mirroring one adopted by the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors in 2018, which also bans the sale of tobacco products in pharmacies, will likely be considered at the council’s next regular meeting. 

The council also adopted an ordinance requiring guns stored in homes in the city to be kept in a locked container or disabled with a trigger lock. Those who fail to safely store firearms could spend up to six months in county jail and be subject to a fine up to $1,000. 

zachary@smdailyjournal.com

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