Redesigned Chicano history mural receives surprise approval from SJ arts commissioners

A MURAL HONORING Chicano historical figures will move forward after San Jose arts commissioners made a surprising decision.

Dozens of supporters for a proposed mural in San Jose’s Northside neighborhood attended a San Jose Arts Commission meeting last Monday at City Hall, after a clash with critics at a previous community meeting threatened to delay the project. In a split 4-4 decision, commissioners initially voted to delay the approval, pushing the topic to either May or June. When supporters erupted in outrage and asked commissioners to reconsider their decision, they unexpectedly reversed course and took another vote — unanimously agreeing to approve the Chicano-themed mural on the handball court at Backesto Park just north of downtown.