California transportation officials say the Serra statue failed program standards; Archbishop Cordileone says Catholics were shut out of the decision.
For nearly 50 years, a 26-foot statue of Franciscan missionary Father (now Saint) Junípero Serra stood along Interstate 280, the 57-mile freeway connecting San Francisco and San Jose.
No longer. And the reasons for its removal remain murky.
Local media was silent. Because the statue stood behind a locked gate and cars sped by at 75 miles an hour, few noticed when Caltrans crews removed the imposing structure. Only in September did people start talking about it, after a Sept. 11 social media post went viral.
A representative from the California Department of Transportation confirmed to the Register Oct. 1 that the statue — located near Hillsborough at the Dale M. Krings Memorial Rest Area, named for a slain California Highway Patrol Officer — was removed in August.
St. Junípero was canonized by Pope Francis in 2015 for his missionary witness in Mexico and California. Nine missions were founded during his tenure as Father President of the California missions.
According to CEQAnet, the state database for California Environmental Quality Act documents, Caltrans environmental scientist Nina Hofmarcher was given permission for a “Minor B Statue Removal” on March 21.
Jeneane Crawford, public information officer for Caltrans District 4, told the Register, “Caltrans removed the statue … because the installation did not meet current Transportation Art Program requirements and had been a frequent target of graffiti and vandalism.”
“The statue was evaluated for eligibility … and was determined not eligible. The artist’s family members were interviewed for the Historic Resources Evaluation Report, notified of the decision to remove the statue, and given the opportunity to fund its removal and preservation,” she said. “Local Ohlone tribes, who have ancestral ties to the land in San Mateo County, were consulted. In addition, Caltrans solicited input from multiple historical, arts and religious organizations.”
The freeway itself — named the Junípero Serra Freeway — connects San Francisco and San José, both cities whose names are rooted in Spanish California history. Serra’s legacy is also marked nearby: In 1776, his fellow Franciscan Father Francisco Palóu consecrated Mission San Francisco de Asís. Interstate 280 also goes through Santa Clara, where in 1777 Serra himself founded Mission Santa Clara de Asís.
The concrete-and-steel sculpture was created by Louis DuBois of San Carlos, California, and dedicated June 28, 1976, days before the U.S. bicentennial. According to the San Mateo Times, Dubois did the work at his own expense and dedicated it to the people of California — privately funded art on public land. It was included in a 2023 Knights of Columbus video, Walking in the Footsteps of St. Junípero Serra.
After Serra’s canonization and especially during the unrest in the summer of 2020, statues of him were vandalized throughout California — including at Mission Carmel, Old Mission Santa Barbara, Mission San Gabriel, Mission San Rafael and Mission San Jose. Only one arrest was made, after the attack in San Rafael. On Indigenous Peoples’ Day 2020, the I-280 statue was also vandalized.
That summer, a group of 40-50 local Catholics responded with a “St. Junípero Serra Statue Vigil,” meeting and praying at the I-280 statue from July 1-9. San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone joined the group on July 1, the feast day of St. Junípero.
Which “historical, arts and religious organizations” Caltrans consulted remains unclear. One group notably absent: the Archdiocese of San Francisco.
“I learned about the removal of the St. Junípero Serra statue after it happened,” said Archbishop Cordileone. “No one fought for St. Junípero Serra because apparently, officials from Caltrans and the Transportation Art Program didn’t consult with anyone who would give them an opinion that differed from their own. Once again, Catholics are subject to prejudice and marginalization.”
Caltrans has not disclosed the statue’s current location despite repeated requests for comment. At the rest stop, only two sheets of paper in a display case mark the absence of the local landmark that once pointed forward.