For 50 years, Culver City DMV had an iconic Chicano mural on its walls. Then the state painted over it

Culver City’s DMV office got a new paint job recently.

Usually, that’s not news. But in doing so, the state whitewashed an iconic Chicano mural painted on the building nearly 50 years ago. Now, one of the artists is working with the state to get it restored.

The cream colored wall covering over the most prominent part of the mural

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How the coverup was discovered

Artists David Botello and Wayne Healy, founders of East Los Streetscapers, painted “Moonscapes” in the late ‘70s with $10,000 from the California Arts Council. The Chicano science mural took about a year-and-a-half to paint, covering all the exterior walls of the DMV office.

The mural was a futuristic take on life and transportation with a bend toward environmentalism. For example, people drove through space with a dashboard computer warning the driver to switch to alternative energies. The four black walls were filled with vibrant displays of these stories. Then, crews painted over all but one.

Botello jokes the astronaut was holding the "first iPad" in its other hand — a handheld screen the muralists painted decades before the product. The screen referenced lowriders, barrios and his wife Lupe.

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“Over time, the wood deteriorated, and the mural often became a target for graffiti,” DMV spokesperson Ronald Ongtoaboc told LAist in a statement. “The DMV attempted to locate information on the mural, its artists and the organization(s) responsible for the mural, with no success.”

Botello, who lives in El Sereno, got in touch with the DMV in late February after he got wind of the whitewashing. His brother, a fellow muralist who also assisted on “Moonscapes,” sent him photos of contractors painting over the frontside of the mural, where a famed section showing an astronaut floating could be seen all who passed by Washington Boulevard.

David Botello is working with the DMV to have the mural restored

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“ We were devastated. We just felt so terrible because all that effort, overpainted,” Botello said. “Nobody could believe they would do that.”

Botello emailed the department that night. “ I said, ‘To whom it may concern, you painted out our mural. How come you didn’t contact us?’” The next morning, he was told to get in touch with the DMV’s facilities manager in Sacramento to ask them to stop painting over the artwork. The department agreed.

Botello marked on the wall to warn contractors not to paint anymore.

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Just one wall of mural was left — ironically because the long line of waiting DMV visitors who regularly snaked along it had made it hard to reach.

Why the mural matters

“Moonscapes” is significant because Chicanos didn’t paint often on the west side during L.A.’s mural movement, let alone one focused on science.

That work drew some attention. Botello recalled an interaction they had while working on the front of the building.

“ A lady from across the block came over, and said, ‘How come you’re putting graffiti on the wall? We’re gonna call the cops.’”

They had just put chalk on the walls to outline what to paint. Botello said he took out the designs and assured her they had permission. By the time they finished, the mural was popular and featured in magazines.

A young Botello stands in front of "Moonscapes III," which focuses on energy and transportation. To the left is a dipstick that shows the space car is low on oil, signaling the importance of reducing oil consumption. This display was where the driving test starts.

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"Moonspaces V" depicted the astronauts who died in the Challenger disaster.

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"Moonscapes III" also includes a portion where a large man, a mechanic, is holding up a glass jar that's meant to symbolize an eight cylinder engine.

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"Moonscapes II" is a cruise through time. Next to the  Aztec moon goddess are DNA molecules. Inside them are different forms of life, such as a whale, a brain and an embryo.

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“ Little by little, everybody accepted it because we were not doing an obvious Chicano mural,” he said.

But Botello and Healy injected bits of themselves across the mural. The astronaut’s helmet had a reflection of a “ zoot suiter,” and the Mexican flag was on its upper arm.

What comes next

This isn’t the first time one of Botello’s murals has been ruined. In the ‘80s, Shell Oil commissioned the East Los Streetscapers to paint a mural at a gas station. But in 1988, the wall it was on was torn down. Similarly, no one on the team got a warning.

That situation became a test case for the California Art Preservation Act. They took Shell Oil to court and won through an appeal in 1991. That case is why the act today also protects murals.

The act prohibits the destruction or altering of artwork without the artist’s consent or a chance to preserve it. And in the case of murals, building owners are supposed to “diligently” attempt to give the artist 90 days’ notice.

That being said, Botello doesn’t want to take the DMV to court.

“We want to go with the goodwill that I’m getting from the manager in Sacramento,” Botello said, “and believe first of all, that he’s gonna pay for restoring the walls. ”

Graffiti can be seen on what's left of "Moonscapes III."

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The wood panels — which were the mural's canvas — have also clearly worn and cracked over the years.

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Botello is working on an estimate of charges. He’s already put in more than 100 hours of work to save the mural. Botello and a restorationist are getting a paint remover from the University of Florence in Italy to test on the walls. If it works, it would remove the top layer of white paint.

But if that doesn’t pan out, the mural will need to be redone.

“ It is possible to repaint it, but I’m not healthy enough,” he said. “I would maybe supervise. We have to get a good team.”

Botello is interested in updating the mural too. Some of it is tied to specific historical events, such as the Challenger disaster, so repainting is a chance to bring panels up to date.

“ I would like to see the most beautiful parts of the mural fully restored and maybe come up with something new for other parts,” he said.