Supervisors OK County Jail Mural

San Diego County supervisors have approved the painting of a seven-story mural on a wall of the downtown jail, provided that an American flag in the artwork is moved to a higher position than an Iraqi emblem.

The supervisors voted, 3 to 2, Tuesday to allow artist Mario Acevedo Torero to paint his mural “The Child” on the exterior jail wall at the intersection of B and Front streets, where it will be visible to motorists exiting southbound I-5 via by Front Street off-ramp.

Supervisors Leon Williams, Susan Golding and Brian Bilbray approved the mural. Supervisors George Bailey and John MacDonald voted against it.

It was Bilbray who, in an unexpected suggestion, asked Torero to revise a ring of flags, moving the American flag from its position near the Iraqi flag to a higher position. Torero said Wednesday that he does not object to the requirement and will probably move the American flag to a position at the top of the circle of emblems.

The mural depicts a young child in an outstretched palm, surrounded by the flags. Torero said that he created the painting in 1979 and has produced it on T-shirts being sold by a nonprofit foundation.

Torero, who has painted murals on other local buildings, said he is unsure when he will begin painting the mural on the jail, but predicted that painting will take no longer than a month.

The agreement between the county and the artists preserves the county’s right to remove the mural if the jail is demolished or remodeled.

Torero said he is working on arrangements to re-create the mural in Prague, Czechoslovakia, later this year.