Ventura County Supervisor, Matt LaVere, speaks with Our Ventura TV host, MB Hanrahan about the Moon Ditch Mural Project.
The project is a massive public art installation that spans roughly a mile along the 101 Freeway in the Montalvo community near the Ventura Auto Center.
Origin and the Creative Economy
The project’s foundations began roughly five years prior when Supervisor LaVere and former Supervisor Carmen Ramirez advocated for arts and culture in the region. Their efforts led the county to establish its first-ever arts and culture manager position to boost the creative economy. Later, LaVere’s former chief of staff suggested utilizing public art inside the Moon Ditch—a county watershed channel plagued by regular graffiti that frustrated local residents and auto center businesses. With the help of the arts and culture manager, the county secured a $75,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to bring the idea to life.
Intersecting Art, Mental Health, and the Environment
The mural project also collaborated with the “Vibe Well Ventura County” program, which is run through the behavioral health department. This initiative aims to utilize the therapeutic powers of arts and culture to address mental health awareness and lower the stigma of seeking help, while providing additional financial support for the project. Furthermore, because the Moon Ditch is an active watershed flowing into the Santa Clara River, the project required meticulous ecological coordination and approvals from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to preserve the local ecosystem.
A Community Legacy and Overcoming Bureaucracy
Completing California’s longest mural required massive collaboration across public and private sectors, including the public works department, local artists (led by Elisa Torres), California State University Channel Islands, the probation agency, and community volunteers. Supervisor LaVere views it as a legacy initiative and a blueprint for overcoming funding and bureaucratic hurdles to achieve great public infrastructure goals. He notes that a similar public art initiative is already beginning in Saticoy along Highway 126.
TV broadcast week beginning 07/05/26
Producer: George Alger
Sponsor: NONPROFIT FIRE, Google Ad Grants Community Building NonProfitFire.org
Sponsor: SKYWORKS MARKETING, Performance Advertising SkyworksMarketing.com