Public weighs in on Half Moon Bay mass shooting memorial designs

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On Thursday, the second anniversary of the tragic rampage, a number of concept designs for a memorial commemorating the mass shooting of seven farmworkers in Half Moon Bay were on display.

The quiet seaside hamlet was rocked on January 23, 2023, when Chunli Zhao, a farmworker, allegedly went on a shooting rampage at two mushroom farms, killing seven people. It exposed the appalling working conditions that some agricultural workers face and was the bloodiest shooting in San Mateo County history.

“On this day we remember them, we recognize what happened to them and what happened to our community,” interviewed Joaquin Jimenez, the former mayor of Half Moon Bay. “This event changed our history.”

Following the massacre, the city established the Farmworker Memorial Remembrance and Advisory Committee, which has been collaborating with charitable organizations to develop a concept for a memorial building in the victims’ honor. The committee includes the only farmworker who survived serious injuries sustained during the shooting.

The committee has chosen four of the memorial’s nine designs as finalists. At a memorial event Thursday, poster boards featuring illustrations of each concept were erected at Mac Dutra Plaza to collect opinions from the public.

“We’re trying to gather community feedback first,” Julissa Acosta stated during an interview. Acosta is a management analyst in the community services department of the Half Moon Bay City Manager’s Office.

“We’ll go to other commissions and committees, and then ultimately end with City Council to determine what the final design will be,” Acosta stated.

Elbert “Kitty” Fernandez Park, a little concrete open space on the intersection of Main and Filbert streets, is the suggested site for the memorial. The park would be completely renovated with new concrete bricks and more greenery as part of all the plans.

One artist, who focuses on using light and shadow to produce beautiful patterns, came up with two concepts.

In the first, a concrete wall in the shape of a crescent is adorned with seven lanterns of various colors. The lanterns have elaborate cutout patterns that reflect patterns onto the wall as light strikes them.

A gazebo that already exists in the park is used in the second rendering. The gazebo’s walls are made of seven panels, each of which has a different colored lantern in the middle. Similar to the first design, shadow patterns are produced by light shining into the lanterns with cutouts.

With an estimated cost of half a million dollars, these designs are the least costly of the four, according to Acosta.

Some Half Moon Bay locals reacted favorably to these suggestions, stating that the gazebo’s use and the vivid colors were pleasing.

Because the other two concepts included the greatest greenery, which accurately represents the labor performed by agricultural laborers, some community members also preferred them.

In the third concept, a water fountain is surrounded by concrete benches and stones bearing phrases. There are cherry blossom trees and grass all around it.

According to Acosta, this design is expected to cost roughly $1 million.

The fourth concept, which includes garden walks that wind between several sculptures, is the most complex and expensive of the four. It has statues of hardworking farmworkers, an archway, water fountains, and seven stones to symbolize the seven victims.

This concept is anticipated to cost approximately $3 million.

It is anticipated that the entire process, from approval to completion, will take roughly three years, regardless of the plan chosen.

In the upcoming months, the committee will give the public a more official presentation of the choices, according to Acosta.

“We just wanted to present a preview to the community so we can get their feedback first,” she explained.