The Story Behind the Gator Boy and Controversy
“Gator Boy” may be forced to ride into that good night after a recent complaint to City Hall sparked an official review of the mural on the north side of Chapala Street’s Cajun Kitchen Café. Unless café co-owner Juan Jimenez can convince city officials that the bayou-and-breakfast-inspired imagery should remain a permanent fixture of Santa Barbara’s highly regulated, historic downtown corridor, the popular piece of public art will come down next August.