PRESERVING HISTORY SENATORS SEEK FEDERAL FUNDS TO HELP RESTORE AGING MISSIONS.

Byline: Lisa M. Sodders Staff Writer

A bill allocating $10 million to help restore 21 California missions, including San Fernando and San Buenaventura, has been introduced by U.S. Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein.

``Many of our California missions are in dire need of restoration,'' Boxer said. ``To ensure the future of our missions and their place in our state's culture and history, we must act now.''

If secured, the funds would be administered through the California Missions Foundation, a not-for-profit, nonsectarian preservation group.

``The need is urgent,'' said Richard Ameil, founder and president of the foundation, based in Sacramento. ``If we don't get this funding and start doing some of these repairs, we could lose some of these centuries-old buildings.''

The foundation is trying to raise $50 million to restore the 21 missions, with most of the money going for structural repairs and seismic work. It also hopes to get $10 million from Proposition 40, which was passed in March and contains money for historic preservation.

The San Fernando mission is in fairly good shape, Ameil said, and mainly needs $100,000 to $200,000 worth of art conservation work. The San Buenaventura mission in Ventura is seeking money to expand its museum and paint the main building.

Federal funding wouldn't violate the constitutional separation of church and state because the foundation is nonsectarian and pays the contractors directly, Ameil said. No money goes to the Catholic Church.

``These are state historic treasures, national historic treasures and part of our history as Americans and Californians,'' said Tod Tamberg, spokesman for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. ``Even though a number of these missions are functioning Catholic churches to this day, they are places where schoolchildren, both public and private, go on numerous field trips to learn about the history of their state and their heritage.''

The missions attract an estimated 5.3 million visitors each year and are a key part of the state's fourth-grade school curriculum.

``We're basically a museum; we get about 25,000 kids from school districts every year,'' said Monsignor Francis Weber, director of the San Fernando Mission in Mission Hills, noting that the mission also has two Masses on Sundays.

Lisa M. Sodders, [phone]

lisa.sodders(at)dailynews.com

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The art galleries at the San Fernando Mission are among projects covered in a bill introduced in Congress that would help fund restoration of California's 21 missions.

John Lazar/Staff Photographer