City of San Luis Obispo, CA

Interested community members are invited to attend an upcoming City Council meeting to discuss the City of San Luis Obispo’s draft response to a recent San Luis Obispo County Grand Jury report on town and gown relations.

“We understand that noisy parties in neighborhoods surrounding Cal Poly can be disruptive and the City has taken significant steps to improve safety and enforcement in these neighborhoods,” said Mayor Erica A. Stewart. “The City is already doing much of what the Grand Jury recommends in its report, and many of the problems identified also require shared responsibility from Cal Poly. We will continue to work together to address these issues and have prioritized neighborhood livability this year and next year.”

City Council Meeting
September 16, 2025 at 5:30 p.m.
City Hall, Council Chambers
990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 
Download Agenda Report and Attachments

Cal Poly is a major contributor to the community's vibrancy and culture and is a major economic engine on California’s Central Coast. However, some residents in neighborhoods surrounding Cal Poly have expressed concerns over noise, unruly gatherings, and other disturbances. The Grand Jury published its report, titled “Round & Round with Town & Gown,” in June 2025 following an investigation into such complaints.

The City Manager, City Council, and City Planning Commission are required to respond to Grand Jury’s findings and recommendations by September 19, 2025. The City Council will discuss its draft response during a public hearing on the topic at its Sept. 16, 2025 meeting, while the Planning Commission reviewed its response at a public hearing in August.

Summary of the City’s Response

1. Large Unsanctioned Events (e.g., “St. Fratty’s” Day): The City maintains it acted appropriately to large unsanctioned events even before 2025, using law enforcement best practices and coordinating planning with Cal Poly. The successful prevention of a major 2025 event reflected years of planning, lessons learned, and strong collaboration among the City, Cal Poly, student organizations, law enforcement partners, and neighborhood groups. Moving forward, the City will continue these partnerships and implement proactive measures, as appropriate, to deter future unruly events.
2. Community Engagement on Off-Campus Impacts: The City has long prioritized addressing student-related neighborhood issues in partnership with residents, Cal Poly, and other stakeholders. Since 2010, new ordinances and outreach have reduced noise complaints by 50%. Building on this progress, the City remains committed to targeted enforcement, continued community engagement, and new initiatives under the 2025–27 Housing and Neighborhood Livability Major City Goal.
3. Illegal Activity of Fraternities and Sororities: The City enforces zoning laws through a complaint-based system and has opened over 40 cases related to fraternity and sorority operations in the City since 2023. While a student overlay zone will not be pursued immediately, the City is enhancing how enforcement is tracked and will research additional solutions, with public updates provided at City Council meetings over the next two years.
4. Conditional Use Permit (CUP) Enforcement: The City enforces CUPs when verifiable violations occur and has processed updated fraternity/sorority CUP conditions since 2018. Three CUPs have been revoked since 2024, and while enforcement is complaint-driven, staffing is adjusted for high-risk events to monitor and enforce CUP compliance.
5. Planning Appeal Fees: The City maintains that appeal fees do not limit participation, as filing complaints is free and can lead to enforcement or review. Fees apply only to formal appeals and are set well below the actual cost of processing the appeal.
6. Cooperation with the Grand Jury: The City disagrees with claims of non-cooperation, noting that key staff provided interviews and extensive records. Oversight of responses to Grand Jury investigations is already handled by the City Manager and City Attorney, making additional guidelines unnecessary.

Prior to the report’s release in June 2025, the Grand Jury sent the City a draft to which the City replied with a 27-page memo listing factual concerns in the draft report.

In July, the City Council appointed Mayor Erica A. Stewart and Council Member Jan Marx to an Ad Hoc Committee to collaborate with staff in preparing formal responses to the Grand Jury’s report on Town and Gown relations. The Ad Hoc Committee met several times with staff over the summer to develop the response to the Grand Jury’s report.

For more details and a timeline of what the City has done to address concerns, visit www.slocity.org/TownGown.

Media Contact:
Whitney Szentesi, Public Communications Manager, 805.783.7716 | wszentes@slocity.org