City of San Luis Obispo, CA

The San Luis Obispo City Council met on Tuesday, January 13, 2026. Below are highlights from the meeting. Review the full meeting video recording and agenda with attachments.

The meeting started with several presentations. First, Mayor Erica A. Stewart presented two proclamations declaring January 2026 as:

1. National Mentoring Month
2. National Anti Human Trafficking Prevention Month

City Manager Whitney McDonald then provided a brief report on City programs, projects, and upcoming events.

The City Council pulled item 6h from the Consent Agenda for further discussion and then approved the remaining Consent Agenda Items with one vote.

• As part of item 6h, the Council discussed work to improve traffic improve traffic safety at the South Street and King Court crossing, awarded a construction contract and approved the purchase of necessary equipment for a project that would. The Council also approved adding an LPR camera to the project, with direction to return back to Council if there is not sufficient funding in the project. This project supports the City’s Vision Zero objective to eliminate traffic fatalities in San Luis Obispo.
• Other notable items included the:
  • The purchase of automated equipment to stripe the fields at the Damon Garcia Sports Complex, which will free up nearly 450 staff hours annually for maintenance at other existing and new parks.
  • A $30,000 grant from the San Luis Obispo County Fire Safe Council to support citywide evacuation planning.
  • An agreement with SLOCOG and the City of Santa Maria to pilot a program that would provide daily commuters with direct transit service between Santa Maria and downtown San Luis Obispo and help determine if there is a sustained need for such service.

The City Council also held three public hearings at the meeting. Below are brief recaps of each public hearing.

City Finances Well-Managed, Audited Report Says
The City Council voted to accept the City’s audited financial reports for 2024-25, confirming that independent auditors found the City of San Luis Obispo finances were accurate and well managed. Noteworthy trends included slower sales tax growth, less development revenue, and rising costs. Despite this, the City managed its spending well and ended the year stronger than expected, with about $3.5 million of one-time funding in the General Fund available for the Council to consider allocating during a public hearing on the mid-year budget report in February 2026. In addition, the City has about $32.7 million in capital funds that are expected to be used for important upcoming community improvement projects, such as Righetti Community Park, police and fire facility improvements, fleet electrification, and street and paving work. While two administrative issues were identified in a federal audit, they did not involve missing money or misuse of funds and are being resolved. In addition to the audited financial reports, the City provides comprehensive reports on spending of its Local Revenue Measure (Measure G-20) funding, which are available on the City’s website. Residents recently received a short summary of the most recent one of these reports with their utility bills and are encouraged to review the comprehensive reports for additional details.

Council Adopts Citywide Single Vote Election Method
The City Council approved an ordinance adopting a new way of electing City Council members starting in November 2026, called Citywide Single Vote. The City Council agreed to this change in 2024 as part of a legal settlement agreement under the California Voting Rights Act. Every two years, the City holds an election to fill two open City Council seats. Rather than creating voting districts that only allow voters to participate in every other election, the Citywide Single Vote method will allow voters to continue participating in every City Council election and voting for the candidate that best represents them regardless of where they live. Previously, voters had to split their vote between two candidates. Now, a vote carries more weight because voters get to choose the one candidate who best represents them. The top two candidates with the most votes will win the two open City Council seats. This method allows different communities to unite behind one candidate, strengthening coalition-building and creating more representation than district voting would have. The City Council is investing $120,000 in voter education and outreach which will ramp up this month. Community members interested in learning more are encouraged to sign up for email updates at www.slocity.org/singlevote.

Pay Changes Coming for Council and Advisory Body Members
The City Council voted to adopt new pay rates for elected officials based on recommendations from the Council Compensation Committee, increasing the Mayor’s monthly salary from $2,923 to $4,864 and Council Members’ pay from $2,319 to $2,780, with the changes taking effect in January 2027. The Council also approved a small monthly stipend for any Mayor or Council Member who serves on a statewide board or policy committee, increased funding for work-related travel and professional expenses, and kept stipends for Planning Commission and Architectural Review Commission members the same. Community members may want to know that the decision follows a public review process, is intended to better reflect the time and responsibility of these roles. Any increases would be included as a part of the development of the 2026-27 budget and future budgets.

The City Council will hold its next meeting on Tuesday, January 20, 2026 at 5:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall. Attendees of City Council or Advisory Body meetings are eligible for one hour of complimentary parking in designated City garages. Learn more at Parking for Public Meetings.

To provide input or view upcoming agendas, visit www.slocity.org/agendas. To receive updates from the City, sign up at www.slocity.org/subscribe or follow us on social media.

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