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July 21 Council Meeting Recap
The City Council held a swearing in ceremony for the new fire chief, heard from the County on homelessness data, and got an update on outreach to raise awareness of the new Citywide Single Vote for Council Members.
The San Luis Obispo City Council held a public meeting on Tuesday, July 21, 2026. Below is a recap of the meeting. Review the full recorded video and agenda packet here.
Presentations and Consent Agenda
The meeting began with the swearing in of Randy Harris as the new Fire Chief for the City of San Luis Obispo. Harris was joined by his family as he took the oath of office. The City announced Harris’s appointment in May. He will manage the Fire Department’s $18 million budget and lead a team of about 60 full-time Fire Department employees serving the San Luis Obispo community. The SLO City Fire Department is a full-service fire department that protects lives and property through emergency response, fire prevention, disaster preparedness, and community education. The City is preparing to open Fire Station 5 in the coming years, and planning for that will require stability in Fire Department leadership as well as additional staffing, which Chief Harris will oversee.
County Presents ‘Encouraging Trend’ in Homelessness
Staff from the Homeless Services Division of the County Department of Social Services presented encouraging results from the 2026 Point-in-Time (PIT) Count indicating that efforts to reduce and prevent homelessness are working. The County organized the PIT Count on a single night in January 2026, as it does every two years. Results show a decrease in the number of community members experiencing homelessness both in San Luis Obispo city and countywide. Both the City and the County have been strategically working together over the past few years to prevent and reduce homelessness. Read more what the City is doing as part of its Homelessness Response Strategic Plan.
Community Awareness Grows Around Upcoming Election Change
Staff presented an update to the City Council on how the City is raising awareness of the Citywide Single Vote, an upcoming election change where voters will choose one Council Member candidate instead of up to two. Staff shared that communications are well underway and that the City has reached thousands of community members through a comprehensive voter education campaign launched in January. The campaign is designed to make sure everyone understands what is changing and why, how to register to vote, and how to make sure their vote counts. The City will host an in-person community meeting on Saturday, August 15 from 12:30 to 2 p.m. to provide more information and help community members register to vote before the October deadline.
The City Manager, Whitney McDonald, then provided updates on various City services, programs and projects.
Next, there were several routine matters on the Consent Agenda, which the City Council approved with a single vote. These included:
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Adopting the FY 2026-27 budgets for the Tourism Business Improvement District and the Promotional Coordinating Committee to support destination marketing efforts as well as placemaking and to support community events that help strengthen San Luis Obispo’s economy.
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Updating two agreements with Caltrans that clearly identify who is responsible for maintaining different parts of Highway 101 and Highway 1 within city limits. This will ensure that the City continues caring for local-use areas (like bike paths, landscaping, and certain overcrossings) while Caltrans maintains the state highway facilities.
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Agreeing to continue participating in the “San Luis Obispo Region Urban County” program, which allows the City to receive federal funding to support affordable housing projects and homelessness related services.
The City Council also heard from community members who provided public comment on topics not on the agenda, and just prior to that, Mayor Erica A. Stewart read a statement of apology for the handling of the release of the “Town and Gown” grand jury report last year.
Prior to conclusion of the meeting, Council Members delivered their Council liaison reports regarding their assigned committees and participation in community events. Council Member Jan Marx also announced that she requested a public censure hearing regarding Mayor Stewart’s actions in the release of a grand jury report.
Looking Ahead
The next City Council meeting will take place on Tuesday, August 4, 2026 at 5:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers office at City Hall.
Attendees of the City Council 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