Jan. 20 SLO City Council Meeting Recap

The City Council Discussed The New Way Of Electing City Council Members, The 2025 California Legislative Session, Diablo Canyon Power Plant, And The Local Roads First Initiative.

The San Luis Obispo City Council met on Tuesday, January 20, 2026. Below are highlights from the meeting. Review the full meeting video recording and agenda with attachments.

Watch the recording of this week’s City Council meeting.

Presentations & Consent Agenda

The meeting started with two presentations:

Citywide Single Vote Education Efforts: City staff provided an overview of the plan to educate voters about an upcoming change to City Council elections. The City will implement a phased, multimedia communications plan to educate voters about the transition to a Citywide Single Vote for City Council ahead of the 2026 General Election. The plan focuses on building early awareness, clearly explaining how the new voting method works, encouraging voter registration, preventing ballot errors, and supporting voter turnout. Using a mix of digital and print materials, community meetings, media outreach, direct engagement, and partnerships with local organizations, the City will provide clear, consistent, and plain-language information in English and Spanish. The approach remains flexible and community-informed, with ongoing feedback used to refine messaging and ensure voters feel confident and prepared to participate successfully. More information can be found at www.slocity.org/SingleVote and anyone can provide feedback or input by emailing voting@slocity.org.
City Manager Report: City Manager Whitney McDonald then provided a brief report on City programs, projects, and upcoming events, including the upcoming application period for the Community Academy (applications open on February 2 and 5:30 p.m. at www.slocity.org/Academy), a survey asking community members to share their travel experiences along Foothill Boulevard (take the survey at www.slocity.org/OpenCityHall)

The City Council approved all items on the Consent Agenda with one vote, including authorizing the City to apply for the Community Champions Playground Grant to replace playground equipment at Vista Lago Park.

Public Hearings & Business Items

The City Council also discussed several business items. Recaps of these discussions are below.Council Forms Ad-Hoc Committee to Update Legislative Platform
City staff provided an overview of new State laws passed in 2025 that may affect San Luis Obispo and discussed next steps for the City’s legislative priorities. The briefing outlined major policy changes affecting housing, wildfire safety, homelessness, public safety, energy affordability, and local government transparency, alongside a tighter State budget outlook. Key community impacts include new wildfire-resilience programs, streamlined housing laws, stronger tools to curb illegal short-term rentals and protect tax revenue, and expanded virtual public meeting access starting in 2026. Council then formed a temporary ad-hoc committee made up of Council Member Emily Francis and Council Member Mike Boswell to review and update the City’s Legislative Platform for 2026 to ensure the City stays aligned with changing State policies and funding opportunities.City to Send Advocacy Letter on Diablo Canyon Power Plant
Rather than joining a County-led coalition letter to the State Legislature related to the Diablo Canyon Power Plant, the City Council will send its own more limited letter consistent with existing City policy. The County’s letter includes three main points: supporting extension of Diablo Canyon’s operating license, protecting unitary tax revenue, and preserving coastal lands through conservation. The Council supported the latter two priorities but chose not to weigh in on the license extension, determining it was outside the City’s purview and consistent with its practice of not advocating for or against specific projects. The Council appointed Council Member Michelle Shoresman and Council Member Jan Marx to a temporary ad-hoc committee to review a draft letter for City Council’s consideration at the February 3 Council Meeting. This decision matters to the community because Diablo Canyon affects public safety, local school funding, regional jobs, coastal land use, and long-term planning, even though the City’s direct fiscal impact is relatively modest and already accounted for in the current budget.Council Discusses SLOCOG’s Local Roads First Initiative
The San Luis Obispo Council of Governments (SLOCOG) presented a plan for how the region would use funding from a proposed 0.5% countywide transportation sales tax that could go before voters in November 2026. The proposed measure would create a dedicated local funding source to repair local and regional roads, build complete streets, support transit, and help the region better compete for state and federal grants. If approved by voters, the sales tax is expected to generate about $35 million per year for the region, with San Luis Obispo receiving an estimated $3.2 million annually for locally controlled transportation projects, plus access to additional regional funding. The Council shared key considerations and expressed support for an approach that emphasizes strong accountability and transparency.

Looking Ahead

The City Council will hold its next meeting on Tuesday, February 3, 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.