San Luis Obispo voters can only pick one of three candidates thanks to the city’s switch to the single-vote method.
The top two vote-getters will win the two open City Council seats.
The result of a voting rights lawsuit settlement, the “vote-for-one” model swapped out the old electoral system where people cast votes for two City Council candidates.
Candidates Michelle Shoresman, Emily Francis, and Brett Cross understand that means every vote now holds more weight.
“My main goal for the next four years is to finish things I have started,” Shoresman said. “I look forward to seeing many of the projects I have started completed, like the South Higuera Complete Streets Project, and the hundreds of affordable housing units that have been put in the pipeline since I started my city service on the Planning Commission back in 2020.”
Shoresman has served on the SLO City Council since 2021. A 30-year SLO resident, her background is predominantly in the SLO County Public Health Department, managing the pandemic and public health emergency planning program, and HIV prevention and education programs.
Shoresman’s top priorities for her 2026 campaign are boosting inclusivity, protecting open spaces and the environment, increasing housing supply and diversifying housing stock, and addressing homelessness.
“My vision hasn’t changed fundamentally in the past five years,” she said. “Now though, based on feedback from many, many residents over the past five years, I have turned a new level of attention toward neighborhood livability and safe housing, especially for renters.”
Housing is also on City Councilmember Francis’ mind. The former Arroyo Grande High School social studies teacher has been on the council since 2022 when she focused on bringing transit back to pre-pandemic levels.
“After four years on council, I have a much deeper understanding of how interconnected all these issues are,” she said. “Housing requires water and transportation and infrastructure and economic vitality. You got to be asking yourself whether or not the people who work in the city can afford to live in the city.”
Francis is still focused on those issues along with providing affordable childcare, building and improving parks and public spaces, and keeping SLO on track for carbon neutrality by 2035.
“I came in really caring about environmental stewardship,” Francis said. “One of the things I ran on was the idea that there just wasn’t a lot of infrastructure in place for young families. … I’m so excited and proud about getting the Righetti Park moving.”
Francis and Shoresman share several endorsements, both winning the approvals of Mayor Erica Stewart, 2nd District Supervisor Bruce Gibson, 30th District Assemblymember Dawn Addis, the Sierra Club, the local Planned Parenthood chapter, and the SLO County Democratic Party.
Cross is the chair of Residents for Quality Neighborhoods and a registered Republican who believes he could change “Trumpism.” He said he didn’t seek endorsement from any political party. His campaign is as “grassroots” as it can get.
“What I’ve noticed over the past few years is that the council is just not listening to what the public is telling them,” the lifelong resident said. “You go to those meetings, you give your three-minute impassioned speech, and they say, ‘Thank you very much, Mr. Cross,’ … and they don’t even discuss them during their deliberations.”
Retiree Cross was SLO’s one-time primary parking meter coin collector. Earlier this year, his attorney sent the city a letter demanding a correction of his classification as a contractor and acknowledgment of his 33-year tenure as an employee.
The matter is ongoing, but his involvement has shifted to CalPERS and the Social Security Administration.
Cross told New Times he wanted to run for City Council in 2028 but the city terminating his contract fast-tracked his plans. He said he wasn’t interested in running for mayor because he’d rather work on resolving issues for four years as a council member before vying for the top spot.
Cross’ campaign priorities mirror those of his opponents, but his approach to some of these issues is different. The current bike infrastructure, for example, needs to go, he said.
“The bike lanes that are along Marsh Street and also lower Higuera lull people into a sense of safety,” Cross said. “The city needs to look at moving the bicycle traffic over to residential streets where there’s a lot less traffic and prioritizing those streets as bicycle friendly.”
His platform also includes the promise to implement a more transparent relationship between the city and Cal Poly—a point of frustration for many residents who struggled with unruly and unsanctioned fraternity parties over the past few years.
“The public needs to know that staff … wants to eliminate the definition of fraternity from our zoning codes, so that could mean any fraternity would be able to operate in any residential area in the city,” Cross said. “If I’m elected, that’s a nonstarter with me. I’m hoping that I can convince two other council members that this is the direction the city should be taking.”
