I have heard suggestions that the San Luis Obispo City Council is too heavily weighted toward Cal Poly and less responsive to the people who live here full time. Two council members are employed by Cal Poly.
The county grand jury looked at the unruly behavior of fraternities in neighborhoods. In the last few years, Cal Poly and the city have spent hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars trying to contain, then support, partying on a made-up holiday, St. Fratty’s Day.
I am appalled that the mayor has broken the law by releasing to Cal Poly a confidential draft copy of the county grand jury report. And even worse, saying she would do it again.
This is a violation of the law, and there is no excuse, especially since the report included a warning not to share it. Cal Poly is a state agency and has no business with the county grand jury.
I believe there need to be some consequences. This is not a small thing in a time when integrity is sadly lacking among public officials at all levels of government.
The mayor has lost trust. Perhaps the City Council should censure the mayor. At the very least she must give a heartfelt apology to the grand jury and the residents of the city. She must be held accountable.
Christine Mulholland
San Luis Obispo
This article appears in July 9-16, 2026.
Agreed. The mayor and city manager are crooks and supported by the Democratic party if you read their list of whom they endorse. Great job, ladies. All the work my late mother’s generation did to even allow you to manage tens of millions of dollars of public money and hold public office, drive cars, vote, and have reproductive rights, just pissed away by you clowns. You dishonor their memory, their lives, and have stooped to the level of the Gambino crime family. I hope our local, concerned, District Attorney and federal prosecutors throw you all in jail for lengthy terms.
Christine Mulholland is right that accountability does not begin and end with criminal prosecution. The mayor received a confidential Grand Jury report containing an explicit warning against disclosure, shared it with Cal Poly, and has since publicly stated that she would do it again.
This is an election year. Voters deserve to know whether the other members of the City Council and candidates for office believe this conduct is acceptable. Do they support censure? Do they believe an apology is warranted? Or do they believe there should be no consequences at all?
Silence should not be an option. Anyone asking voters for their trust should be willing to say publicly where they stand when a fellow elected official disregards a legal confidentiality requirement and then says she would do it again.
Did you notice and think it is any coincidence that this Tuesdays regular City Council meeting was cancelled? They know they can’t hide.