City Council

A plan to refurbish San Luis Obispo’s downtown Mission Plaza is now several years in the making. But this week marked the first time elected city officials looked at and discussed an official draft design of the first phase of the project. The response was supportive overall, but with a handful of criticisms.

San Luis Obispo’s mayor and city council will get a substantial pay raise next year. The council voted unanimously this week to bring salaries up to the area's median income. 

Santa Rosa and Pacifica are the latest California cities to draft local laws aiming to curb the use of natural gas infrastructure in new construction. It’s part of a push to move away from fossil fuels and towards renewable energy. San Luis Obispo city officials voted once, in early September, to pass a similar ordinance on what’s called decarbonization. But then attorneys for a utility labor union cried foul.

Santa Maria is transitioning from an at-large voting system to a district-based election process. This week the city is hosting the first in a series of public hearings to explain the process, answer questions and get input from the residents on how the new district maps should be drawn.

King City is moving forward with its plans for a district elections system. Its part of an effort to make representation on the City Council more reflective of the town's neighborhoods. 

The San Luis Obispo City Council will vote next Tuesday on whether to move forward with its plans for future housing and transportation needs, despite restrictions that are currently in place for such development surrounding the airport and beyond.

The City Council discussed the topic at its meeting Tuesday night, but did not bring it up for a vote because newly-elected council member Dan Rivoire wants an extra week to hear from the public.

UPDATE: Tuesday, October 28, 2014 at 6:40 p.m.

The Santa Barbara City Council is moving forward with plans to put the issue of district elections before the voters in November 2015.

Members agreed during Tuesday night's meeting to direct staff to work on the issue. The city is currently facing a lawsuit demanding district elections be implemented.

Mayor Pro Tempore Cathy Murillo voted for the resolution to move forward and had a lot to say to those who brought the lawsuit prior to registering her vote. 

The City of Goleta is preparing for the upcoming Halloween weekend by cracking down on parking in neighborhoods adjacent to Isla Vista.

City leaders say residents will get two free temporary street parking permits for each household. Only residents with valid permits will be able to park on the streets in the affected area between noon on Friday, October 31 and Sunday, November 2 at 6 a.m.

Plans to build a large hotel next to the Pismo Beach pier are moving forward after a unanimous vote Tuesday night by the City Council.

The plans had previously been approved by the Planning Commission, but the project was appealed last month by residents forcing it to be heard by the council.

The 104-room hotel has plans for a rooftop pool, restaurant and commercial retail space. There is also a business center and convention space.

Underground parking remains part of the plan, but had some adjustments made by the council.

The City of Paso Robles is preparing to issue its first-ever license for a mobile medical marijuana dispensary, according to its Administrative Services Department.

The City Council decided Tuesday night not to move forward with a mobile dispensary ban and voted 3-to-2 in favor of adopting a report that outlined their legal status.

It took a business application to move the issue to where we are today, says Jim Throop, the city's Director of Administrative Services. \

The City of Paso Robles will once again take up the issue of mobile medical marijuana dispensaries at its meeting on Tuesday, August 5.

Earlier this month, the Paso Robles City Council deadlocked on the issue, as only four members were present allowing for an even split.

Currently, Paso Robles has a law against brick-and-mortar dispensaries, but there is nothing in the code that bans mobile versions.

UPDATE: July 16, 2018

The City of Paso Robles is unsure at this point how leaders will move forward with the issue of mobile medical marijuana dispensaries.

Tuesday night's well-attended city council meeting ended with a deadlock on the issue. Councilman John Hamon was absent leaving just four members and a two-two split.

City law bans brick-and-mortar pot dispensaries, but does not address mobile versions.

The council meets next on August 5, and the agenda for that meeting is still in the development stages according to the city.

Original story: 

The mayor of Paso Robles says he won't run for his current job in the next election, but does plan to run for a council seat.

Duane Picanco says he discussed the issue with his family and says he's decided it's time to let somebody new lead the city.

The term of mayor recently increased from two to four years which was the deciding factor for the mayor he told KCBX. Voters chose to increase the term in 2012.

Picanco has held the job since 2008 and was a councilman prior to that.

candidates can submit their nomination papers to the city as of July 14.

The Arroyo Grande City Council is expected to decide Tuesday night on whether to place the issue of becoming a charter city on the November ballot.

Several public hearings on this issue have been held in recent years by the council and an eleven member citizens advisory committee.

Supporters say the benefit of switching to charter status is to give residents and the city more control over local issues like elections and land use.

Those opposed, primarily labor unions, say charter cities can skirt the state's prevailing wage rule.

UPDATE: June 11, 2014:

The Arroyo Grande City Council approved many of the water-related recommendations presented by city staff at Tuesday night's meeting, including the increase in financial incentives for turf replacement and washing machine efficiency.

Original story: 

Water rationing is scheduled to be a main topic of conversation at Tuesday night's Arroyo Grande City Council Meeting.

UPDATE: Wednesday, May 21, 2014 at 10:41 a.m.—

The Pismo Beach City Council voted Tuesday night to have city staff write up an ordinance to allow residents to keep up to four goats with an annual permit.

Goats would be allowed in public parks as well.

The council voted 4-1, with the only one dissenting vote from council member Mary Ann Reiss. 

Tuesday, May 22, 2014—

The Pismo Beach City Council will consider changing its policy on goats within city limits at Tuesday night's meeting.

A special session of the Santa Maria City Council drew an estimated 1200 people to the Fairpark on Thursday, ending with a 3-2 vote in favor of moving forward with the planning department's recommendation for the development of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility.

The session ran roughly from 3 - 11:00 p.m. with a strong protest presence against relocating the ICE office within Santa Maria.