SLO mayor, 2 City Council members announce reelection campaigns
San Luis Obispo’s mayor and two sitting City Council members have all announced plans to seek reelection this November.
In separate news releases, Mayor Erica A. Stewart and Councilmembers Michelle Shoresman and Emily Francis recently confirmed plans to once again run for their seats during the general election later this year.
As of Friday, only one other person had filed to run for City Council in San Luis Obispo. According to the city’s elections website, chef Felicia Lewis has once again filed documents to run. Campaign materials for Lewis were not immediately available.
All three sitting members highlighted the successes of the recent council, from the addition of more than 2,100 new homes in the past five years, to work on the city’s first-ever Homelessness Response Strategic Plan in March 2023 and advancing efforts toward carbon neutrality and climate resiliency. They also noted an increase in riders using SLO Transit and the city’s efforts to preserve open space.
Here’s what else they said:
Mayor Stewart to run for reelection in SLO
Stewart has led the city as mayor since 2021.
In her news release, Stewart said her tenure with city has been marked by “unwavering dedication to inclusivity and collaboration.”
“San Luis Obispo cares about making a positive impact on the environment, reducing and preventing homelessness, increasing housing for all levels of incomes, helping local businesses thrive and creating a community where everyone knows and feels they belong,” she said in the release. “It’s an honor to serve a community that aspires to this vision and puts it into action.”
In her announcement, Stewart highlighted her diverse career path, which led her through healthcare, manufacturing, education and hospitality, as well as experience managing a small wholesale bakery and local florist.
A Cal Poly graduate, she also continues to “mentor the next generation of leaders” as a lecturer at the university and remains engaged in community service and philanthropy.
“From spearheading community wellness projects, working with kids and youth, championing the arts, to advocating for our most vulnerable neighbors, her leadership is defined by a tireless commitment to ensuring no one is left behind,” the release said.
In her next term, Stewart plans to accelerate housing production, strengthen local businesses and continue regional solutions to homelessness.
For more information on Stewart’s campaign, visit voteforerica.com.
Councilmember says ‘collaboration and listening’ are keys to her campaign
Meanwhile, Councilmember Michelle Shoresman has also announced plans to seek reelection this November.
Shoresman has served on the City Council since 2021, when she was appointed to fill the seat vacated by Stewart as she moved up to the mayor’s spot. She then won reelection in 2022, according to a news release from her campaign.
“San Luis Obispo is so special to me,” Shoresman said in the release. “I am committed to making it the best it can be: a place that is welcoming and safe for all, affordable for our families and one that encourages and celebrates health.”
Shoresman is currently a division manager at the San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department and serves on the county’s Pension Trust Board and its Homeless Services Oversight Committee, according to the release.
“In my 24-year career in public health, I’ve learned a lot about local government,” Shoresman said. “I’ve learned how to navigate bureaucratic systems to get results.”
The release also highlighted her “high priority on accessible, affordable childcare, voting to change zoning requirements and supporting other initiatives that allow for childcare closer to where people live and work.”
“Collaboration and listening are key, and diversity of opinion matters,” she said. “I have kept these principles in focus in my time thus far on council. I pledge to continue to follow them, should the voters choose me for another term.”
For more information on Shoresman’s campaign visit michelleshoresman.com.
Councilmember wants to make SLO ‘more sustainable, just and compassionate’
Shoresman is running for one of two open council seats in the November election.
The other is currently held by Councilmember Emily Francis, who has also announced plans to seek reelection.
Francis, who currently serves as vice mayor on the council, has served since December 2022.
“Four years ago, you trusted me to serve this community,” Francis said in a statement to The Tribune. “Every decision I’ve made since has been guided by one belief: When people feel genuinely connected to their city, they invest in it, shape it and strengthen it. I’m committed to making San Luis Obispo more sustainable, just and compassionate. I would be honored to continue that work with you.”
Her platform for this go-around is centered around what she called “six core priorities”: “housing access and safety, affordable childcare, economic vitality, transportation and safer streets, sustainability and climate resilience and parks and community spaces.”
She said she was committed to “keeping SLO on track for carbon neutrality by 2035, expanding affordable and safe housing options, and supporting the local businesses and family-sustaining jobs that allow residents to put down roots here.”
Francis will officially launch her campaign on Sunday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at The Bunker in San Luis Obispo. The event is free and open to all community members.
For more information of Francis’ campaign, visit emilyfrancis.org.
Reminder: SLO’s voting process is changing this November
Things might look a little different for those voting in the November election this year, as San Luis Obispo has officially switched to its new single-vote system.
The change has been in the works for a number of years, since the nonprofit Southwest Voter Registration Education Project, a Latino voter participation organization, threatened litigation in 2023 if the city didn’t transition to district elections, claiming the city’s at-large voting system diluted the influence of local Latino voters.
San Luis Obispo, however, upheld that district-based elections would not aid Latino voters.
Instead, it reached a settlement agreement to switch the city to “citywide single vote.”
Under the new system, each voter gets only one vote for City Council, no matter how many open seats are on the ballot, or how many candidates are running.
So under the new process, rather than voting for two councilmembers to fill two vacant seats, voters will instead select only their top candidate.
The top-two vote getters will then be declared the winners.
The change does not impact the way residents vote for mayor. Voters will still select only their top candidate for mayor, with the seat going to the highest vote getter.
The city is planning to host a series of virtual community meeting until the November election to share information on the switch. The next one is scheduled for July 8.
For more information on citywide single-vote, visit the city’s website at slocity.org/government/municipal-elections/citywide-single-vote.
This story was originally published May 15, 2026 at 10:52 AM.
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