Want to know more about what goes on at SLO City Hall? She’s made videos

My name is Erin Chae and I am a senior at San Luis Obispo High School.

A common problem I observed among people my age was a disconnect with the government and the role of the city council was a big mystery.

This spring, I reached out to San Luis Obispo City Council Member Andy Pease in hopes of helping bridge the gap between youth and local government. Working with Council Member Pease, I developed a series of videos coined “By Youth, For Youth: A Bridge to Local Government.”

Working with her throughout the summer, I aimed to create something appealing that covers and informs people on multiple topics. During these past few months, I collaborated with several city departments that challenged my preconceptions and exposed me to new aspects of the city. Since the list of things I learned could fill the whole page, here is a condensed version:

• Many SLO city officials have more than one occupation. Andy is not only a council member but is also an architect and a founder of a green building consulting firm. Other council members have full-time and part-time jobs as well.
• When considering city projects, visitors and residents are both important; if a project works well for residents, it helps make SLO attractive to visitors too.
• What we put in our curbside bins actually goes somewhere! By touring the anaerobic digestion facility, I saw first-hand the composting process and where our food waste and grass clippings go after being hauled away by the mysterious, big truck. Once finished, the compost goes to farms and landscaping.
• City departments are very interconnected. The Economic Development and Tourism managers work closely together to help businesses in SLO thrive, as shown through events like business visits. Utilities and Public Works work together on managing trash collection and recycling.
• Cities across the country work together. Talking to the Office of Sustainability, I discovered that we share our knowledge with other cities and strive to lead by example. Simultaneously, we learn from other cities’ successful environmental models.
• Publicity and social media about the city don’t just happen on their own; tourism outreach is proactive and strategic to get good media coverage.
• You don’t have to be a certain age to work for the city. High schoolers, college students and people in their low twenties work various jobs in Parks and Recreation and other departments.

Through “By Youth, For Youth,” I hope to convey the information I learned to my peers. You can stay updated and find my project on the city’s Instagram, @cityofslo.

Postscript by Council Member Andy Pease: Erin approached me in the spring about a volunteer internship and it has been a treat getting to know her. After we discussed a broad range of city topics, she selected several focus areas, leading to this series of short videos.

Of course, I learned from her as well and was reminded that our youth provide essential feedback not only about youth-specific projects like parks and bike lanes, but also public art, recycling, business development, housing, DEI, climate action and our city priorities overall. As a council, we are exploring ideas to increase engagement with youth, and we look forward to more opportunities to share and listen.

This story was originally published November 10, 2022 at 10:07 AM.