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City of San Luis Obispo · Statewide General Election

San Luis Obispo City Council

This is one contest. Enter your address to see every race on your November ballot, and keep track of your picks.

On the ballot

Two of San Luis Obispo's four at-large City Council seats are elected here for 4-year terms. Under the city's new Citywide Single Vote method, each voter chooses one candidate and the two highest vote-getters win. The Council sets city policy, the budget, ordinances, and land-use rules while an appointed City Manager runs daily operations.

Three candidates seek two at-large City Council seats. This is a Citywide Single Vote contest: choose one candidate, and the two highest vote-getters win.

Councilmembers serve four-year terms on the five-member Council, alongside the directly elected Mayor. The Council sets ordinances, the budget, land-use policy and city priorities while an appointed City Manager runs daily operations.

The one-vote rule matters: supporting one candidate does not prevent a second candidate from winning the other seat. The field is two incumbents with current governing records and one neighborhood advocate with a long record of public participation.

Brett Cross

Cross is vice chair of Residents for Quality Neighborhoods and a frequent participant in city meetings. New Times reported that he collected the city's parking-meter coins for 33 years before that arrangement ended in 2025; his employment-status dispute with the city remains a claim, not an adjudicated finding.

Strengths

A long record of neighborhood advocacy and direct participation in city proceedings.

Trade-offs

No prior elected record or comprehensive 2026 platform was found.

Keep in mind

His public record is strongest on neighborhood impacts and city process, not the full range of council responsibilities.

Michelle Shoresman

Shoresman was appointed to the Council in 2021 and elected in 2022. Local reporting describes roughly 24 years working for the San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department and service on county pension and homeless-services oversight bodies. Her stated priorities include housing, open space, safer streets, walkability and childcare.

Strengths

Current council experience plus a long public-health career and regional oversight work.

Trade-offs

As an incumbent, she shares responsibility for the Council's recent decisions and results.

Keep in mind

Campaign priorities are promises; compare them with her votes since joining the Council.

Emily Francis

Francis was elected in 2022 and currently serves as Vice Mayor. Her campaign and local profiles emphasize housing access, homelessness, safer streets, economic vitality, climate resilience, childcare and park infrastructure.

Strengths

A current term on the Council and a broad, specific list of policy priorities.

Trade-offs

Like Shoresman, she is accountable for the Council's current direction and outcomes.

Keep in mind

The limited-vote format means voters choose between the incumbents and Cross with only one selection, even though two candidates win.

Source review: Strong (88/100) · 7 cited sources

Official records anchor this contest, with multiple sources checked.

  • slocity.org (opens in a new tab)City of San Luis Obispo -- formal Notice of Nominees for Public Office (Sept. 2, 2026): City Council, Vote for one; names Brett Cross, Michelle Shoresman and Emily Francis in ballot order with designations.
  • slocity.org (opens in a new tab)City of San Luis Obispo -- own "Municipal Elections" page (live fetch via a connected browser session; direct curl/WebFetch return HTTP 403, Akamai-blocked): carries the final, post-filing-deadline "Candidate Filings for the November 3, 2026 Election" table for both Mayor and Council -- Mayor: Erica A. Stewart Qualified for Ballot 7/29/2026, Donald Hedrick "DID NOT QUALIFY"; Council: Michelle Shoresman and Emily Francis qualified 7/24/2026, Brett Cross qualified 8/5/2026, Felicia Lewis "DID NOT ISSUE - DID NOT QUALIFY" -- plus term lengths and term limits for both offices.
  • sanluisobispo.com (opens in a new tab)San Luis Obispo Tribune -- 2026 City Council race profile: confirms one vote elects two winners and profiles all three candidates.
  • mustangnews.net (opens in a new tab)Mustang News -- Michelle Shoresman announces reelection bid: council history, public-health career and stated priorities.
  • mustangnews.net (opens in a new tab)Mustang News -- Emily Francis reelection announcement: council history and stated housing, homelessness and park priorities.
  • newtimesslo.com (opens in a new tab)New Times SLO -- reporting and signed commentary documenting Brett Cross's neighborhood advocacy and former parking-meter work.
  • netfile.com (opens in a new tab)City of San Luis Obispo NetFile public portal -- council-candidate committee-name searches as of Sept. 3, 2026.

Last updated September 3, 2026.