San Luis Obispo spent over $100,000 on St Fratty’s enforcement

April 18, 2025

By KAREN VELIE

The City of San Luis Obispo spent more than $100,000 on public safety during four days of St Fratty’s Day celebrations, according to the Mustang Daily.

From March 14 through March 17, San Luis Obispo spent $86,000 on overtime pay and $29,000 in expenses during a zero tolerance operation focused on stopping the rowdy and destructive St. Fratty’s Day parties that have frustrated neighbors of the Cal Poly’s campus for years. The operation resulted in many students gathering on campus and downtown and not in residential neighborhoods.

The street party had grown exponentially over the past several years with major impacts to the neighborhood, including property damage, personal injuries, and illegal and dangerous behavior. In 2024, an estimated 6,500 people gathered on residential streets where they broke mutiple car windows, fences and alcohol bottles.

Along with 23 allied agencies, the SLO Police Department conducted a coordinated operation to curtail the yearly street party. Some roads were blocked while other streets were lined with no parking signs.