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San Luis Obispo mayor apologizes for leaking Grand Jury report

July 22, 2026

San Luis Obispo Mayor Erica Stewart

By KAREN VELIE

Earlier this year, several community activists discovered San Luis Obispo Mayor Erica Stewart had violated the law when she shared restricted information from the Grand Jury. Stewart responded saying she would do it again.

Following widespread condemnation from residents, at Tuesdays SLO City Council meeting Stewart read an apology.

“I wanted to take a moment, and I wrote this down,” Stewart said at times choking up. “I usually just go off the cuff, but I want to make sure that I really include all of the key points of this next topic.

“So I wanted to take a moment to apologize for the handling of the release of the Grand Jury report. This was the Round and Round with Town and Gown report that came out last year.

“I am sorry that I did that and I take full responsibility for my actions. When the draft report was provided to the city in June 2025, my intent was to ensure we had comprehensive, accurate and collaborative feedback ready for the grand jury and for the community.

“Since the initial report had focused on both Cal Poly and the city, I had mistakenly assumed that Cal Poly was included in the draft distribution.

“I sincerely apologize to the members of the grand jury who worked on this report. I sincerely apologize to my city colleagues for the discomfort this has caused. And I apologize to the San Luis Obispo greater community.

“I take this role very seriously. I completely understand the subject matter of this report – student and neighborhood relation – is an intense, ongoing interest to our community.

“Report or no report, the city and Cal Poly must continue to partner together. We have to resolve these local issues. This is uncomfortable, this is uncalled for, and this is disturbing our community.

“And as we continue working together, I am committed to make sure that I am working constructively with all stakeholders to improve our community’s quality of life.

“During my seven plus years on this council, serving as a council member and serving as mayor, I have taken this job very seriously and I am committed to ensuring that the mistake is never repeated again.

“I want to thank you to everyone who has provided me with encouragement and support during these last few months.”

On June 13, 2025, the Grand Jury sent Stewart a copy of the report that included a lengthy list of recommendations and a warning that it was a violation of the law to share the report.

Even so, Stewart, a long-time Cal Poly employee, shared the report two hours and nine minutes after the grand jury sent it to her.

Stewart texted Courtney Kienow, an employee in Cal Poly’s Office of the President, asking if she knew the report was done. Stewart then shared the report with Cal Poly.

And while Stewart told the city council she “assumed that Cal Poly was included in the draft distribution,” her text messages with Kienow appear to contradict her claim.

Stewart and Kienow shared 32 texts trashing the grand jury and discussing the report before it was released publicly:

Kienow texted, “Only two pages in and so frustrated.”

Stewart texted, “It is as though some of our local friends wrote it,”

Kienow texted, “I am working on a rebuttal. Problem: Cal Poly is not identified in the report as a required respondent so I don’t believe they intend to share it with us at all before it’s published. Our leadership has not received it.”

Kienow texted,  “If she doesn’t send it to me, are you comfortable with me emailing them my corrections based on you sharing it? I will send you what I am proposing.”

Stewart texted, “Happy to share your responses. I have so many problems with the thing as well. Love to chat with you about it. Let me know if you have time this afternoon to chat.”

Kienow texted, “So many people have the advanced copy of the report now… they’ll never know it came from you. Still, greatly appreciate you stepping out for whats right.”

Stewart texted, “So interesting. I told Whitney that I had assumed the university was going to be asked to respond and therefore I gave it to you. So, if it comes up, I am fine with being outed if I have to.”

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39 Comments

An apology is warranted for sure, expedient, and pc, but it doesn’t negate the behavior or the ongoing conflict of interest. As an elected representative the Mayor’s first loyalty must be the community as a whole but it appears to be her employer…a clear financial and social conflict. She should both apologize and resign.


46

Does anyone else notice how poorly this was written for having been prepared in advance, and not off the cuff? We deserve much better.


36

I know this will be hard for some to.understand and comprehend that a politician would apologize for doing something wrong. Most of you are use to and support politicians who are pathological liars and resort to any means necessary to hide the truth and use alternative facts.


-50

The irony-meter just broke. This is an apology that arrived over a month after she said she would do it again and doesn’t mention that her own private messages contradict the “mistaken assumption” she read off a page.


Calling that transparency and contrasting it with “pathological liars” who use “alternative facts” is almost performance art. She used the exact alternative-facts playbook (defiance, then a scripted mea culpa timed to the polling, minus the parts that would actually implicate her) and the commenter is holding it up as the model of honesty.


If the bar for “honest politician” is now “eventually admits only the part everyone already caught you on” – sure, she cleared that bar. It’s just a low one.


37

Yes, the bar is that low. From the federal government all the way down to city government.


-21

You are right, most, if not all of us are Californians. We’ve been forced to endure the consequences. Not hard to understand, a putz is a putz, despite his fame. Still waiting on those apologies. But certainly do not support!


-4

The problem with your reasoning is that she is still stating that she didn’t know when clearly she did and even stated in her text messages that she didn’t care. She’s still trying to spin herself out of this mess and still lying. What a joke she has become and she’s the only one who doesn’t see it bc she is surrounded by the same old clique that is more worried about being friends than telling her the truth. The City of SLO is a joke by keeping her in office.


22

Well, I talked to Mitch McConnell a couple minutes ago and he said she is an amateur when it comes to covering up, spinning or lying.

He would know…


-10

“I usually just go off the cuff, but I wrote this one down” – yes, because the off-the-cuff version was “I’d do it again” on Dave Congalton, and it took six weeks and a full-blown community backlash for legal and comms to walk that back into “I take full responsibility,” chin wobble included.


38

She said she “mistakenly assumed” Cal Poly was included in the distribution of the embargoed copy of the grand jury report. Even though the report was marked Confidential and told her not to share it with anyone. But the texts show she asked Cal Poly if they’d seen it and they said they hadn’t received it. What made her think it was okay to give it to them when the grand jury letter told her it was a crime to share it and it was Confidential? It seems she is blinded by her loyalty to Cal Poly.


But by early the next morning, Cal Poly tells her there’s a problem and that Cal Poly was not intended to receive a copy.


What does the mayor do when learning this key piece of information that Cal Poly is not a respondent and should not have a copy of the report? Texts show she continues to discuss it and coordiate with Cal Poly about how to respond. That doesn’t match what she is now claiming. It shows she doesn’t care about the rules.


Now she says she takes full responsibility for their actions? What does “full responsiblity” mean? The statutue of limitations has expired so she can’t be prosecuted. It’s easy for her to say she takes full responsiblity when there are no consequences


51

Nothing says ‘I mistakenly assumed’ like a text saying, ‘Our leadership has not received it.’


18

Cal Poly is not “partnering” with the city to resolve the fraternity operations that they are encouraging in our residential neighborhoods in violation of our city zoning codes. In fact, they are doing just the opposite. They blatantly and arrogantly informed the council at a study session in late May that they will continue to approve new fraternity chapters with no plans to accommodate their activities and events on campus and that building a Greek Row on campus is not a priority to them. They know fraternities will be operating their events in our residential neighborhoods, disturbing the peace and safety of others and don’t give a darn. They repeatedly have said this is a “city problem,” so why does the Mayor keep insisting they are our “partners?” They are more adversaries than partners. Could it be that the mayor can’t separate herself from her employer and her obligation to city residents? The city needs to do whatever is necessary (even taking legal action) to stop the fraternities from operating their very disturbing events and parties in residential neighborhoods in violation of our city laws and quit talking about “partnering” with those who have already demonstrated a disrespect and disregard for all residents.


44

The mayor says, “I am sorry, that I got caught.”


40

But as she said before “I would do it again”, will she? She didn’t say she wouldn’t, so is it she would do it again just try harder to make sure she wouldn’t get caught again. Also, she now has admitted to it, so will her penalty be whatever is the largest penalty allowed for this crime?


54

She knew what she was doing, All people need to do is read the phone text that shows her true self.This reminds me of something my grandmother said many years ago .

A leopard never changes its spots,it just rearranges them.


41

True, unfit for public office, demand her resignation at every public meeting.


14

Yes she does need to step down. The sooner the better but who steps in to finish out her term. Shoresman? Or any of the other council members? None of them should hold any of the positions because of their ties with Cal Poly.


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