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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

BTW Mayor Stewart “stakeholder” is not DEI appropriate – maybe you should clean up your terminology to align with your purported values?


3

Erica Stewart misses the mark. She was elected by the citizens to be the lead partner of the citizens of the SLO community – protect and enhance the interests of the community and its resources – not to partner with a large institution (Poly) that employs her to promote their interests or keep their secrets. Disturbing she sarcastically references community advocates fiercely trying to protect the SLO community as “our friends” and seems to revere the controversial CCB developer that has arguably stained the city permanently under her watch.


The email chains exposes a complete disregard in the law in SLO government.


10

Issac, so Stewart is ALSO a Gary Grossman accolade? How do you figure that? Did I miss something?


3

I wish we would finally see democrat wrong doers punished…. exposing them is not enough… they need to be prosecuted and sentenced….


22

It’s pretty sad when a mayor is so terrible and dishonest that you long for Heidi Harmon to come back!


30

YIKES!! I hear you but I’m not sure I could go THAT far.


5

This attitude that you are above the law and don’t have to follow the rules because you’re in a position of leadership and a public official is what leads to all the corruption we are seeing at the state level. Prosecute to the full extent of the law so these unfit officials are removed from office, they can never be trusted.


23

Yep. Corruption 101. Applies to thee, not to me.


3

It’s not the crime, it’s the cover up.


More than a month later after blaming everyone else, including Dave Congalton for going to a break, and stating arrogantly that she would do it again, Stewart is still lying by claiming that she thought that Cal Poly had the report when her email exchange clearly shows that she knew they didn’t have it.


This teary eyed nonsense is an embarrassment. I donated and supported Erica in the past. After all of the other messes she has been involved with, she needs to go. She is a sham politician and is in this just so she can feel important about herself. When I first met her she was genuine.


Today she is a community joke that no one takes seriously. If she only knew how many people were laughing behind her back she would leave SLO.


Erica, do us and yourself a favor and resign.


49

I’m the one guy during public comment last night during the SLO City Council meeting who told her (and the city manager) to resign. The first thing I told the mayor is that she gave a “mea culpa.” I’m speaking at the 1:45 minute mark: https://www.youtube.com/live/UG4RsGs04DQ?is=ihtbKIWDsQ8rOY5i


I told them off. The city manager is named as a defendant in a whistleblower lawsuit from a building inspector they ran off. She is alleged to have “redirected revenue.” I’d like to know where it went and how much was “redirected “


44

Thank you, Tom.


0

How does the saying go? “its easier to apologize instead of ask permission”…How exactly can this be okay at all? She “apologized” for it ONLY because she got caught and it became a story widely publicized. What else is going on for which she has NOT been caught?


38

Heartfelt apology. I’m moved.


12

Deeply moved myself. Nothing conveys sincerity like a script drafted 1 1/2 months after “I’d do it again,” delivered with a quivering chin, that somehow forgets to mention the texts dissing her constituents. Truly A-list contrition, just missing the part where any of the actual facts make an appearance.


34

She should have won an Oscar for her performance.


1

Seems she picked the wrong side hustle. It should have been showmanship or acting.


0
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