SLO councilwoman seeks to censor mayor over leaked report

July 25, 2026

SLO Councilwoman Jan Marx at IWMA meeting

By KAREN VELIE

San Luis Obispo Councilwoman Jan Marx is seeking to have Mayor Erica Stewart censored for releasing a confidential Grand Jury report in violation of the California Penal Code. Stewart shared the confidential information with her employer, Cal Poly.

Censure serves as a punishment, a way for the City Council to reprimand one of its own for serious violations of the of law or city policy. While censure carries no fines or suspension, it serves as a punishment for wrongdoing.

Local activists discovered that Stewart had violated the law when she leaked the confidential report to her employer, and then discussed how to respond to the allegations that the city had failed to protect its residents regarding issues with Cal Poly’s fraternities and sororities.

In her request for censure, Marx says that city staff failed to promptly fulfill a Jan. 28 records request from Kathie Walker for all correspondence between Cal Poly and Stewart regarding the Grand Jury investigation.

Mayor Erica Stewart

Instead of promptly responding to the records request, city staff waited until June 11 to provide Walker the incriminating text messages, just two days before the one-year statute of limitations to prosecute Stewart for a misdemeanor had passed.

“This leak of confidential information was not disclosed to the public for almost a year, until it was revealed in documents produced by the city pursuant to a city resident’s public records request,” according to Marx’s request for censure. “This nondisclosure by Stewart could be considered a coverup.”

On July 13, Marx submitted a complaint and request for a censure hearing to the chair of the SLO Personnel Board.

Stewart penned a written response to the complaint on July 22. The mayor argues that Cal Poly is a stakeholder in regards to the Grand Jury report and needed to be involved in the responses.

“As you may know, there has been a long-standing tension between student behaviors in the neighborhoods, the city’s housing and noise enforcement, and the university’s student discipline and response to the community,” Stewart writes in her response. “The effort to improve outcomes has remained a joint effort of the City of San Luis Obispo and Cal Poly for many years.”

However, Cal Poly does not fall under the jurisdiction of the SLO County Grand Jury. While Grand Juries interview multiple people during their investigations, only the “affected agency” is permitted to review the report before publication.

In addition, Stewart argues that she believed the Grand Jury had already sent Cal Poly a copy of the report before she shared it with her employer. However, her text messages with a Cal Poly administrator appear to contradict her claim.

Following widespread condemnation from residents, at Tuesdays SLO City Council meeting Stewart read an apology. During the same meeting, Marx announced her plan to have Stewart sanctioned.

The SLO Personnel Board is scheduled to review Marx’s complaint on July 27, and determine if there is sufficient evidence of a violation. If the board determines a serious violation occurred, it will recommend the City Council hold a censure hearing.

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