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San Luis Obispo council adopts 2026 legislative platform with data‑privacy plank and support for speed enforcement pilot
Summary
The City Council approved its 2026 legislative action platform 4–0 after adding language to protect municipal control of automated enforcement data and clarifying support for pilot automated speed enforcement in school zones. The consent agenda passed 4–0; council also directed staff to continue advocacy in Sacramento.
The San Luis Obispo City Council voted unanimously on April 7 to adopt its 2026 legislative action platform after narrowing language on single‑staircase housing code reforms and adding a new plank to protect municipal control over data generated by automated enforcement devices.
Council discussion focused on aligning the platform with public safety and housing goals. Staff explained that the single‑staircase proposal was informed by a State Fire Marshal study and that the recommended language sought to balance pro‑housing reforms with fire‑safety concerns. Fire Chief Randy Harrison told the council the state study recommended caution above four stories and described time‑trial data showing evacuation times increase with building height.
Council members debated whether the platform should explicitly support automated enforcement for speed in school zones and whether it should include data‑privacy protections for vendor‑held camera data. Police Chief Rick Scott told council the city has two active cameras and confidence in current settings that keep the data local; he urged language that supports policies and legislation protecting data and security. Vice Mayor Emily Francis and Council member Mike Boswell led additions to the platform wording to emphasize municipal control and data security.
Council member Shorzman moved approval of the consent agenda with item 6c pulled; Vice Mayor Francis seconded. Roll call approved the consent items 4–0 (Council member Marks absent). Later, Vice Mayor Francis moved to approve the 2026 legislative platform; Mayor Stewart seconded, and the platform passed by roll call vote 4–0.
Votes at a glance: the consent agenda (as amended/pulled item 6c) passed 4–0; the 2026 legislative action platform passed 4–0; the council later voted 4–0 to join the Local Government Climate Alliance.
What’s next: staff will use the adopted platform to guide city advocacy in Sacramento and report back on specific requests. Several items on the platform — including the single‑staircase building language and advocacy on automated enforcement pilots — will prompt further staff work and possible future letters to state lawmakers.
