San Luis Obispo City Council’s salary will increase by a substantial amount in order to offset the city’s high cost of living. However, even with the increase, their pay still barely reaches the median income in San Luis Obispo.
“Just going to be honest, without having another source of income I would not be able to do this job if I didn’t have another full time job,” Council Member Michelle Shoresman said. “I am not doing it for the money, I don’t think any of us are doing it for the money. We do it because we love the city.”
The mayor’s annual salary will increase from $35,076 to $58,372, making it about a 40% raise. City council members will receive about a 20% raise, making their salary increase from $27,828 to $33,356. These changes go into effect in 2027 and likely will not affect the currently sitting board.
Kari Howell, San Luis Obispo’s homeless management information system program manager, was a part of the compensation committee who proposed the plan to increase wages to city council. According to Howell, the committee decided how much they should increase city council’s salary based on San Luis Obispo’s median income of $66,711.
The current salary for the mayor pulls from the idea that San Luis Obispo’s mayor only works a maximum of 25 hours a week. The compensation committee proposed a plan to pay the mayor based on 30 or 35 hours. Most of the city council agreed that the current mayor, Erica Stewart, works 35 hours if not more.
Former San Luis Obispo mayor and now sitting city council member, Jan Marx, reiterates how many hours mayors really put in.
“I was a mayor for six years, and I can tell you I didn’t do it for the money,” Marx said. “However, the thing about being mayor is you can’t work harder, you can’t get up earlier or stay later or become more efficient, and still do your duties.”
Marx explains that mayors have many obligations in which they need to be at in-person events or meetings. Mayors in the past have had to work other full-time or part-time jobs while juggling their responsibilities.
Along with the raise, the board voted to increase travel reimbursement for city council members who serve on a state board or policy committee. The mayor’s reimbursement funds increased from $3,600 to $4,400 while council members’ increased from $2,700 to $3,300.
Shoresman served on policy committees the last couple of years, and she cited using her personal funds to be able to travel to meetings.
Shoresman, who joined city council in 2022, also raised concerns surrounding a council member’s salary.
“I do have a concern that the salary amount for a councilmember is still, even with this very measured and thoughtful approach and an increase,” Shoresman said. “It’s still not enough for the average resident in San Luis Obispo to be able to afford to live on.”
For the fiscal year 2026-2027, the cost of these raises will be about an extra $28,690 for the last six months of the fiscal year. This money will come out of SLO’s about $220 million yearly budget.
