Donald Hedrick is a longtime San Luis Obispo resident and Cal Poly industrial technology alumnus who graduated in 1969. He has run for the mayoral office every election cycle since 2006 and has served on the board of local nonprofit Grass Roots II Inc, as well as the Economic Opportunity Commission.
Hedrick’s motivation to run for mayor stems from a desire to preserve the historic character of San Luis Obispo and resist what he believes is the undue influence of special interests.
“We need to be very careful; our town is being bought up by outside interests,” Hedrick told Mustang News. “It’s not being developed for the benefit of the people who live here.”
Hedrick’s campaign focuses on maintaining the community’s identity by limiting high-density development and preventing further changes to parking and traffic patterns that he feels negatively impact residents. He said he is particularly opposed to recent projects that separate bike lanes from car traffic, believing that they complicate traffic flow.
Hedrick expressed concern about the pace and direction of development in San Luis Obispo, and urged residents to stay informed and engaged with the ongoing changes.
“We need to have an eye on what’s going on — not just what you see, but the impact that changes are being forced on our town.” Hedrick said.
Hedrick’s main objectives:
- Preserve SLO’s historical character and oppose rapid development.
- Limit special interest influences in city policies.
- Oppose high-rise construction and new parking changes.