Residents for Quality Neighborhoods, San Luis Obispo, California
City Budget Input
Goal Setting Process for the 2025-27 SLO City Financial Plan
Public Comment is ongoing and can occur at each stage of the budget process.
December 10, 2024
Setting the Stage
Provide Council with the framework for the 2-year financial plan and present an update on the City's fiscal status, general plan, and Major City Goal work programs.
January 14, 2025
Budget Foundation
Review with Council the goal setting process, approve City's budget and fiscal policies, discuss economic outlook, and review current and long-term captal outlook plan.
February 8, 2025
Goal Setting Workshop
Review and prioritize goals and establish strategic priorities fo the 2025-27 Financial Plan.
April 15, 2025
Strategic Budget Direction
Council provides feedback and guidance to City Manager and staff regarding the draft budget allocations and Major City Goal work programs.
Note: For more detailed information, see the January 14th Staff Report.
News
SLO Property and Business Owners Association (SLOPBOA)
An RQN Board member attended the SLOPBOA Luncheon on housing on September 26th. The following information was presented:
California home ownership is down to 54.5% from 60.2% in 2006. Nationwide, home ownership is at 63.9%, down from 69% in 2005. While 57% of Americans can afford to buy a home, only 32% can do so in California.
People aren't moving up into higher-end homes primarily due to changes in federal tax laws with the deductibility of state and local property taxes capped at $10,000.
There are currently 3,500 units in the pipeline in the City of SLO, more than any other time in our city's 200+ year history, and there are 3,100 hotel rooms in planning or under construction in the county with SLO city accounting for 890 of those rooms. SLO has the second highest ratio of housing units being built to existing population (24.1%). Camarillo is higher at 26.8%, but their units are primarily apartment units.
Approximately 30% of new homes in SLO are being purchased by existing residents with the other 70% being sold to out of area buyers, primarily fleeing larger California cities, and investors who intend to rent out the homes. Developers say land cost and impact fees are the major statewide drivers of high housing costs, and the benefits from the impact fees are not always visible or realized as citizens do not have control over the funds once collected. Higher construction costs and new technology such as tiny homes are also driving up housing costs. Lengthy planning reviews, financing risks, permits, and inspections cause cost of housing to rise. High cost of housing in SLO city is also driven by investors who can purchase homes for high prices to operate as rentals for our student population in the city, often creating bidding wars. New laws passed in State Legislature are only going to make new homes less affordable.
SB 13 -- ACCESSORY DWELLING UNITS
An RQN Board member reported that SB 13 has been signed by Governor Newsom. This law will apply to all cities (including Charter cities like SLO) and counties. It applies to all single family and multi family units. Some of the requirements are very detrimental to residential neighborhoods. It provides that a local jurisdiction "may" enact an ADU ordinance, but state law sets the parameters of what can and cannot be included in the ordinance. It authorizes the creation of ADUs in areas zoned to allow single-family or multifamily dwelling residential use. Units may be attached to, or located within a dwelling, an attached garage, storage area, or other structure, and are limited to 50% of the square footage of the existing primary dwelling up to a maximum of 1200 square feet.
Cities/counties may regulate height but can't regulate setback to more than four (4) feet; may require no more than one (1) parking space for an ADU but are prohibited from requiring the replacement of parking spaces if a garage, carport, or covered parking is demolished to construct an ADU; are prohibited from imposing parking standards on an ADU that is located within one-half mile walking distance of public transit (bus, rail, etc.); are prohibited from imposing an owner-occupant requirement until January 1, 2025; and are required, whether or not they have adopted an ordinance, to consider and approve an application, ministerially and without discretionary review, within 60 days after receiving a completed application. If a local agency does not act on the application within that time period, the application shall be deemed approved.
According to our CDD, the following number of ADU permits in SLO have been issued during the past 3 years: 39 in 2017; 40 in 2018; and 30 to date in 2019.
AB 1482 -- Tenant Protection Act (Rent Control or Rent Cap)
An RQN Board member researched and reported that the law is effective January 1, 2020, and remains in effect for 10 years, and the intent of the law is to significantly limit further increases in rapidly rising rents statewide. Less than a year ago, California voters decisively rejected a similar initiative. It limits rent increases to 5% plus inflation (an estimated total: 8-9% maximum increase) in any 12-month period, and it limits maximum total rent increases to less than 10% in any 12-month period. The law doesn't apply to apartments built within the last 15 years or to single family home rentals unless they are owned by a corporation or by institutional investors. It is not clear how that might apply to out-of-country investors with LLC's who own and operate rentals in SLO. The law also prohibits landlords from evicting tenants who have lived in a rental for a year or more without any documented lease violations.
SB 330 -- Housing Crisis Act
The same RQN Board member reported that the law becomes effective January 1, 2020 and remains in effect for 5 years. The law limits public hearings before a city or planning commission to up to a maximum of five before requiring city approval after a developer files an initial preliminary application for a housing project.
Cities can't add to or increase any fees during the development or construction of a project, and the permitting process is limited to a maximum of 5 years.
Per the Commercial Observer, it overrides local planning and zoning in favor of higher-density housing projects in areas zoned for and currently limited to single-family residences.
Per the California Globe, it bans construction moratoriums and forbids housing density reductions. Regardless of the size of the housing project, this bill strictly prohibits local agencies from imposing any type of parking standard within ¼ mile of a rail stop (a particularly severe restraint in the Bay Area).
The law essentially bans project-specific fees, since fees are limited to only those needed when a developer submits a preliminary application. Project-specific fees can't be determined until an agency fully analyzes a project, and a preliminary application doesn't include adequate information to complete a thorough analysis or to assess project scope.
Infrastructure requirements -- traffic improvements, water/sewer supply, etc. can't restrain or limit development. Only a small percentage of low-income housing needs to be included in a project to qualify. Alot more expensive apartments can be built by the developer.
It was opposed by the League of California Cities.
SB5 -- Affordable Housing and Community Development Program
The same RQN Board member further reported that Governor Newsom stated he would veto this measure. If approved, it would have changed the formulas and procedures a County Auditor uses to allocate property tax revenues to authorized projects and entities currently using those funds -- such as public education. If approved, $2 billion would have been authorized statewide for affordable housing and infrastructure-related expenditures.
August 20, 2019
Private Sewer Lateral Program
A topic of interest on the City Coucil agenda was a proposed sewer lateral program which included consideration of a rebate program. Here is the PowerPoint presentation; the body of it is in the first nine (9) slides.
Thanks to those who wrote or spoke to the Council regarding support, objections, or recommendations.
The program was approved 5-0 and is still in effect.
City Wide
Increase in Burglaries
Over the last several years there has been a rise in theft-related crimes, both in SLO and state-wide. SLO has seen an increase in thefts and burglaries: motor vehicle thefts, thefts of objects left in vehicles, thefts of bicycles and residential burglaries. SLOPD has provided these tips for decreasing your chances of becoming a victim of these crimes.
1. Always lock your vehicle, house and windows, and be sure to close garage doors. Summer is here and leaving doors and windows unsecured is an easy way for a burglar to gain access.
2. Never leave your keys in or about your vehicle or house; keep garage door openers out of sight.
3. Park in well-lit areas.
4. Do not leave valuables, such as wallets, money, purses, cell phones and computers, visible.
5. Be aware of your surroundings and area. If you see something suspicious, call the Police Department (781-7312).
6. Take time to document and save serial numbers from your valuable items (cell phones, computers, bicycles, game stations, etc.). Having these numbers can help get your property returned to you.
7. Bicycles should always be locked if possible or stored in a secure space. Bicycles can be registered with SLOPD to ensure return of the bicycle if it is recovered.
The Police Department reminds you they are here for you and they would rather respond to a call of suspicious activity and find it is nothing than to have us be victims of crime.
Unruly Gathering Ordinance
July 21, 2015
The Unruly Gathering Ordinance was reviewed and updated at the July 21, 2015, City Council meeting. The review was prompted by an unruly gathering that took place near California Boulevard and Hathway Street in the early morning hours of March 7, 2015, and that resulted in personal injury and serious property damage. The unruly gathering highlighted the serious impacts to the health, safety and welfare of not only those who attend such gatherings, but to the immediate and surrounding community.
Several of the more significant changes are noted at the "Unruly Gathering Ordinance" paragraph at the "Noise" tab that you can access by clicking the "Useful Tips" tab at the top of this page.
SLO Police Department
Update
Be advised that these officers change periodically. You will have to check the following website to verify the names and contact information for officers currently assigned to your neighborhood.
Neighborhood Officer Program
The City of San Luis Obispo Police Department has created a Neighborhood Officer Program that divides the city into 13 Distinct Neighborhoods, each with one or more dedicated police officer(s) assigned to the neighborhood to address community liveability issues. The objective of the Neighborhood Officer Program is to quickly identify community issues, concerns, problems and crime trends which have long term quality of life issues. The Neighborhood Officer Program is supposed to allow for officers to coordinate resources to help solve these problems.
The Neighborhood Officer is tasked to assist with public education, crime prevention, and neighborhood specific problems and help with coordination of other city services and departments to ensure a professional response to the citizens of San Luis Obispo. Officers are expected to seek out and identify issues, with solutions, within their assigned neighborhood and be responsible for tracking neighborhood problems and crimes that affect the overall quality of life in a neighborhood and require repeated patrol response.