HomeMy WebLinkAbout5/5/2026 Item 7e, Crandall
ccrandall@slolaw.org
Sent: 31 PM
To:E-mail Council Website
Cc:'Lisa Sperow'
Subject:May 5 Consent Agenda: Item 6e (p.73)
Attachments:SLO City Council letter 050326.pdf
Dear Mayor Stewart and Members of the City Council,
Please see my attached letter in support of this item.
Respectfully,
Hon. Charles S. Crandall, San Luis Obispo Superior Court (Retired)
Monterey College of Law, Board of Trustees, Executive Committee
San Luis Obispo College of Law
Distinguished Professor of Law
1
May 3, 2026
San Luis Obispo City Council
990 Palm Street
San Luis Obispo, CA. 93401
Re: May 5 Consent Agenda: $10,000 grant to Center for Dispute Resolution at San Luis
Obispo College of Law
Dear Mayor Stewart and Members of the City Council:
I respectfully request that you approve the pending $10,000 grant to the San Luis Obispo College
of Law ("College") for the purposes of helping us launch the Center for Dispute Resolution at
San Luis Obispo College of Law ("Center for Dispute Resolution"). Let me explain why I am
excited about our project.
I previously served on the San Luis Obispo Superior Court for 19 years and have been affiliated
with the College for the past 11 years, first as a professor, and later as a trustee of the parent
organization, Monterey College of Law, where I now serve on the Executive Committee.
Under the able the leadership of President Lisa Spero and her staff, we expect the Center for
Dispute Resolution to take the place of, and expand upon, the free and low-cost mediation and
conflict resolution services previously provided in San Luis Obispo by Creative Mediation, a
division of Wilshire Health and Community Services, which last year ceased operations.
Among other things, our Center for Dispute Resolution is intended to provide conflict resolution
not only for litigants (in a variety of small claims and other cases), but also for Cal Poly and
Cuesta College students (many of whom are navigating living on their own and finding their
place in the community), city officials, police officers and other community members who need
help resolving disagreements before they boil over into the courtroom. We will also offer
mediation training to local attorneys, mediators, law students, and community members. Our
plan is to expand the range of services as the Center evolves to serve community needs.
San Luis Obispo College of Law
1411 Broad Street, Suite 200
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
www.siolaw.ori,
San Luis Obispo College of Law
Page 2
I know from prior involvement and strong support of Creative Mediation how critical these
mediation services have been to a broad cross-section of our community, many of whom come
from modest means. Free and low-cost mediation services are vital both as a means of heading
off litigation and providing affordable justice in a timely fashion.
Your financial assistance as we move forward would be greatly appreciated.
q
rles S. Crandall
Monterey College of Law
Board of Trustees, Executive Committee
San Luis Obispo College of Law
Distinguished Professor of Law
crandall@slolaw.org