HomeMy WebLinkAboutSLO What April 2017
History of San Luis Obispo 48
Joseph A. Carotenuti
City Historian/Archivist
So, just what did the City charter…the local Magna Carta…do for the “body politic” and municipal corporation
known as the City of San Luis Obispo in 1911? Comprising 17 Articles, what was known as the political city
changed its profile in a wide variety of ways. We’ll look at some although over the intervening century plus, the
Charter has changed much of its specifics.
BOUNDARIES: In a page of small print “commencing at a stone,” the metes and bounds delineation – only
deciphered by surveyors and civil engineers – the physical location of the City was provided. Wouldn’t it be
interesting to note the changes over the last century? Among the historic names in the description are Hathaway,
Stenner, Harford, Beebee, Rembaugh, and Phillips. Each deserves a biography in the City annals as some of our
notable civic ancestors.
ELECTED OFFICERS: Article III lists the elected officers as a mayor, four councilmen, a city clerk and four
school officers. Previously, there was no mayor as the elected representatives selected a member to act as president.
One council member was also a voting member of the school board of education. The mayor and city clerk served
a term of 2 years and the council and school representatives for 4 years. At the first official meeting under the new
charter, straws were drawn to determine who would serve for only two years thus allowing for the next election to
select the mayor, half the council and some school members. The election sequence remains today although the
City officials are not involved with school board decisions.
To be considered for office required from 25-100 individual petitions from qualified electors no earlier than 45 nor
later than 30 days before the election. A petitioner was limited to one petition per election but could withdraw the
petition in favor of another candidate. The Article is quite detailed in the proscribed procedures to be certified as
eligible to run for office and the required public notifications. Campaigning for any office was virtually non-existent
although it may be safely assumed there were gatherings of supporters in homes and saloons.
The first mayor (to date, there have been 21
mayors), councilmen and clerk were:
Archibald McAlister (Mayor)
Pastor A. H. Arata
George Hanson
James C. Hill
Anton Luchessa
William J. Miles, Clerk (Miles died on May
26, 1912 and his wife, Carrie, was appointed
as Clerk.
Furthermore, bonds were required for
officials: mayor and councilmen $5000 each
and clerk, $7500. It was the council’s duty to
determine bonds for any appointed office.
For all their efforts, the mayor received an
annual salary of $600 (nearly as much as
today’s biweekly stipend); councilmen, $500
(slightly less than the current biweekly
stipend), and clerk $1500.
ELECTIONS (Article XI): To this day, election protocols still make the news. In 1911, there was a lengthy and
involved attempt to qualify candidates, the voters and democracy. After the 1st election in 1911 on the first Monday
in May, the General Elections were to be held on the first Monday in April beginning in 1913. Today’s General
Election is held in November of even numbered years.
Next month: what were elected official supposed to do?
Contact: jacarotenuti@gmail.com 4/2017
HISTORY of SAN LUIS
OBISPO
Mayor Archibald McAlister