As the San Luis Obispo City Council prepares to usher in a new era during a special meeting Monday, it will also say goodbye to one familiar face. Vice Mayor Andy Pease is wrapping up her second and final term on the council.
Pease has been on council since 2016 and said leaving is bittersweet and she’s pleased with the civil culture she’s built alongside other council members.
“I'm excited about, you know, what comes next and kind of finishing this chapter of my career but I'm also sad and sad to be leaving the council. Like I feel like we've done really great work and I will miss being involved in the way that has been able to be,” Pease said.
During her campaigns for office, she focused on such issues as economic recovery, housing, homelessness, climate action and Diversity Equity and Inclusion. Now, at the end of her term she cited sustainability issues, homelessness and housing development as areas where she made the biggest impact.
“I'm really proud of some of our early work for sustainability establishing our kind of leadership level goals for climate action and then establishing our sustainability department and funding that Division and programs. So I'm really proud of that and housing has absolutely been a focus area for this Council,” she said.
Pease acknowledged that housing remains a major issue for the city, leaving her peers much to do. But, she believes future council members are on track to approve more housing for different income levels, a major concern for SLO residents.
“One of the best ways we could support our businesses and their growth, and access to employees, is having more available housing within our climate action programs, trying to support a job's housing balance. So that people have less commutes and more options for non-single car mobility,” Pease said.
She said that means providing more public transportation, bike lanes, and more options for people to live close to where they work.
As for her future, she looks forward to dedicating more hours towards her environmental consulting business.
Cal Poly professor Mike Boswell won the race to fill Pease’s seat. Mayor Erica Stewart and Councilmember Jan Marx were re-elected.
