San Luis Obispo Council: Shoresman and Francis Lead Under New Single-Vote System

SAN LUIS OBISPO — November 4, 2026. San Luis Obispo used a citywide single-vote system for its two City Council seats in November 2026, and Michelle Shoresman and Emily Francis lead the initial count.

What the early count shows

Michelle Shoresman has 3,104 votes (38.59%), Emily Francis 2,828 (35.16%), and Brett Cross 2,112 (26.26%) in the November 4 report.

How to interpret the vote

Under the city’s new system, each participating voter selects one candidate and the two candidates with the most votes fill the two positions after certification. That is different from a vote-for-two system. Francis is 716 votes ahead of Cross for the second position in this election-night snapshot.

Next official result

This article refers to the county’s fourth unofficial election-night update, approximately 1:47 a.m. November 4. More eligible ballots remained to be counted. All outcomes and quoted totals are preliminary until the San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder completes the canvass and certifies the vote. Refer to the county’s official election results page for any later figures.

Sources: San Luis Obispo County Elections — Fourth Unofficial Update, November 4, 2026; Supporting report 1; Supporting report 2. California58 election coverage.

YOUR LOCAL NEWSPAPER NEEDS YOU

Help this community newspaper grow

Your support helps build coverage for the people and places this local newspaper serves.

Donate once by card ↗

Help San Luis Obispo News grow Help strengthen reporting on San Luis Obispo: community voices, important decisions and local life.

Support San Luis Obispo News

Choose how to support San Luis Obispo News:

Credit / Debit Card via Stripe

Choose an amount from $1. One-time support through the publisher's LINKERNO Stripe account.

Continue with PayPal Continue with Zelle

Zelle payments go to Vitaly Ataev Troshin. Please verify the recipient in your bank before sending. Availability depends on your bank.

Optional reader support. When possible, add “San Luis Obispo News” to the payment note. Contributions are not advertised as tax-deductible. Support does not influence editorial decisions.

Optional support through the publisher. Contributions are not advertised as tax-deductible and never buy editorial influence.

San Luis Obispo News — Your Community Newspaper

Have a correction, news tip, local announcement, or story to submit? Contact our editorial team. All submissions are reviewed before publication.