City of Arroyo Grande City Council

The citizens of Arroyo Grande elect a mayor and four councilmembers. Councilmembers serve staggered four-year terms, and the mayor is elected every two years. The mayor is the ceremonial head of the city, chairs council meetings, and serves as a voting member of the council. Councilmembers alternate each year serving as mayor pro-tem, with the responsibility to perform mayoral duties if the mayor is absent.

The mayor is elected at large, and councilmembers have run in district elections since 2022. The council establishes city policies, approves ordinances and resolutions, makes land-use decisions, approves agreements and contracts, and hears appeals on decisions made by city staff or advisory committees. The mayor and councilmembers receive a monthly stipend. Council meetings are open to the public and meetings are televised live on Arroyo Grande’s government access channel 20. Archived meeting video and audio files can be viewed online.