City of Arroyo Grande Overview

Established as a township less than 10 years after San Luis Obispo (the county’s oldest city), Arroyo Grande got its own railroad depot in 1882 and businesses flourished along branch street to serve local farmers. The city itself was incorporated in 1911, and it has carefully maintained its historic downtown core. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,441 (the county’s fourth largest city).

The city of Arroyo Grande has a council-manager form of government, which the city website compares to the structure of a private corporation. The Arroyo Grande City Council’s role is similar to that of a board of directors, and the city manager serves as the chief executive officer, with citizens acting as the shareholders.

The Arroyo Grande City Council is responsible for establishing policy direction, overall goals, adopting laws and regulations, and approving the city’s budget. The council appoints the city manager, who is responsible for implementing the council’s policies, overseeing daily operations and city staff, and developing recommendations for council consideration. The city manager appoints department heads, who are responsible for a wide variety of services to the community.

The council also appoints the city attorney, who attends council meetings to advise on points of the law. The city attorney also represents the council, city manager, city departments, and city boards and commissions on legal matters.

The city clerk serves the needs of not only the city council but also the city staff and the public. The department prepares meeting agenda packets; processes the council’s legislative actions, maintains the city’s legislative history and archives, administers municipal elections, and responds to requests for information in compliance with the Public Records Act.

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