Disclosure of the Grand Jury Report
June 13 — June 23, 2025 · Public Interest File No. 1
June 13, 2025 — 2:29 PM
Grand Jury sends confidential report to City
The San Luis Obispo County Grand Jury transmits Round & Round with Town & Gown to the City of San Luis Obispo. The cover letter is marked “Confidential” and quotes Penal Code § 933.05(f) in full. The report would not be publicly released for ten days.
📄 Document 1June 13, 2025 — 4:24 PM
Mayor asks Cal Poly if it received the report
Mayor Erica Stewart texts Courtney Kienow at Cal Poly’s Office of the President:
“Did you get the grand jury report?”
June 13, 2025 — 4:25 PM
Kienow asks if the report can be shared
Kienow confirms she has not received it and cannot find it posted publicly. She asks:
“Okay to share it?”
Stewart responds:
“Coming your way.”
June 13, 2025 — 4:38 PM
Mayor forwards the confidential report to Cal Poly
Two hours and nine minutes after receiving the report, Stewart forwards the entire package to Kienow: the report, the Grand Jury cover letter with statutory language, the Penal Code sections, and the agency response form. Cal Poly is not a required respondent. The Grand Jury held no jurisdiction over the university.
📄 Document 1 📄 Document 2June 13, 2025 — Evening
Stewart and Kienow exchange views on the report
Stewart writes:
“It as though some of our local friends wrote it.”
Kienow replies:
“It really is like the anti-student neighbors wrote it.”
June 13, 2025 — 6:56 PM
City Manager and Kienow communicate
Kienow texts City Manager Whitney McDonald that she heard about the Grand Jury Report
📄 Document 4June 14, 2025 — 7:44 AM · Commencement Day
Cal Poly begins preparing corrections
Kienow texts Stewart that she has emailed the Grand Jury’s representative requesting an advance copy. She frames a contingency:
“If she doesn’t send it to me, are you comfortable with me emailing them my corrections based on you sharing it?”
Stewart replies:
“Happy to share your responses. I have so many problems with this thing as well.”
June 14, 2025 — 9:56 AM
City Manager informed of rebuttal effort
Kienow texts Whitney McDonald directly:
“Working on a rebuttal to some of the grand jury ‘findings.’ I’ll send once we’re done with it. Happy Commencement Saturday!”
McDonald responds that the Council and Planning Commission will need to discuss the report at a public meeting due to the findings they are directed to respond to.
📄 Document 4June 16, 2025 — 9:29 AM
Kienow references widespread circulation
Five minutes before sending the corrections letter to the Grand Jury, Kienow texts Stewart:
“So many people have the advance copy of the report now… they’ll never know it came from you. Still greatly appreciate you stepping out for what’s right!”
June 16, 2025 — 9:35 AM
Corrections letter sent to Grand Jury
Kienow submits a formal corrections letter to the Grand Jury’s representative citing specific page numbers and language from the confidential report — one week before its public release. The letter acknowledges Cal Poly is not a required respondent.
📄 Document 5June 23, 2025
Report publicly released
The Grand Jury releases Round & Round with Town & Gown — ten days after it was transmitted to the City under a statutory confidentiality order.
April 27, 2026
Compliance Report addresses disclosure
The 2025–2026 Grand Jury Compliance Report states:
“Evidently Cal Poly was given a copy of the final report prior to its release date. This action is not in compliance with the procedure prescribed in the Penal Code.”
June 15, 2026
Mayor defends disclosure publicly
Mayor Stewart appears on the Dave Congalton radio program. Asked whether she believes she violated any laws:
“No I do not.”
Asked whether she would do it again:
“Yes I would.”