Full Notification

City Staff, Public Safety Agencies Coordinating
With March Organizers To Ensure Safe, Orderly Event

SAN LUIS OBISPO – Working closely with the organizers of Saturday’s Women’s March in downtown San Luis Obispo, city staff and local public safety agencies are taking several proactive steps to ensure that the event is safe and orderly for everyone involved, city officials announced today.

“The City is committed to ensuring that the Women’s March is safe, orderly and peaceful for all participants and those impacted. Since the organizers originally requested a permit for 300 marchers, interest and participation has grown exponentially and it appears that attendance could reach 5,000 or more,” said City Manager Katie Lichtig. “With such a large number of participants, and because the march route goes through residential and commercial areas, there will be an unavoidable impact on neighbors, businesses and anyone planning to visit our downtown on Saturday. We’re working hard to minimize inconveniences, but above all else, we want to ensure that everyone is respected and safe when we look back after the event.”

Among the city’s proactive steps are:
- Making sure that certain amenities are in place such as portable toilets, a lost-child station at the Senior Center, and medical support services such as EMT crews.
- Assigning additional police officers to patrol duty and arranging for stand-by help from other area public safety agencies.
- Closing streets and restricting parking along the march route and at the event space (Mitchell Park)

The following streets will be no parking, tow away zones starting at 7:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m., or as soon as possible.

• Higuera from Santa Rosa to Broad
• Marsh from Broad to Santa Rosa
• Garden, Morro and Chorro between Higuera and Marsh
• Osos from Monterey to Buchon
• Pismo between Santa Rosa and Osos
• Buchon between Santa Rosa and Osos

Beginning at 9:00 a.m., street closures will be in effect. Street closures will remain in place until the march ends, with the exception of Osos, Pismo, and Buchon streets immediately surrounding Mitchell Park, which will stay closed until 3:00 p.m., or as soon as possible after the March ends.

Higuera, Marsh and Broad Street will remain open for vehicle and pedestrian traffic only, with no parking on the above identified locations, until the fifteen minutes before the march begins. The full march route closure is estimated to begin around 10:30 a.m. and last as late as 2:00 p.m. The City is committed to opening streets as soon as it is safe to do so.

The public should plan on using Nipomo, Palm and Santa Rosa as primary detours around the event.

Police Chief Deanna Cantrell said, “We have a lot of experience and training to assist to make this a safe and peaceful event, especially managing crowds of this size. What we know is that success is most assured when everyone involved – from marchers to neighbors to folks who are just watching – respect everyone’s rights and personally commit to making this a successful event.”

Details of the planned Women’s March San Luis Obispo:
When: Saturday Jan. 21, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
March Route: Rally begins at 10:00 a.m. at Mitchell Park, 1400 Osos Street, SLO
March begins at approximately 10:30 a.m.
Route is approximately 1 mile long and is expected to take 1+ hour
March concludes with speakers, entertainment, and food trucks at Mitchell Park until 2 p.m.


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