Grand Jury calls for improvements at Santa Margarita cemetery
Report examines district procedures, processes, and operations
– The 2025-26 San Luis Obispo County Grand Jury has released a report examining the procedures, processes, and operations of the Santa Margarita Cemetery District.
According to the Grand Jury, the investigation originated from a citizen complaint submitted on Nov. 19, 2024. The complaint raised concerns regarding oversight of the Santa Margarita Cemetery and its grounds.
The report, titled “A Final Resting Place’s Unrest: Revitalizing Santa Margarita’s Cemetery District,” includes findings and recommendations related to the district’s operations.
The Grand Jury found that the Santa Margarita Cemetery District has struggled with organization, maintenance, and transparency, citing poorly marked burial plots, missing section and row markers, inadequate public access to records, past failures to consistently post meeting agendas as required by the Brown Act, and the absence of a comprehensive plan for managing and expanding the cemetery.
The investigation stemmed from a 2024 citizen complaint and included site visits, document reviews, and interviews. While the Grand Jury noted improvements made during the investigation—including the creation of a district website and compliance with agenda posting requirements—it concluded that the district still needs a formal improvement plan, an organizational chart, better cemetery mapping and plot identification, digitized records, expanded public information, and infrastructure upgrades such as water, paving, gate repairs, and vermin control.
The Grand Jury said the Santa Margarita Cemetery District will have 90 days to respond to the report.
The full report is available here, and on the San Luis Obispo Superior Court website at https://www.slo.courts.ca.gov/general-information/jury-service/grand-jury.
The website also includes information about applying to serve as a Grand Juror and provides a citizen complaint form for members of the public who wish to submit complaints regarding county issues.
