Clean Slate Clinic Moves to Rolling Quarterly Enrollment for Eligible Residents Who Have Completed Their Sentences
Author: District Attorney
Date: 10/8/2026 4:10 PM
San Luis Obispo County Partners announced they will continue to offer free legal clinics, but will be moving to a new, expanded schedule offering services on a quarterly basis. Petitions continue to receive individual review by Probation and the District Attorney's Office before any request goes to the court.
District Attorney Dan Dow announced today that the SLO Clean Slate Clinic, the free legal clinic that helps eligible county residents pursue criminal record expungement, felony reduction, and arrest record sealing under California law, is moving to a rolling quarterly enrollment model. Eligible residents will now have four opportunities each year to enroll.
The clinic is a joint effort of the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office, San Luis Obispo County Probation Department, San Luis Obispo Defenders, Restorative Partners, People's Justice Project, California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc. (CRLA), and San Luis Obispo College of Law.
Record relief is not automatic, and it is not a shortcut. California law allows these remedies only for people who have completed probation or served their sentence and met the conditions the court imposed. Certain offenses, including specified sex offenses against children, are not eligible for expungement under Penal Code section 1203.4. Each petition is screened first by the San Luis Obispo County Probation Department and then reviewed by the District Attorney's Office, which may oppose any petition it believes should not be granted. A judge makes the final decision.
Record relief also does not erase accountability. An expunged conviction can still be charged and proved as a prior conviction if the person commits a new crime, and expungement does not restore the right to own or possess a firearm. Orders to pay restitution to victims remain in effect and are always eligible to be converted to a civil-judgment for recording as a lien.
Under the new model, community members may enroll at any time before each quarter's enrollment cutoff. Three of the four quarterly clinics will process petitions by appointment, without a public clinic event. The Spring 2027 Clean Slate Clinic will include a public clinic event at the SLO County Law Library on Friday, March 26, 2027.
2026–2027 Quarterly Clinic Schedule
Winter 2026 Clean Slate Clinic — Enrollment cutoff: November 30, 2026. By appointment only. No public event.
Spring 2027 Clean Slate Clinic — Enrollment cutoff: To Be Determined. Public clinic event: Friday, March 26, 2027, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., SLO County Law Library, 1050 Monterey Street #125, San Luis Obispo, CA 93408. Walk-ins are welcome, but appointments are strongly preferred.
Summer 2027 Clean Slate Clinic — Enrollment cutoff: May 31, 2027. By appointment only. No public event.
Fall 2027 Clean Slate Clinic — Enrollment cutoff: August 31, 2027. By appointment only. No public event.
The purpose of the Clean Slate Clinic is to remove a barrier to employment and housing for people who have paid their debt to society and remained law-abiding. A criminal record, no matter how old or how minor, can stand in the way of a job, an apartment, or an education, because most employers, property managers, and universities use background checks to screen applicants. Steady work and stable housing are among the strongest protections against a return to crime.
Since the partnership's first joint-agency Clean Slate Clinic in March 2023, the clinic has served 550 community members and filed 1,856 petitions. Of the 1,746 petitions decided to date, the court has granted 1,740 and denied 6. The remaining 110 petitions are pending.
That high grant rate reflects careful screening before petitions reach the court, not a rubber stamp. Deputy district attorneys have individually reviewed more than 1,500 requests for relief and objected to more than 220 of them, about one in seven. Common reasons for objecting included new criminal conduct after the conviction, probation violations, too little time living crime-free, a person still on probation or facing new charges, or a serious offense that harmed a victim. Some of those petitions were withdrawn by the petitioner and never went to the court. In others, the court heard the People's objection and granted relief, as the law allows the court to do in its discretion.
"Protecting victims and keeping our community safe have always been at the heart of my work as District Attorney, and the Clean Slate Clinic serves both," said Dan Dow, San Luis Obispo County District Attorney. "Every petition is carefully reviewed by Probation and by my office before it goes to the court. When someone who has been held accountable can finally get a steady job and a stable home, they are far less likely to return to the criminal and victim justice system, and that means fewer future victims. Moving to a quarterly schedule means people who qualify no longer have to wait months for that fresh start."
What Record Relief Does and Does Not Do
Expungement, formally a dismissal under Penal Code section 1203.4, reduces the lasting consequences of a conviction for people rebuilding their lives. In most private-sector job applications, a person whose conviction has been dismissed may lawfully answer "No" when asked about it, and California law generally bars employers from considering a dismissed conviction in hiring decisions.
There are important exceptions. A person must still disclose the conviction when applying for public office, for a state or local license, or for a California State Lottery contract. Employers hiring peace officers and certain other positions governed by state or federal law may still consider it. Many licensing agencies, however, look favorably on applicants who have completed probation and had their convictions dismissed.
If you are interested in clearing your criminal record at no cost to you, please contact the SLO Clean Slate Clinic before the applicable quarterly enrollment cutoff at (805) 902-CRLA or [email protected]. Enrollment for the Winter, Summer, and Fall clinics is by appointment only. Walk-ins are welcome at the March 26, 2027, public clinic event, but appointments are strongly preferred.
Members of the media may contact Assistant District Attorney Eric J. Dobroth at (805) 781-5819 for additional information.
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