Where do Grover Beach candidates stand on Oceano Dunes, homelessness? Here’s what they said
Candidates running for Grover Beach mayor and City Council seats discussed the future of Grover Beach’s homeless policy and access to Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area during a recent election forum.
On Thursday, mayoral candidates Karen Bright, a current Grover Beach City Council member, and Stacey Korsgaden, a Grover Beach business owner, were joined by two people running for City Council seats for a virtual forum hosted by the South County Chambers of Commerce.
Robert Robert is running unopposed to represent District 1 on the City Council, and Councilman Daniel Rushing is seeking re-election to his District 2 seat.
Retired dentist Ron Arnoldsen, Rushing’s District 2 opponent, was unable to attend the forum. He provided a prepared statement for the moderator to read in his place.
Mayoral candidates explain goals for homelessness, Oceano Dunes
Asked what the next steps in Grover Beach’s homelessness response should look like, Bright and Korsgaden had differing opinions.
Because of the lack of available housing in Grover Beach, Bright said, it’s more important to have services in place that can prevent homelessness.
“Let’s face it. Once you are homeless, it is so difficult to to get yourself back on your feet,” Bright said. “So I think it is important to try and alleviate that situation before it becomes a problem.”
Bright said it’s necessary to take a “holistic approach” that serves the underlying issues that led to an individual’s homelessness.
“It’s not enough just to give someone a bed to sleep in,” Bright said. “You need to give them the other services that will allow them to become productive citizens and an asset to our community.”
Korsgaden advocated for declaring a state of emergency and issuing an ordinance that would prevent Grover Beach’s unhoused population from camping or sleeping in public parks.
Along with that ordinance, Korsgaden said the city should create a triage center for sheltering and assisting the unhoused population by connecting them with the services they need.
“If we continue doing the same thing, we will get the same results,” Korsgaden said. “Is this the perfect plan? I’m sure I can hear people saying this won’t work this way, or because of this reason. What I say is, ‘Let’s do something different.’”
An audience-submitted question on the future of vehicle access to the Oceano Dunes, all four candidates in attendance said they support keeping the popular state park open to off-road riders.
The California Coastal Commission unanimously voted in March 2021 to require State Parks to phase out off-roading in most of the Oceano Dunes by 2024.
“It’s my general feeling that ... there is a timeline at which the dunes will no longer be available in the scope that they are at this point, Rushing said, “and the best way that businesses have to make sure they are ready for the future is to be able to plan for the future.”
City Council candidates discuss economy
Rushing and Robert were asked whether they consider Grover Beach’s downtown economy to be healthy and successful.
Robert, who has owned an electrical contractor business in Grover Beach for the past 30 years, said he is supportive of small business.
He wants to help the city improve Fourth Street through Eighth Street, an area he said is in the process of being upgraded
“It’s going to be a total new vision of Grover Beach, and it’s gonna look beautiful,” Robert said.
Rushing said the downtown small businesses performed “pretty darn well” through the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The fact no businesses closed as a result of the pandemic was an indicator of good health, he said, though there is room for improvement.
“Successful, I think, is an entirely different thing,” Rushing said, adding that success is “whatever the opposite of stagnation is. “
Going into the next phase of the area’s future, Rushing said, it be important for the city to find a balance between commercial, residential and mixed-use development.
“It’s unfortunately always been a sort of chicken (or the) egg scenario for Grover Beach,” Rushing said. “We know we need to have people concentrated in a space so that we can support the businesses that are also in that space, but one doesn’t come without the other.”
Asked what they would do with a $1 million grant they could use for whatever project they wanted, Robert and Rushing had identical answers: funding renovations at Ramona Gardens Park.
Improvements at Ramona Gardens Park have been in the planning stages since late 2020.
Rushing said the project is underfunded, and could present an opportunity for outdoor festivities when completed.
“It’s funny that Councilman (Rushing) mentioned Ramona Park,” Robert said, “because I was thinking the same thing — that project has been going on for decades, and we want to improve that whole area and make it a real community center for Grover Beach.”
This story was originally published October 15, 2022 at 8:00 AM.
