Grover Beach just appointed a new City Council member. What you need to know
Grover Beach has found a new City Council member to fill the vacancy in District 3.
Business owner Zach Zimmerman was appointed to the City Council at its meeting on Tuesday, beating out four other applicants for the job.
The council seat for District 3, which includes much of the heart of Grover Beach between Grand Avenue and Trouville Avenue as far west as South Sixth Street, has been vacant since March 13, when former council member Anna Miller resigned from the position to move to a different city.
Zimmerman was sworn in immediately after Grover Beach Mayor Karen Bright and City Council members Clint Weirick and Daniel Rushing voiced their support for him. City Council member Robert Robert supported former council member David Ekbom.
“We believe (Zimmerman) will bring significant value to our efforts in improving the quality of life for our residents,” Bright said in a city news release. “We are confident he will help elevate the council’s efforts to enhance our community’s economic, social and cultural well-being.”
Zimmerman, who has lived in District 3 for three years, is the owner of Empower Yoga Studio and Community Boutique in Grover Beach.
Here’s also a winemaker at Claiborne & Churchill Winery in San Luis Obispo and a program host and station ambassador for community radio station KYXZ 107.9 FM, according to the release.
In addition, Zimmerman serves on the advisory board of the Grover Beach Community Foundation. He was appointed to the Grover Beach Parks, Recreation and Beautification Commission in February to serve out the remainder of commission member Sage Lysobey’s term following her resignation.
According to the release, he previously worked as an events and outreach coordinator at Cal Poly, executive director of Jackson Hole Community Radio and program coordinator for environment education group Naturalists at Large.
Zimmerman said his work with the Grover Beach Parks and Recreation Department and experience as a business owner have given him insight into what it takes to be a council member.
“Something that I’m really passionate about — and also well equipped to do — is really getting to know people and understand where they’re coming from, why they hold the opinions they do and possess the interests that they have,” Zimmerman said during his interview. “That’s a really big source of energy and inspiration for me, so I think that’s something that would be a really great asset to the council.”
During his interview, Zimmerman said dealing with homelessness and furthering the city’s economic development are among his “top priorities.”
“My goal as a member of the Grover Beach City Council is to better understand the needs and concerns of our community and serve my fellow residents to the best of my ability,” Zimmerman said in the release. “I am committed to actively listening to the voices of residents and working collaboratively with my colleagues to promote the most sustainable and equitable interests of our constituents.”
The application process for the vacant District 3 seat was open to any registered voter in Grover Beach, although District 3 residents were preferred.
In addition to Ekbom, former history teacher John Wells, technical writer Isaiah Narciso and event specialist Marsha Bolyanatz also applied for the position. Ekbom was the only other applicant to get a vote from a council member.
All five candidates were asked to give a personal introduction and discuss their skills, background, familiarity with existing City Council goals and the future of local fire services.
Zimmerman will serve out the remainder of Miller’s term, which ends in late 2024 with the next election.
This story was originally published April 26, 2023 at 5:30 AM.
