Grover Beach recalled one of its City Council members. Here’s who is taking over his seat
The Grover Beach City Council selected a new member at its Tuesday meeting, filling the spot vacated by former Councilmember Dan Rushing following his recall in the 2024 election.
Jules Tuggle, a Realtor who moved to Grover Beach a year ago when her husband was selected as the San Luis Obispo Fire Department chief, was selected from a pool of six applicants.
Outside of work, Tuggle is involved with Arroyo Grande Athletic Boosters, volunteers as a swim coach and was previously involved in nonprofit work at juvenile hall.
Tuggle, who has an undergraduate degree in politics and local government, said it would be important to build consensus among the City Council and residents of Grover Beach.
“It’s important that as representatives of the community, we’re really active listeners,” Tuggle said. “I recognize not everybody can get what they want every time, but everybody’s voice has value and needs to have space at the table, and it’s about building trust and understanding those numerous perspectives.”
Who applied for the District 2 seat?
Rushing was recalled in November after a successful campaign spearheaded by citizens group GroverH2O, which called for the recall of not only Rushing, but also former Mayor Karen Bright and former Councilmember Zach Zimmerman for their votes to raise water and sewer rates to pay for the now-defunct Central Coast Blue water sustainability project.
The city opened applications for the vacant seat in December, seeking a candidate who lives in District 2. The appointment system was most recently used in 2023 to appoint Zimmerman to the District 3 seat, replacing former Councilmember Anna Miller when she resigned.
A total of six candidates were interviewed after submitting their names for consideration: Tuggle, Joseph Holmes, Laura Ochoa, David Swift, Krista Jeffries and Catherine Oden.
Each candidate provided a two-minute overview of their background and candidacy, followed by questions from the four current City Council members. From there, three finalists were selected for additional questions.
A candidate needed three votes from the four sitting City Council members to be appointed.
What is new councilmember’s stance on water?
Following candidate interviews, Tuggle was sworn in to hold the office for the remainder of Rushing’s term, which runs through December 2026.
Tuggle said she’s looking forward to working with her fellow councilmembers on issues such as water infrastructure, which was at the heart of the recall that opened her seat in the first place.
After the Central Coast Blue project ended up “dead on arrival,” the city will need to explore multiple options to ensure that it can grow at a sustainable rate while making sure there’s enough water to go around.
“I think that we have to balance growth with cost of living here,” Tuggle told The Tribune. “It’s real that not everybody can absorb increases; at the same time, we have to be honest that if we don’t make some shifts in how we manage our water that it makes us vulnerable.”
Tuggle said she’s excited for a future based on a collaborative spirit between City Council members and the residents they represent.
“I’m excited about where Grover is going,” Tuggle said during her interview. “I think we have a lot left still to do, but I also know that that has to be in a way that doesn’t leave anybody behind, so I would be honored to serve with you.”
This story was originally published January 14, 2025 at 10:31 AM.
