Tribune endorsements: Grover Beach is on a roll. These candidates will keep it going
Grover Beach has been living up to its reputation of being small but mighty.
It’s adding businesses, fixing streets and encouraging home building, and it’s joined forces with Arroyo Grande and Pismo Beach on Central Coast Blue, a water recycling program the will increase the South County’s supply.
We recommend keeping Karen Bright and Dan Rushing on the City Council to help Grover Beach stay on track.
Bright has served 12 years on the council and eight on the Planning Commission and is now running for mayor. Her only opponent is insurance agent Stacy Korsgaden, who ran unsuccessfully for county supervisor in the last two elections.
Rushing was appointed to the council in April to fill a vacancy created by Miriam Shaw’s resignation. He’s now running for a four-year term to represent District 2, located in northeast Grover. He’s challenged by Ronald Arnoldson, a former mayor.
Bright and Rushing both have an excellent grasp of the challenges facing the city, along with the balance of compassion and practicality needed to find workable solutions.
On top of that, Bright has years of experience and connections not just in city government, but also on regional commissions, such as the Air Pollution Control District and South County Transit Board.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREWhy do we endorse?
Making endorsements during election season is an important role for newspaper editorial boards, including The Tribune Editorial Board. Elections are key to determining the future of our Central Coast region, and through endorsements, we share our opinion of the qualifications of the candidates and recommend those who would best serve our communities.
Due to the large number of races on the 2024 General Election ballot, we are unable to issue endorsements in every race. We chose to focus on the most competitive contests.
For more about our process, click the arrow on the top right.
Who endorses?
Endorsement decisions are made by Editor Joe Tarica and Opinion Editor Stephanie Finucane.
How do we decide?
Candidates are invited to participate in an interview with The Editorial Board where they are asked a series questions about major issues. It’s our opportunity to learn the candidates’ positions and to gauge how well informed they are about issues they are likely to confront if elected.
We also research voting records of candidates who have held public office; we watch candidate forums; we look at back stories from The Tribune, as well as other publications that have covered the candidates; and we examine public documents. We also take a look at the candidates’ advertising and campaign statements. Are they overpromising, for example, or misrepresenting their opponent’s record?
In the case of ballot measures, we study the background of the issue, the pro and con arguments and consider who is supporting and opposing the measure.
Tell us what you think
If you disagree (or agree) with our endorsements, share your thoughts with us by writing a letter to the editor (200-word maximum). Email your submissions to letters@thetribunenews.com. Due to the volume of submissions we receive during campaign season, we do not publish Viewpoint-length pieces (600-800 words) in support or opposition to candidates.
About the opponents
Bright’s opponent, Korsgaden, carries some baggage. While she almost beat the late Adam Hill in the county supervisor’s race in 2020, she lost big to Dawn Ortiz-Legg in the June primary.
Korsgaden is smart, personable and articulate, and she obviously cares deeply about her community. Were she a more moderate candidate, we could see a City Council seat in her future.
However, the far-right views she’s embraced in the past, along with her attendance at the Sept. 6, 2021, pro-Trump rally in Washington, D.C., are hard to overlook, especially in a liberal-leaning community like Grover.
Arnoldson, too, has a problematic past.
During a 2017 discussion of a cannabis ordinance, the former mayor stepped to the podium and asked the council this question: “I’m told the City Council will do anything for money. Are you whores?”
Nor did he do himself any favors when he wrote an op-ed for Cal Coast News that directed this comment at a Grover councilwoman who accused Arnoldson of hate speech: “Suck up the unhappy comments buttercup. It is part of the job.”
It’s an old incident, but we’ve heard little from Arnoldson since then, and he declined an invitation to meet with the Editorial Board. In other words, he’s given us no reason to reassess his qualifications for office.
Homeless shelters, road work, child care grants
Under current leadership, Grover has made big strides, especially in dealing with homelessness.
It’s about to open the first shelter in South County, called Cabins for Change. A second shelter on city-owned land is in the planning stage.
Residents will be provided not just with a roof, but also with wrap-around services, including physical and mental health care. The city also has joined with other agencies to provide help to residents facing eviction.
“We are trying to approach this situation from many different areas,” said Bright. “It’s really not a city problem, but it’s a problem that our city must solve.”
The city also is taking steps to encourage more housing construction.
It updated its development code to allow greater density in the form of taller buildings, streamlined permitting and relaxed conditions of approval. Developers no longer have to install curbs, gutters and sidewalks. Instead, the city will complete that work.
Other highlights:
- With revenue from a property tax measure passed in 2014, the city has rehabbed 60% of its streets, with more work scheduled.
- During the height of the COVID pandemic, Grover was the first city in the county to offer micro-grants to small businesses struggling to survive, distributing $700,000.
- It’s also established a grant program to help child-care providers and a facade improvement plan for small businesses that provides grants of up to $10,000.
- Grover Beach was an early adopter of a cannabis ordinance and currently has 14 businesses, including four brick-and-mortar retail stores, which is the maximum allowed. The cannabis tax generates $1.6 million per year. While the ordinance was controversial when it was adopted, it’s given Grover Beach an economic boost without the crime problems some had predicted.
Yes, there’s more to accomplish. For example, Rushing is concerned about open positions in the Police Department.
“Our police force does not have the ability to fully staff on a daily basis,” he said.
All in all, though, Grover Beach has been able to accomplish more than many larger cities with more resources, and we see no reason to change course.
The Tribune strongly endorses Karen Bright for Grover Beach mayor and Dan Rushing for City Council.
This story was originally published October 7, 2022 at 5:30 AM.