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Recall of Grover Beach City Council member headed to the ballot

July 17, 2024

Councilman Daniel Rushing

By KAREN VELIE

Grover Beach voters will decide in November whether or not to recall Councilman Daniel Rushing.

Former mayor Debbie Peterson announced Wednesday that City Clerk Wendi Sims certified the petition to recall Rushing. Late last month, a group of citizens submitted the petition with 661 of the 709 signatures they collected.

In May, San Luis Obispo Superior Court Judge Craig van Rooyen found that Sims violated the law in her rejection of recall petitions for Mayor Karen Bright and councilmen Rushing and Zach Zimmerman. Sims refused to approve the recall petitions unless certain statements she found false or misleading were removed from the petitions.

Judge Craig van Rooyen agreed and ordered Sims to approve the petition to recall Rushing. Even though the suit noted issues with each recall petition, because both Bright and Zimmerman are up for election in November, the suit focused on Rushing’s recall petition.

Bright, Rushing and Zimmerman’s support of a resolution to more than double water rates in order to help pay for Central Coast Blue, a proposed recycled water project, prompted the recall effort. Following an initiative effort, the Grover Beach City Council in April agreed to quit the water recycling project and stop funding Central Coast Blue.

Proponents of the recall argue Bright, Rushing and Zimmerman are out of touch with their constituents, don’t listen and are making the community unaffordable.


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“In May, San Luis Obispo Superior Court Judge Craig van Rooyen found that Sims violated the law…” The judge gave her until 5:00 PM on May 28 to comply with the his order (https://calcoastnews.com/2024/05/grover-beach-violates-judges-order-to-validate-recall-petition/). Now, two months later, Sims has apparently decided to comply. Just curious, when is Sim’s contempt hearing set for? Or are this judge’s orders just suggestions?


7

If we havent known befoe, recent court ruling, even from the Supreme Court are just suggestions to some in government, they know they can get away with anything they want to do.


2

This guy must be a dem. I mean…does dems ever recall republicans? No.

Republicans are crybabies. If they can’t handle something they force expensive recalls.

Speaking of which. There was constant whining in Paso when dems won the regional elections. But not a peep when Moreno won.

Where are the crybabies?

That lady in Paso?

Erik. G in Paso?


-25

This guy is done. Arrogant beyond belief in ignoring the wishes of the people. So grateful for Debbie Peterson.


18

Did the petitioners suddenly get amnesia? We had a crippling drought a few years ago, with reservoirs nearly running dry. It’s absurdly irresponsible to shove your head in the sand and not plan for the future.


-15

More an issue of a bureaucrat(s) dreaming up Central Coast Blue and drooling at the federal and state money that would be poured into it. The project was poorly planed, financially unstable, and had an uncertain result. The GB council knew all of this and when the outside money didn’t materialize they scrambled to keep this white elephant afloat on the backs of the GB residents. The drought cycle is nothing new, we go through ups and downs of water/rain regularly, and over the years and decade+ the bureaucrats have done very little to address it, preferring to govern by crisis when in a drought cycle. Some of the members of this council have been involved in previous councils and city governments and have participated in the do little process. Let’s hope the voters are finally able to end the poor leadership from this recalled member and the ones up for re-election, their poor leadership is clear.


19