Karen Bright begins first term as Grover Beach mayor
By: Austin Herbaugh
A new mayor has officially taken office in the City of Grover Beach.
Former city council member Karen Bright was sworn in as mayor of Grover Beach on December 12.
Bright replaces former Mayor Jeff Lee, who served two full terms in office.
"I have lived here in Grover beach for about 35 years," said Mayor Bright, who has been serving the City of Grover Beach for more than 15 years.
Bright was appointed to the city council in 2007 before successfully running for re-election in 2008 and 2012.
She returned to the city council in 2019 and served in that role until winning the mayoral race in the November 2022 election.
"We've come a long way since I started on the council in 2007 and from my perspective, it's been very positive," said Bright.
Grover Beach has seen a lot of change in recent years, and more is on the way.
The first tiny cabins homeless shelter is set to open this week.
Mayor Bright says she will make addressing homelessness a top priority, which includes opening up another homeless housing facility along South 4th Street.
"It was important to me and to others that we do continue this upward trend," she said.
Other changes in the works include the Central Coast Blue recycled water project as well as major improvements to portions of West Grand Avenue.
Former Mayor Jeff Lee, who oversaw the start of these projects, says he is grateful for his time as mayor.
"I've really enjoyed my time as mayor. It's been a labor of love, " Lee told KSBY. "It's the community service that I really enjoy."
Lee served as mayor since 2018 and was reelected in 2020.
"I'm sorry to see it end, but I wouldn't change a day of it," he said.
The new mayor, meanwhile, is looking forward to continuing to work with the city council to get things done.
"We are a very cohesive council. We may not always agree but we are able to agree to disagree and get the business of the people done," Bright said.
The City of Grover Beach is looking to fill the vacancy left behind by Bright in District 4 and the application process is open through December 30th.