Bright beating Korsgaden for Grover mayor as vote count continues 

Months of heated exchanges and political mudslinging later, the races to govern southern San Luis Obispo County are crossing the finish line.

Grover Beach is set to receive its first female mayor in eight years. In a contentious battle between Mayor Pro Tem Karen Bright and two-time county supervisor contender Stacy Korsgaden, Bright emerged with the vote lead in initial counts. Currently, she has almost 57 percent of tallied votes, while Korsgaden stood at 43 percent. Neither candidate has ever been mayor before.

"I have faith in Grover Beach voters. They haven't let me down yet," said Bright, who has had on-and-off stints on City Council since 2008.

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• Photos Courtesy Of Karen Bright And Charles Varni
• NEARING THE END According to preliminary vote counts, Karen Bright (left) and Charles Varni (right) lead the controversial Grover Beach race for mayor and the Oceano Community Services District election, respectively.

The beach city could also retain current Councilmember Daniel Rushing for its 2nd District. Rushing raked in almost 60 percent of counted votes as of Nov. 9, while challenger Ron Arnoldsen had 40 percent. First District Councilmember Robert Robert ran unopposed.

Bright told New Times that both Rushing and Robert have their "arms wrapped around the issues of the city."

Korsgaden said she stayed up late watching the results with family at home. It was a marked change from her larger summer campaign against 3rd District County Supervisor Dawn Ortiz-Legg.

"When I was running for supervisor, I had a big, long event and I called it a 'celebration of process,'" she said. "I truly don't know what my next chapter in life will be, but I do feel the call to serve my community in some way."

Oceano Community Services District [OCSD] incumbent Steve Montes—appointed to his director position after Cynthia Replogle resigned earlier this year—got 44 percent of the votes counted as of Nov. 9, while challenger Charles Varni got a little more than 55 percent.

Their race has been marked by verbal fights and name-calling. A majority of these debates occur on Nextdoor. Following the county-clerk recorder's publication of preliminary results in the early hours of Nov. 9, Varni took to Nextdoor to declare victory.

"It means the reign of Linda Austin is over and that the majority of Oceanans want to move forward, not stay in the rut she and her supporters have stuck us in," he wrote. "Thank you to everyone who supported me and especially to all the Latinos that voted for me. Andale!"

Hours later, he deleted that post to clarify that it's too early to call the OCSD election, and that "we should know the winner" by the end of the week. Updated vote counts will be posted on Nov. 12. Now, Varni, who is the chair of the Oceano Advisory Council, is preparing to face 4th District Supervisor Lynn Compton at the Dec. 6 Board of Supervisors meeting. At that meeting, the supervisors will discuss withdrawing recognition of the advisory council.

"It's hugely unfair and hugely political," Varni told New Times. "Given Lynn Compton hates us so deeply, we're not surprised."

Montes, on the other hand, said he's hoping for more votes, and can see himself continuing to engage with the community through after-school programs and by working with the Vitality Advisory Council of Oceano.

South County cities like Arroyo Grande and Pismo Beach both are poised to retain their respective mayors Carren Ray Russom and Ed Waage. Irrespective of final results, Arroyo Grande will receive two new City Councilmembers—Kathleen Secrest in the 1st District, who ran unopposed, and the 4th District's James Guthrie, who currently has 65 percent of counted votes against Ben Franco's 35 percent. Δ