City of Grover Beach Overview

Grover Beach namesake Dwight William Grover began his bid for a new coastal city in 1887, filing plans with San Luis County to propose the City of Grover City. His ambitions to lure Southern Pacific to town were quashed when a train station was built in neighboring Oceano. But in the end his dreams came true, albeit after his death in 1924. The city formally incorporated in 1959, but in 1992 citizens voted to change the name to the less repetitive Grover Beach—and an Amtrak train station finally opened there in 1996.

This coastal city of 12,619 people is one of what is called San Luis Obispo County’s “five cities,” though there are actually only three official cities—Grover Beach, Pismo Beach, and Arroyo Grande—plus unincorporated Oceano and Shell Beach (part of Pismo Beach).

The City of Grover Beach is a general law city governed by a council-manager form of government. Under this form of government, the Grover Beach City Council is the policy-making body and the city manager carries out council policy.  The city manager, appointed by the council, is the administrative head of the government, including being empowered to appoint all city department heads with the exception of the city attorney.

The Grover Beach city clerk, appointed by the city manager, administers democratic processes such as elections, access to city records, and local legislative activity. The clerk also manages public inquiries and arranges ceremonial and official functions.