District Elections Result in Reasonable Choices

The city of San Diego’s first district-only election Tuesday has drawn nine candidates to challenge the four incumbents. That may not be a record, but it does give voters reasonable choices in three of the districts.

In Districts 3 and 5, neither Councilwoman Gloria McColl nor Councilman Ed Struiksma faced significant opposition in the 1985 election. This time McColl has two opponents, and Struiksma faces four challengers. In District 1, first-term Councilwoman Abbe Wolfsheimer is being challenged by two candidates. Only Judy McCarty in the 7th District faces token opposition.

District elections encouraged many of the challengers to enter the race because they no longer face the expensive and daunting task of taking on an incumbent in a citywide runoff. But district issues should not be the only criterion for judging candidates. It is also wise to look for candidates who are able to show leadership on citywide problems--leadership such as that shown by Ron Roberts on water reclamation and the airport.

Although there are many issues before the city, an overriding consideration must be a candidate’s stance on growth management. The City Council has adopted some growth management measures since the November election, when two ballot measures were defeated, and it is requiring more of developers before granting permission to build. But there is still much to do before the city has a comprehensive plan with teeth.

District 1

Abbe Wolfsheimer is facing University City activist Harry Mathis, a retired Navy captain who worked for several years for Southern California Edison at San Onofre, and Bob Trettin, a former aide to county Supervisor Susan Golding and former City Councilman Bill Mitchell.

The choice in this district, which includes La Jolla, North City West, Rancho Penasquitos and Rancho Bernardo, is a difficult one. Wolfsheimer has a strong voting record on environmental and growth-management issues. She has repeatedly voted against exemptions from sensitive-lands and growth controls. She was the only council member to support the citizens’ slow-growth initiative in November because the opposing City Council measure had been so watered down. She took an unpopular stand in support of low-income housing in her district. She has also worked hard to establish the San Dieguito River Valley Regional Park. For these reasons, Wolfsheimer should be returned to office for another turn.

But our endorsement of Wolfsheimer is with considerable reservation. Although we try not to place too much weight on a candidate’s style or personality, Wolfsheimer’s abrasive manner has seriously damaged her effectiveness. She has been the lone dissenting vote on many issues, and apparently she has alienated most of her colleagues. She maintains that it has not hindered her ability to serve her district. But it has prevented her from taking a leadership role on citywide issues.

Trettin and Mathis would probably be considerably more effective in building coalitions on the council. But we question whether they would stand up to the pressures from the building industry enough to develop a strong growth management plan.

District 3

Gloria McColl fights hard for her district, which includes East San Diego, North Park, University Heights, Normal Heights, Kensington, North Encanto, Oak Park and Rolando. During her six years in office, she has helped increase the district’s share of federal funds needed to refurbish the deteriorating Mid-City area. She has helped start child-care programs and programs for the district’s many senior citizens. She has shown less leadership on citywide issues, although she deserves credit for the successful effort to lure an Olympic training center to San Diego. On growth issues, her votes have often been pro-development. But, as the Sierra Club put it in its analysis of her voting record, “On occasion . . . she will balk at the worst excesses of the council’s pro-development members.”

She faces a vigorous challenge from real estate agent John Hartley, who is president of the El Cajon Boulevard Business Assn. and was the coordinator of last year’s district elections campaign. He has also been active in the Sierra Club and was chairman of San Diegans to Save Famosa Slough.

Hartley has shown through his grass-roots work and political efforts that he would probably improve the council’s environmental conscience. But that’s not sufficient to overcome his apparent naivete about government processes and some issues. McColl has shown that she knows the system well, and she deserves another term.

District 5

Ed Struiksma faces three qualified challengers: land-use consultant Linda Bernhardt, a former aide to City Councilwoman Abbe Wolfsheimer; attorney Floyd Morrow, a former city councilman, and attorney Mike Eckmann, a planner and a college instructor.

Seeking his third term, Struiksma is a seasoned and effective politician. He deserves credit for his stand on AIDS funding, his interest in regional government and for his work with city planners, the school district and developers to get approval and private funding for several innovative after-school programs in his district.

But his consistent voting record in favor of developer interests and his often successful efforts to exempt housing projects from growth restrictions have undermined growth management plans. He may have negotiated hard with developers to fund improvements, but his fast-growing district and the city need someone who is less pro-development.

In addition to his stand on growth issues, Struiksma, a former police officer, was the force behind Proposition G, which successfully pitted a weaker police review board against the much-needed citizen-sponsored review board. For these reasons, we think it is time for a change in District 5, which includes Linda Vista, Kearny Mesa, Mira Mesa, Serra Mesa and Scripps Ranch.

The most promising of the challengers is Linda Bernhardt, who was co-chairman of San Diegans for Managed Growth, and was the campaign director for the two citizens’ slow-growth initiatives on the November ballot. She also was a leader in the Save Miramar Lake Committee. That experience, along with her work as a council aide, could make her an effective voice on the council in favor of more proactive growth management. Although she has tended to be a one-issue candidate, her work on that issue shows that she is not afraid to tackle tough problems. Her government experience should make it relatively easy for her to broaden her view.