Voters Signal Major Changes in the Wind for City Politics : Environmentalists Are Cheered by Election Results

Just 10 months after four growth-control ballot measures were drubbed at the polls, jubilant slow-growth and environmental activists believe that Tuesday’s election results place them tantalizingly close to achieving an environmentally conscious, managed-growth majority on the San Diego City Council.

The election of John Hartley, a former member of the Sierra Club’s executive committee, coupled with the impressive primary victory of former Citizens for Limited Growth staffer Linda Bernhardt, offer the possibility of a sudden, dramatic reversal of the council’s generally pro-growth stance, activists say.

If Councilwoman Abbe Wolfsheimer can hang onto her seat and Bernhardt’s predictions of victory come true, the moderate to conservative Republican majority that has ruled the nine-member council on major issues would be replaced by a progressive coalition that includes Wolfsheimer, Councilman Bob Filner, Hartley and Bernhardt. Mayor Maureen O’Connor, who recently was named the council’s top environmentalist by the Sierra Club, and Councilman Wes Pratt might be expected to supply key swing votes.

‘Victory for Environmental Community’

“I think that (Tuesday) night was an overwhelming victory for the environmental community,” said Barbara Bamberger, conservation coordinator for the Sierra Club. Excluding incumbent Judy McCarty’s race against unknown Kenneth Key, “in every district the environmental candidate was the top candidate.”

“All the talk that growth was a dead issue was dead wrong,” added Filner. “It is the primary issue, and it will be the general issue.”

With the exception of McCarty, who faced only token opposition in Key, candidates endorsed by the Sierra Club and Prevent Los Angelization Now--the successor to Citizens for Limited Growth--came out on top Tuesday.

Although crime was undoubtedly the top issue in Hartley’s defeat of 3rd District incumbent Gloria McColl, growth, traffic, the environment and other attendant issues were top priorities in Struiksma and Wolfsheimer’s races for reelection.

Opponents Labeled ‘Bulldozer Boys’

During the campaign, Struiksma labored under the burden of his reputation as the council’s most pro-growth member, while Wolfsheimer made the most of her environmental and slow-growth credentials, labeling her opponents the “bulldozer boys.” Wolfsheimer was the only council member to break with her colleagues and support Citizens for Limited Growth’s Proposition J over the council-backed, but generally less stringent, Proposition H.

None of this is lost on development industry representatives, who now must decide whether to pour their ample resources into the campaigns of Struiksma and Bob Trettin, Wolfsheimer’s opponent.

“Given last night, they (the environmentalists) have a shot” at ruling the council, said one building industry source who asked not to be named. “And are the builders worried? Yeah. And are the environmentalists worried that they won’t get it? Yeah.”

Filner, another council environmental leader, contends that developer money cannot make or break a candidate in the era of district elections as it did in November, when the building industry spent nearly $3 million to clobber two citywide and two countywide growth issues.

“It’s shown that it doesn’t work,” he said. “What works is the door-to-door walking and phoning.”

Other analysts note that nothing is certain on the nonpartisan council, where coalitions form and crumble with each major issue, particularly at a time when council members will be looking foremost to serving their districts.

In addition, Wolfsheimer and Bernhardt still face long climbs to victory. “I like our chances,” Struiksma said. “I’ve had four people and an independent committee attacking me for months. Now it’s down to a one-on-one situation. (Bernhardt’s) been a one-issue candidate so far. The more people focus on her, the more they’ll see how shallow her campaign is.”

Building Industry View

“The bad news for Abbe,” Trettin said, “is that this is the third time in four years she’s failed to get a majority in her district. I’m going to do my best to make sure there’s a fourth time.”

But another building industry representative predicted that developers will not lose sleep over a dramatic alteration of the council, because even builders’ allies have made life generally burdensome for backers of development projects. In recent months, the council had increased the fees paid by builders and stepped up demands that builders finance construction of roads, parks and schools in newer parts of the city.

“I think it will be more difficult, but it can’t get that much worse,” the source said. “Contrary to the perception, it has not been a bed of roses.”

Even if just one of the two candidates is elected along with Hartley--which would enhance the power of swing votes such as O’Connor, Pratt and perhaps Councilman Ron Roberts--environmentalists and slow-growthers will have taken a major step forward from Nov. 8, when city and county voters rejected four growth-control measures at the polls.

While activists continued to contend that the public wanted solutions to the problems of increasing traffic congestion, vanishing open space and crowding in schools, growth control faded from agendas at City Hall, particularly after the council passed a compromise approach authored by Filner and McCarty.

‘Much More Opportunity’

“The sentiment has always been there,” said Peter Navarro, chairman of Prevent Los Angelization Now. “It’s just been a matter of coalescing it.”

“I think it does signal that there’s much more opportunity to move forward with an environmental agenda,” that includes the cleanup of San Diego Bay and other issues, said Jay Powell, special projects director of the Environmental Health Coalition.

Nearly everyone following the environmental and slow-growth issues predicted that a new council majority would test O’Connor’s true colors as an environmentalist as well as her leadership skills. Earlier this month, some environmental leaders met with O’Connor’s staff to discuss the future of their movement in San Diego, and they plan to meet with with the mayor soon.

“I would hope that the mayor would see now that she can move more forcefully,” Powell said.

“She’s had the excuse that she hasn’t had five votes,” said Ron Ottinger, chairman of the Sierra Club Committee on Political Education. “If that excuse is no longer there, then the proof is really out there to be had.”

But Bamberger said environmentalists must generate popular support for an idea before O’Connor will embrace it.

“The way she basically operates is, she’s going to see which way the wind is blowing, and then she’s going to follow up on that. That’s the way she’s always been, and that’s the way she’ll always be,” Bamberger said.

Moreover, the mayor may be criticized for the tacit support she appeared to give during the campaign to Struiksma and McColl, whom she appointed to highly visible posts as negotiators with county officials on funding for new jails and as members of the “disaster council” that sought $34 million in anti-crime aid from Gov. George Deukmejian. On Monday, the day before the election, she gave a speech during the council session denouncing a Bernhardt mailer that attacked O’Connor’s Soviet Arts Festival and accused Struiksma of supporting it.

“She was clearly helping the two, but it was clearly not effective help,” Filner said.

Bernhardt, who acknowledged being puzzled by O’Connor’s apparent aid for Struiksma and McColl, said she would soon ask for a meeting with O’Connor to solicit her support.

“I have to believe that, if she is who she says she is, she will be wholeheartedly supporting myself and Abbe, and working closely with John Hartley,” Bernhardt said.

O’Connor said Wednesday that she is not taking sides for now, but reserved the option to make endorsements later.