Golding Is the Better Choice : S.D. mayoral candidates differ largely in style, and hers is more palatable

It’s difficult to overstate the importance of San Diego’s mayoral race--or the differences in character and style of the two contenders.

Each week seems to bring a new announcement of huge layoffs in the city’s once-thriving aerospace industry. Violent crime is rising at double-digit rates. And just this week the city papered over an $18-million budget deficit with a combination of Port District funds, early retirements and acceptance of unpaid time off by thousands of city workers. There will be no shortage of challenges for the new mayor.

In less volatile times, San Diego County Supervisor Susan Golding would be the odds-on favorite to win. During a decade of public service--including a stint on the City Council--Golding has forged a reputation as a pragmatic, moderate politician who can get things done. And she has carefully nurtured ties to key segments of the community--environmentalists, business leaders, gays and lesbians and law enforcement.

In contrast, her opponent, managed-growth advocate Peter Navarro, exploded on the political scene in just a few short years. As founder of Prevent Los Angelization Now!, he emerged as the in-your-face point man of the managed-growth movement, leaving much of the San Diego establishment shaking their heads in disbelief.

But the appeal of Navarro, who came out on top in the six-person primary, shouldn’t be a mystery. Yes, the recession has virtually brought development to a halt, seemingly robbing him of his core issue. But growth-driven problems of the 1980s--traffic congestion, air pollution, crime, sewage spills and municipal deficits--have spilled into the 1990s, and the public lives with them every day. Growth--even in these stagnant times--is very much on people’s minds.

It’s just wishful thinking to dismiss Navarro, a UC Irvine economics professor, as a one-issue candidate whose proposals have all been either defeated at the polls, thrown out in court or failed to attract enough signatures for the ballot. In truth, there’s a lot about Navarro to admire. He’s bright, he’s tough, he has ideas. He would shake things up at City Hall, and things need shaking up.

After all, Navarro’s sudden rise to the top was possible largely because of the political power vacuum that has engulfed the city for years. In that regard, the powers that be who most fear Navarro have only themselves to blame for creating him.

But look past the differences of style and history, and striking similarities emerge between these two solid candidates. Despite their spirited rivalry, both have largely waged issue-oriented campaigns, dashing off multi-page white paper after white paper addressing everything from crime to the city’s troubled economy.

Both question the feasibility of an international airport jointly operated with Mexico. Both opposed the federally mandated multibillion-dollar upgrade of the city’s sewage treatment process. Both doubt that it makes sense to use one of the city’s last bayfront parcels downtown as a site for a new regional library.

Indeed, the key difference between the two is one of style--and concerns that many of Navarro’s proposals still focus too narrowly on developers, to whom he traces all civic ills. Further, it’s hard to believe that an industry now flat on its back can really afford to pay much more.

Golding has a more balanced approach. Developer fees should cover some civic costs. Property taxes should cover others. Budget cuts or bond measures, particularly in a city that has very little long-term debt, can provide funds for still other needs.

We prefer Golding’s style of consensus-building. We, too, desire a new era of vitality at City Hall. But Navarro’s acerbic style could easily destabilize city government to the point of chaos. Golding, on the other hand, has a proven record of leadership--and the vision and energy needed to get San Diego through the tough times ahead.

If elected, her personal challenge will be to prove that, after a decade as an “insider,” she can be an agent of change. We think she can.

The Times endorses Susan Golding for mayor.