Recall Effort Dogs Bernhardt as City Politics Remain in Flux : Stakes are high in move to oust councilwoman

Is San Diego City Councilwoman Linda Bernhardt the victim of naked opportunism by her political enemies or widespread dissatisfaction in her district? That, to us, is the most interesting question stemming from the nascent effort to recall the controversial rookie councilwoman.

The answers will unfold in the next few months, as this political plot either develops into an election, or dies the quick death of petition campaigns that lack popular support.

Either way, Bernhardt ought to use the next few unpleasant months to take stock of her eight months in office. If the recall is a popular uprising, as its supporters suggest, then Bernhardt has managed to enrage a sizable number of people who a short while ago considered her the breath of fresh air their community needed after eight years of representation by Councilman Ed Struiksma.

If this is a narrowly based quasi-conspiracy by political opponents, as Bernhardt claims, why is she the target? Why not Councilman John Hartley, who was elected with fewer votes? Most likely, Bernhardt has made herself appear vulnerable with a series of ill-considered decisions, including abandoning Scripps Ranch in the city’s redistricting plan and failing--so far--to resolve the Miramar Ranch North dispute. And she has threatened the city’s powerful development interests, who have much to fear if Bernhardt becomes a city leader.

The councilwoman surely is right about the stakes here. Whatever her missteps, Bernhardt is a social progressive and an environmentalist--a welcome change from the past. Her ouster and replacement by an ally of the current council minority would cost the like-minded majority its tenuous, one-vote hold on power.

These are turbulent times at City Hall. The changing of the guard produced by the new district-only elections system and Mayor Maureen O’Connor’s decision to step down have left city politics in flux. Before things settle down, San Diego may see more political struggles like the one Bernhardt is engaged in now.