PLAN Rates Wolfsheimer Best on City Council

San Diego City Councilwoman Abbe Wolfsheimer topped Prevent Los Angelization Now’s report card on 12 crucial “quality of life” votes cast by the City Council in 1990, a year when the entire council essentially flunked its job of managing the city’s growth, the organization charged Wednesday.

“The council is doing a horrible job, an absolutely horrible job in dealing with the issues of growth management, fiscal responsibility and environmental protection,” said Peter Navarro, PLAN’s chairman. The score card “probably kills the myth that there exists any five-vote majority to protect San Diego’s quality of life,” he said.

Wolfsheimer voted for the PLAN position on nine of the 12 issues, earning a score of 75%. Councilmen Ron Roberts and Bruce Henderson scored lowest on PLAN’s report card, agreeing with the organization’s position on just one vote each, for a score of 8%.

Council members Judy McCarty and Wes Pratt earned scores of 16%, Councilman John Hartley received a 33% score and Councilman Bob Filner agreed with PLAN 41% of the time. Mayor Maureen O’Connor and Councilwoman Linda Bernhardt voted for PLAN’s position on half the issues.

The council received an overall rating of 16%.

The PLAN score card included council votes on developer impact fees, opening the urban reserve to development, the Jackson Drive extension through Mission Trails Regional Park, the council’s decision not to endorse two ballot initiatives backed by the development industry, and a vote on the creation of the city’s Housing Trust Fund. PLAN penalized council members fully for missing any of the votes.

Wolfsheimer aide Joann Johnson said, “I’m pleased and proud of (Wolfsheimer’s) voting record on behalf of the environment and growth management.” Conversely, Roberts aide Michael Abrams said that “you can take any limited number of votes and distort it to have it say what you want it to say. If you have a political agenda, that’s what you do.”

Abrams also noted that, although Roberts was absent for a June 12 vote on whether the council should endorse developer-backed growth control initiatives D and M--and lost points on the PLAN score card as a result--he voted against the endorsement in October but received no credit. Abrams also questioned inclusion of the Housing Trust Fund in the tally.