SAN FRANCISCO -- San Francisco Supervisor Jake McGoldrick on Wednesday afternoon called the campaign to recall him the mean-spirited effort of "a few hotheads."

The supervisor, who represents the Richmond District, said he will be termed out of office in a year and is already thinking of going back to his teaching career and preparing for impending grandparenthood.

But he said he fears that recall efforts like the one he faces will become a trend to intimidate elected representatives.

"They're wasting taxpayer money become of some disagreement on the issues. I hope this doesn't become an intimidation tool that could then be swung at the heads of any elected official. I think it's a terrible abuse of the process and it would make (other politicians) afraid to take on the tough issues," he said.

Richmond District merchants and residents demanding the recall formally kicked off their campaign Wednesday, marching through the neighborhood to collect needed signatures.

The group, Richmond Deserves Better, claims McGoldrick, who has represented the neighborhood since 2000, is quick to increase taxes, refuses to meet with his constituents, and doesn't care about the concerns of small business owners.

The group, which needs to collect 4,000 signatures to secure the recall on the November ballot, faces serious opposition.

San Francisco Firefighters, the San Francisco Democratic Central Committee and State Sen. Leland Yee have all spoken out against the recall as unfounded and wasteful.

They have also joined an opposing group, Citizens Against Recall Abuse. The group's campaign manager, Les Hilger, said about a dozen volunteers opposed to the recall canvassed Richmond District streets during Memorial Day weekend.

In a written statement, John Hanley, president of the San Francisco Firefighters, called the recall effort "a complete waste of everybody's time and money," since McGoldrick's term expires next year due to term limits.