Just one year after winning reelection by a too-close-for-comfort margin, Mayor Ed Lee could be facing a recall effort this fall, if one of two alleged ballot measure proposals has any legs. The Examiner reports that "local gardener Mike Murphy and a team of local activists" have it in mind to launch a recall campaign, but getting it on the ballot will of course require some funding and signatures.

Also, there's a second source who remains nameless, described only as a "progressive" with "star power and credibility" who's been talking to "folks with deep pockets and political know-how."

All this of course should be taken with a grain of salt, since it's pretty much at the level of rumor now.

And politicos caution that a recall effort could backfire, either by enraging Chinese voters — but not Rose Pak! — or by failing and making the mayor even stronger.

This is, of course, the great dream of progressives and various factions of activists right now, who can't stand the idea of another four years with this guy.

Mayor Ed Lee had a fairly embarrassing and well interrupted inauguration this year, following a year of vocal criticism stemming from both our ongoing housing shortage, a perceived favoritism toward tech companies, and the various and ongoing scandals surrounding the SFPD, their documented racism, and the fuzzy justifications behind the killings of several civilians, including Mario Woods in December. Add to that recent controversies over his attitudes toward the homeless, and the ongoing issue of housing them and/or removing their tents from the streets, and Lee's popularity is probably the lowest it's ever been — but the last we heard about his plummeting approval rating was in December, when it hit 43 percent.

Previously: Is Mayor Peskin Next?