Gay San Francisco District 4 Supervisor Joel Engardio is facing a recall effort over his authoring the successful citywide proposition to close the Great Highway to vehicle traffic. In a statement, Engardio asked residents to judge him by the entirety of his record in office.
Engardio was elected two years ago to represent the Sunset and the Outer Sunset on the city's Board of Supervisors after four tries, at which point he became the third gay man on the board. (Engardio's previous races had been in District 7, but he was redistricted into District 4 ahead of the 2022 election.)
Engardio beat then-supervisor Gordon Mar 51% to 49% in the November 2022 election, becoming the first supervisor to oust an elected incumbent since the return of district-wide elections for the board a generation ago. He was also elected in a year that saw the city recall three school board members and the district attorney — with his district being a particular hotbed of the voters' revolt that year, and which he supported.
Already a notice of intention to circulate a recall petition is gathering signatures, and a website — recallengardio.com — is online.
The Bay Area Reporter contacted the Sunset district residents behind the recall early Tuesday but has not heard back as of press time. However, the website takes aim at Engardio over his support for Proposition K.
As the B.A.R. previously reported, Prop K will lead to the closure of a portion of the Great Highway to make way for a park.
A precinct-level map shows the measure failed in every single precinct except one to the west of 19th Avenue, according to preliminary returns, while largely passing in the city's densest neighborhoods on the east side.
Engardio championed the measure, saying that because of coastal erosion, there are "unavoidable concerns about the environment" that will render the highway unusable to vehicle traffic anyway in the coming decades. Engardio was joined by four other supervisors in placing Prop K on the ballot. It also had the support of Mayor London Breed.
The highway is currently only open to vehicles on weekdays; a prior compromise led to the current status quo whereby it's closed to cars on weekends and open to them on weekdays.
The recall petition will have four months to garner 9,911 valid signatures; if the requisite number of signatures are gathered, there'll be a special election in District 4 about whether to recall Engardio. If he is recalled, Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie — who will be inaugurated next month — would pick a replacement. (Lurie was not listed on the website backing Prop K among the candidates who ran this year for local office and had endorsed the measure.)
The recall website states that Engardio leaves behind him a trail of "broken promises."
He "has focused on catering to a small group while ignoring the voices of the people who elected him," the website continued. "He's pushed divisive policies like permanently closing the Great Highway — without meaningful community input — creating traffic chaos and increasing stress for families and commuters. Joel has continuously struggled to address the key issues facing our community, leaving many residents feeling unsupported and unheard."
The website accuses Engardio of "a pattern of neglect and poor decision-making."
"Joel's unwillingness to collaborate with the community or prioritize solutions that work for all of us has left District 4 — and all of San Francisco — feeling frustrated and abandoned," it continues. "We're not just fighting for our district; we're fighting for every neighborhood in this city. Elected officials must represent everyone — not just a select few. Joel's failure to lead is a warning to every politician: mess with the voters, and find out."
Engardio's defense
On his own website, Engardio wrote a lengthy defense of his record.
"Voters have a right to recall their elected leaders. I respectfully ask voters to consider the entirety of my work representing them, and not just this one issue," Engardio wrote. "As supervisor, I've successfully championed more police protection in the Sunset, fought to bring algebra back to middle schools, reduced permitting red tape for our small businesses, and passed housing legislation designed for middle income families and seniors. I also secured funding for Sunset Boulevard greenway improvements, delivered relief funds to Taraval merchants impacted by street reconstruction, and created night markets with community partners."
That Sunset Boulevard piece is important — one common refrain against Prop K was potential traffic impacts, as the thousands of cars that used the highway would be rerouted onto city streets.
"My recall is being sought because I supported putting Prop K to a democratic vote of the people. It's important to note that a recall will not change the outcome or implementation of Prop K," he stated. "While residents may disagree with me on this one issue, my door is always open to you on any topic. I've been a responsive supervisor on a myriad of issues that District 4 residents care about."
Engardio said he'd supported the 2022 recalls, which overperformed in his district — but that this situation was different.
"I felt they were failing to do the job they were elected to do," he said of the ousted school board members and former district attorney Chesa Boudin. "These failures were fundamental to the job description. When Governor [Gavin] Newsom was challenged with a recall in 2021, I opposed that effort. Although not every voter agreed with his policies or actions, he was doing the job voters elected him to do."
Engardio concluded that he is working with city departments to improve traffic in his district before the Great Highway closes in the first quarter of 2025: specifically "a new traffic signal coming online at Sloat [Boulevard] and Skyline to replace a 3-way stop sign," he stated.
Engardio told voters he and his husband, too, are drivers, "so we experience the same roads and pain points you do."
"I understand many Sunset residents rely on their cars to get around and there is a sense that City Hall is making it more difficult to be a car owner," he stated. "If there are intersections or streets you are concerned about, please let me know and I will work to address those concerns."
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