Many readers will still be voting until Nov. 5 when this month’s issue of the Sunset Beacon is published. Given how close some races are, we won’t know the final results for at least a week after the election. Every vote matters.

Prop. K will be closely watched since it will determine the future of the Great Highway. If you’re reading this before Nov. 5, below are some points to consider as you decide how to vote.

If you’re reading this after we know the results, I will also explain what happens if Prop. K wins or fails. And I’ll mention what’s going to happen no matter what.

If you’re still deciding how to vote, this is what Prop. K will and won’t do:

Prop. K only considers closing the section of the Upper Great Highway between Lincoln Way and Sloat Boulevard, which has never had any on/off ramps for cars to access the Sunset District.

It’s important to note that the state is requiring the closure of the Great Highway south of Sloat due to coastal erosion. This has already been legislated. Without a direct connection to Daly City, we have the opportunity to reconsider the best use of the section between Lincoln and Sloat.

Prop. K doesn’t touch the Great Highway north of Lincoln. This will remain open to cars 24/7 for direct access between Richmond and Sunset residents at Point Lobos, Balboa, Fulton and Lincoln. You will always be able to go around Golden Gate Park. This is how drivers get between the Sunset and Richmond now, and that will not change.

What About Coastal Development?

Prop. K does not allow for new development along the beach because it designates a section of the Upper Great Highway as park land. San Francisco’s constitution – the city charter – prohibits building housing on park land. Any private development in our parks requires a citywide vote to move forward. Our parks and our precious coast will be protected from development. 

Where Are the Park Plans?

Prop. K asks a simple question: Do voters want the middle section of the Upper Great Highway to remain a road or become a park? 

If the people say yes to a park, then we can begin the long public process of park planning. We already know the weekend road closure without any park amenities is popular. The asphalt has become San Francisco’s third most-visited park because people want to experience the coast in a way they cannot on the sand or a narrow foot path.

Where is the Funding? 

If Prop. K passes, there will be short-term and long-term funding. Initially, the City would continue to fund landscape maintenance through the Recreation and Park Department and sand clearing through the Department of Public Works. Low-cost amenities, like benches and picnic tables, could be installed. Eventually, there would be a public outreach process to solicit ideas on park design and capital improvements. State and federal grants, a future park bond and public-private partnerships like a park conservancy could provide funds. A coastal park could be eligible for federal funds not available to non-coastal parks. But we can’t begin that process until the voters decide how to use this space.

What About Traffic Flow?

Prop. K will not force drivers onto Chain of Lakes and 19th Avenue. Drivers will always be able to go around Golden Gate Park from the Outer Richmond to Lincoln Way. Replacing stop signs with traffic lights on Lincoln will make it easier to get to Sunset Boulevard, where there are three lanes of north/south traffic in each direction. We’ve already made traffic flow improvements by moving the bus stops to the far side of the intersections, allowing for cars to make right turns without being blocked by a loading bus. Traffic lights can be timed for better flow. 

What Happens if Prop. K wins?

There will be a public process about the transition to a full-time park. It won’t happen overnight. Status quo will remain to obtain necessary permits and implement traffic flow improvements. The creation of a full-time park will still require state Coastal Commission approval.

What Happens if Prop. K Fails?

The pilot weekend closure will continue until December 2025. Then the Upper Great Highway will revert to 24/7 car usage in January 2026. The 11 members of the Board of Supervisors could decide the road’s fate any time before or after the pilot closure ends in December 2025. Or another ballot measure could be decided by voters in the elections of June or November 2026.

What Happens No Matter What?

We will get traffic flow improvements whether Prop. K wins or fails.  

I’m drafting legislation to help expedite the planning, development and contracting process for city agencies to implement westside priority traffic management projects. 

Many residents feel the City is failing to coordinate and adequately manage current traffic as they move across the west side. Regardless of Prop. K, I am committed to improving traffic flow so our communities in the Sunset and Richmond remain connected to one another. 

Why Was This on the Ballot This Year?

I’ve always talked about the pending closure of the Great Highway south of Sloat due to coastal erosion and how it would create the opportunity for a permanent oceanside park between Lincoln and Sloat. This language has been on my website and platform since my campaign in 2022. 

I also opposed the Prop. I ballot measure in 2022 to reopen the Upper Great Highway to cars 24/7. I publicly said at candidate debates that I was against Prop. I because it would not allow for a weekend closure and precluded any opportunity for a permanent park. 

While I agreed with many residents that the weekend compromise was good, a lot has changed in the past two years.

Prop. I failed both citywide and in the Sunset. Supervisors voted 9-2 to reject removing Fridays from the weekend closure. Advocates wanting to open the Upper Great Highway to cars 24/7 failed multiple attempts to eliminate the weekend compromise, with appeals all the way to the state Coastal Commission. And the Board of Supervisors has already voted unanimously to protect the oceanside wastewater treatment plant from coastal erosion – a project that requires closing the Great Highway south of Sloat.

All of these developments since 2022 have changed everything.

A majority of the Board of Supervisors currently supports closing the Upper Great Highway between Lincoln and Sloat. They could decide the road’s fate before the weekend pilot ends in December 2025. There won’t be another election until June 2026.

A ballot measure now lets those who oppose a park organize against it. And it asks supporters to make their case for why we need it. Let’s not forget that one side already had a ballot measure in 2022 to open the highway to cars 24/7.

Everyone deserves a say in how to use their precious coast. A vote at the ballot box where everyone has an equal vote is the most open, transparent and democratic way to resolve the question of what to do with a section of the coast that belongs to all.

Why a Park?

Creating a park on a section of the Great Highway will be good for the environment, give people of all ages better access to the coast, and bring new customers to our small businesses. We are doing this for our families, our kids, and grandkids. This is for the future.

We can have all this benefit while helping car drivers get where they need to go – and create joy for generations to come.

Joel Engardio is the District 4 representative on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. He can be reached at engardio.com/contact.