Editor:
District 4 Supervisor Joel Engardio convinced voters across town that permanent closure of the Upper Great Highway is a good thing; but to his constituents living in harm’s way as thousands upon thousands of commercial and private vehicles barrel by our homes and schools whenever the highway is closed, this is a threat to our safety and wellbeing.
Very simply: Joel has betrayed the people who live here. We want a supervisor we trust, who values what makes it so appealing to live and work close to the ocean; who loves, as we do, our peaceful beach, sounds of waves, surfers, native plants thriving on the dunes, the natural light of incredible sunsets and opening our windows to breathe in fresh sea-scented air.
We need someone who knows it’s not an environment for vendors, artificial lighting, late night amplified music, marching bands, odors from food trucks with noisy generators, huge sculptures, bleachers and the eyesore of port-a-potties blocking the beautiful natural oceanfront landscape.
In an email exchange on Oct. 31, 2022 with Joel summarizing our earlier conversation are statements he made to me that convinced me to vote for him. One was the Upper Great Highway should only be closed to vehicles Saturdays at 6 a.m. and reopened Sundays after sundown.
Another, was that no D4 buildings should exceed six stories, and only that high on commercial street corners. Joel no longer stands by his campaign promise to protect our neighborhood’s unique culture by restricting building heights. He said nothing that high would be built on the Lower Great Highway in the Coastal Zone, yet 1234 Great Highway will be an eight-story high rise.
This recall is not “just one issue.” It’s Joel’s active decision to elevate voices and interests of people who don’t live in D4 over people who do. Why are those people spending so much money to keep a supervisor in office who doesn’t represent them?
Joel’s recall is about his pattern of deceit, lack of transparency and representation. We can’t afford two more years. Please support your neighbors over wealthy outside interests by supporting the recall.
Info at recallengardio.com.
Judi Gorski
Categories: letter to the editor
Richmond Review/Sunset Beacon 
Agree 100%.
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Agreed! “This recall is about his pattern of deceit, lack of transparency and representation.” That says it all!! RECALL!!!!
Sincerely,
Marty Murphy
sfpoliticshub.com
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The housing at 1234 Great Highway is 100% affordable senior housing by the respected organization Self Help for the Elderly. They are using a state law from 1979 that allows for additional height at the coast for 100% affordable housing.
Also, the author of this article supported an effort to kill the weekend closure. She supported a failed citywide ballot measure in 2022 to reopen the Great Highway to cars 24/7. She also supported multiple failed appeals to the state coastal commission in 2023 and 2024 to kill the weekend closure.
There is no added risk to the community by closing the Great Highway, they have already made traffic changes that will send cars down Sunset Ave instead.
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“There is no added risk to the community by closing the Great Highway” – is a lie.
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I took a deep dive into the details of the proposed 1234 Great Highway project, and honestly, what’s missing is more important than what’s included.
First off, I’ll say this—affordable senior housing should be a priority. But looking at the numbers here, there are serious red flags. Nine parking spots for an 84-foot tall development? And only 34 spots for bikes? Are you kidding me? Seniors aren’t going to park their bicycles and pedal to their doctors’ appointments. They need accessible spaces to park their cars or for their families to visit. If anything parking needs to be reversed, 34 spots for cars and 9 spots for bikes —especially considering this is a senior housing project in the outer Sunset where public transportation options are limited.
On top of that, let’s talk about the logistics. There’s already a Motel 6 there—how is that property going to be bought out? How much money is being sunk into demolishing and rebuilding? Add in the inflationary construction costs and the end result starts to look less like “affordable housing” and more like another corporate shell game that only looks affordable on paper.
I also have to wonder about the long-term affordability of this project. In a world where labor costs are skyrocketing, and the days of cheap, undocumented labor are (thankfully) behind us, I’m skeptical that these plans account for the true cost of construction. Will they really be able to keep this affordable for seniors, or will this just become another high-end development in disguise?
As someone with a chronically ill parent—my mom has Parkinson’s disease—I can say without hesitation: I would never house her at 1234 Great Highway. The location is right at the epicenter of the traffic nightmare created by the closure of the Upper Great Highway. Seniors need calm, safe, accessible environments. This? This is not it.
The congestion in that area has become unmanageable. It’s not some abstract concern—it’s daily life. Walking around there has become dangerous for anyone with mobility issues, let alone seniors. Tyler is out here trying to gaslight the community into believing the congestion “isn’t that bad.” That’s laughable. And let’s not forget: he made his comment before the full closure went into effect. So no, he hasn’t seen the brutal gridlock or the impossible street conditions that followed. He has no clue what he’s talking about.
I don’t care how many times someone slaps the word “affordable” on a high-rise—it doesn’t make it good planning. This site is wrong for senior housing, period. Add in the Motel 6 that will need to be bought out and demolished, the sky-high construction costs, and the absurd parking-to-bike ratio, and the project starts to look like another fantasy plan cooked up by people who don’t actually live here.
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Tyler, you miss Judi Gorski’s point completely. She is writing about Joel’s pattern of deception from before he was even elected. He has made comments that there would be no high rises on the L GH even after an 8 story senior building had been approved on the LGH at Irving and Judah, and he knew it had been approved. His lies are those of omission, a ploy he has skillfully perfected. He needs to be recalled because he does not care about the health, safety, and quality of life of people who voted for him. He represents the money class of tech bros and developers, not D4. Follow the money that is supporting Joel. Recall. We can do better. Anyone can plan a party, but not everyone has the character to protect his or her constituents.
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