Editor:
A close friend of mine has a poster on his office wall that I’ve always admired. It’s a sketch of a woman leaning on a fence with this caption: “Class consciousness is knowing which side of the fence you’re on. Class analysis is figuring out who is there with you.”
What strikes me most about this poster is how easily it would be to replace the fence with the Upper Great Highway.
Corporate-owned media and its modern-day pundits would have us believe that the concept of class no longer exists; that we are all on equal footing, have the same privileges and rights, and can exercise an equal amount of influence on our elected officials. However, one needs to look no further than the anger and frustration brewing in District 4 to know that this is simply not true.
The battle over the Upper Great Highway is not just a battle between the west side of town and the east side of town. It is a battle between working people who commute every day and those lucky enough to work from home or not work at all – those who have been dubbed the Laptop Elite. It is, for all intents and purposes, a class war.
Prop. I created car-free zone every day of the week on the eastern end of JFK Drive. On weekdays, it obscenely underutilized. It is a tacky, carnival-like playground for those hale, hearty and with enough free time to be able to get there during the week. It is no longer used by those with disabilities or the frail elderly, who find it too difficult to get there. It is not used by families with children. Mom and dad are at work, and the kids are in school. And, most significantly, it is no longer used by commuters who found peace, calm and tranquility in the lush greenery of the park after a long day at work.
One can almost imagine this was done by design. After all, what’s a class war without exclusion?
The same will be true of Prop. K. Like JFK Drive, the Upper Great Highway will be underutilized and abandoned during the week, an empty playground filled with tacky “art,” hammocks, and a giant rock-like thing, taunting the commuting working class every week day as they are stuck in worsening traffic while winding their way home, adding anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes to their commute – each way.
As consequence, our streets will become more dangerous not only for the massive amount of drivers who will be forced off the highway and onto high-injury streets, but for pedestrians, for kids coming home from school, for pets – for everyone, except for those working and playing from home.
District 4 Supervisor Joel Engardio played a significant role in creating this battle between the working class and the laptop elite. It is time for the working people of D4 to have their own working-class revolt by signing the petition to recall Engardio. It won’t bring back the highway, but it will show the world that working people of D4 are a force to be reckoned with. Recall Engardio!
Alyse Ceirante, District 4 resident
Categories: letter to the editor
Richmond Review/Sunset Beacon 
I couldn’t agree more with the author: It is a class war between the “Laptop Elites” and the working class of the Sunset and the entire Westside. Joel has shown himself to be a derisive leader beholden to the elites and developer interests. The whole Prop K measure, deceitfully put to the voters City-wide by Endgardio, was years in the making by the Bike Coalition and YIMBY’s. The proposal was put forth by a tech attorney who lived in the Sunset less than 5 years and his “Friends” that are all bike coalition proponents and YIMBYs. They don’t represent the Sunset-never have and never will. The most disappointing thing for me is how our City agencies (SFMTA, SF Park and Rec) and City Officials are so infected by these groups and individuals that they have completely disregarded the residents of the Westside. Well that’s gonna change, one way or another! SUPPORT THE RECALL!!!!
Sincerely,
Marty Murphy
sfpoliticshub.com
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Spot on. To use a phrase that may translate….asking construction workers, plumbers, health care workers and those that work the night shift to be car free is simply………….”showing your privilege”.
Recall Engardio.
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Very well written .The insidiousness of these closures becomes obvious .
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So true, as a 75 year old woman who has lived in SF for 45 years, I use to go to the Botanical Gardens, deYoung (am a member), Japanese Tea Garden and other central Golden Gate Park sites at least monthly. Since JFK has closed I go maybe once or twice a year, preferring to visit the Legion of Honor for their exhibits. I am NOT going to ride a bike at my age (even though I did when I was younger and it was perfectly fine riding on JFK Drive with my then young daughter) when cars were still allowed. I am NOT going to ride a bike to get to Home Depot for lumber, Sloat Garden center for plants and soil, etc and it takes much more than “five or ten minutes longer” to use Sunset Blvd or 19th Avenue. Trades people that I use based on the Peninsula (pest control, carpet cleaners, appliance repair) HATE the closed Great Highway. You think they are going to carry their tools and equipment on a bike? Employees and patients at the VA hospital hate the closed Great Highway too.
You want to recreate and walk? Use the pathway or the Ocean Beach itself. I doubt you used the GH “Park” during this recent atmospheric river weather. Well, working people or people with chores, medical appointments, etc could still have used the Great Highway as the most efficient route.
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I love your response! Let me also add that I’ve asked a few arrogant bike zealots what they would do in an emergency. For example, what if they had one hour to evacuate their living situation? How would they manage to make it out with all their worldly possessions ON A BIKE? Now, bear in mind, a lot of these bike zealots tend to be on the younger side, living bohemian lives. Many of them tend to be artists. So, how would they evacuate and save all their precious artwork, sculptures, paintings, photography, musical instruments, etc.? When I asked them, they said they had everything figured out. Yeah, right—I find that very hard to believe.
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This article exposes the appalling truth of what’s rotting away at the heart of San Francisco and, indeed, the very fabric of American society—the rapidly expanding chasm between the privileged few and the rest of us. The sheer audacity and heartlessness of the ‘laptop elites’ in this situation is beyond the pale, revealing an utter disregard for the well-being of their fellow citizens.
It’s high time for those in positions of power and privilege to wake up and smell the inequality. We must address the urgent need for a more just and equitable distribution of resources and opportunities before our communities crumble under the weight of this self-serving mentality.
If these individuals truly believe they’ve scored a victory by hoarding public spaces for themselves, they are sorely mistaken. Their actions are not only morally reprehensible but ultimately unsustainable. Enough is enough. It’s time to unite and demand a society where empathy, compassion, and fairness prevail over selfishness and greed.
Kudos to the author for fearlessly calling out this brazen injustice and rallying the community to fight for a more inclusive future. We must hold our leaders accountable and insist they serve all their constituents, not just the wealthy and well-connected.
Your article does an excellent job highlighting the class divide created by Prop K, but I’d like to add another layer to the discussion—ableism. It’s essential for the ‘laptop elite’ to realize that their current privilege won’t last forever. As they age, start families, or face health challenges, their ability to enjoy spaces like the Upper Great Highway may diminish. In advocating for a more inclusive community, we must also consider the needs of people with disabilities, families with children, and those who simply don’t have the luxury of unlimited free time. The battle over Prop K is not just about class—it’s also about creating a city that works for everyone, regardless of their abilities or life circumstances.
As a parent, I’m in the trenches fighting to ensure my child doesn’t become another spoiled laptop elitist—the kind who have been wreaking havoc on San Francisco. This cycle of toxic entitlement must be stopped in its tracks if we want our city to be a welcoming, thriving place for everyone, not just a playground for the wealthy and connected. By making inclusivity and equity our top priorities, we can forge a future that isn’t a total dumpster fire.
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I share the opinions here re: the “Laptop Elites.” The “tech oligarchy” that’s invading our country’s government right now began festering right here in San Francisco when Ed Lee ushered in Silicon Valley from the South Bay in 2014. Whether we wanted it or not, Lee wanted to turn us into another Manhattan, and within two years the city changed drastically: property values rose to unprecedented and ridiculously unaffordable levels, homelessness increased on our streets and many San Franciscans were displaced and could no longer afford to live here anymore. Many of those San Franciscans had grown up here. The city has never been the same since. We consistently see a small segment of tech workers who move here and arrogantly wave away whatever they decide doesn’t personally suit their lifestyles. Rather than adhere to the diversity and tolerance the city has always been known for, they narcissistically decide they’ll just spend their bucks to change whatever it is they don’t happen to like. Respect for the city’s history and traditions clearly mean nothing to these people… they’ve narcissistically decided San Francisco is their playground and they know what’s best for everyone who lives here. In response to Wendy Liu’s comment above, the Bicycle Coalition is a perfect example of this. Despite bicyclists being the vast minority on the roads, they portray themselves as martyrs and insist that everyone else adopt their mode of transportation as well. Any group that doesn’t they’ll just get rid of.
Unfortunately, we have some members of the Board of Supervisors who continue to enable these individuals while ignoring the vast majority of their constituents, and Engardio has clearly shown he’s one of them. They initially tell their voters what they want to hear during their campaigns, then ignore them and use their platforms to push their own personal agendas once they’re elected. These supervisors seem to have a “vision” of what they’ve decided the city should be, but don’t bother to ask those of who live here, vote them into office and pay taxes if we even want it or not. Engardio’s recall is a message to other districts in the city that this has gone too far. As stated above, enough is enough. Constituents have to start holding their supervisors accountable for their actions when they’ve been openly lied to and deceived until City Hall finally gets the message that we’re fed up with being dictated by individuals and small interest groups.
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