Recall is for Violating Public Trust
District 4 Supervisor Joel Engardio has attempted to mislead the public by framing the recall effort against him as an attempt to reopen the Upper Great Highway to cars. This is not only false, but also a deliberate distraction from the real issue – his dishonesty and failure to engage in honest, inclusive governance.
Let’s be clear: The recall is not about the Upper Great Highway. It’s about how Engardio bypassed transparent community engagement and ignored the voices of many residents in the district he was elected to represent. The controversy surrounding Proposition K didn’t arise out of nowhere – it was the product of a flawed and exclusionary process, initiated without broad public consultation and pushed forward without community consensus.
From the beginning, Engardio framed the idea of making the Upper Great Highway car-free as if it had overwhelming support, when, in reality, the community was deeply divided. Instead of facilitating open forums, listening sessions or inclusive town halls, he moved forward with an agenda that prioritized the interests of a select few while alienating others. Many neighbors – especially those in the Sunset District – felt blindsided. Their concerns about access, emergency response, traffic diversion and mobility for seniors and families were dismissed as secondary, if acknowledged at all.
The resulting Proposition K became a symbol not of progress, but of political overreach. A more inclusive process could have led to a thoughtful compromise, but instead we got a ballot measure born out of frustration and mistrust. Engardio’s unwillingness to conduct genuine outreach, particularly to those with opposing views, eroded the community’s confidence in his leadership. Rather than unifying, he divided.
This is why many constituents are now pursuing a recall. Not because of a single vote or a stance on a contentious issue, but because of a pattern of behavior that undermines the principles of democratic representation. When elected officials stop listening to the people they serve, stop seeking common ground, and stop respecting the diversity of opinion in their districts, they lose their legitimacy.
Engardio’s attempt to simplify the recall as being “about the Great Highway” is a deflection. It’s easier to paint recall supporters as anti-environment or anti-progress than it is to answer for his lack of transparency and poor communication. But voters are smarter than that. They know the issue isn’t cars versus bikes. It’s honesty versus spin; process versus imposition; representation versus arrogance.
Recalls should never be taken lightly. They are extraordinary tools reserved for extraordinary breaches of public trust. In this case, many feel that threshold has been crossed. When a leader disregards the people’s voices, rewrites the narrative, and misrepresents the community’s motives to serve his political ends, a response becomes necessary.
This recall is about restoring honest leadership and respect for community input. We deserve a supervisor who listens, engages and unites, rather than one who divides and deceives. Let’s hold our leaders accountable to the standards we expect of anyone who claims to represent us.
Albert Chow is a San Francisco native who has lived in the Sunset for 49 years. He is also owner of the Great Wall Hardware for 42 years and is currently president of the neighborhood organization People of Parkside Sunset (POPS).
Categories: Commentary
Richmond Review/Sunset Beacon 
I just read Engardio’s BS op-ed trying to sell upzoning to us.
Thank you for the clarity in opposition to all that is Joel Engardio’s “master plan” to destroy the Sunset and gentrify the hell out of one of SF’s last family neighborhoods.
The YIMBYs must be stopped and held accountable before it’s too late for SF.
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a small 825 square foot 2 bedroom/1 bath house in the Sunset costs over a million dollars (meaning you’d need an annual income of $300,000 plus a down payment of $60,000 to afford it). The gentrification already happened long ago. Some people are just living in denial.
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More than half of SF still rents. Replacing existing rent-controlled units that people have depended on as prices spiked beyond comprehension with brand new market rate units, number irrelevant, will NEVER EVER lower housing costs for those who feel it most and are being displaced, gentrified out of the City.
By removing rent control protections from ADUs, removing low income requirements (percentages of new units set aside for sub-100k/yr incomes) from office conversion units, and incentivizing the bulldozing of existing units wholesale to be replaced by market rates, Engardio and his clown crew of YIMBY liars have served their developer masters well – at the cost of families and the working class this City still depends on to get things done, daily.
Are you of the opinion that gentrification can’t become even more extreme? Why? There is almost nothing in place to stop that even without sellouts like Engardio and Wiener making it almost inevitable.
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Well said, Mr. Chow. You perfectly described the situation and District 4’s justified motivation behind Joel Engardio’s recall. Mr. Engardio should welcome the opportunity for his actions and character to be reviewed and reaffirmed by another vote for him to continue as the community’s representative if he’s so confident about what he accomplished so far as our D4 Supervisor. Instead, he has accepted $400,000, mostly from very wealthy out-of-district donors, to help him prevent his constituents from simply signing a petition to put this on the ballot. That seems to tell a different story from the one he keeps advertising. If you haven’t yet signed the Petition to Recall Engardio please do by contacting team@recallengardio.com or recallengardio.com.
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Thanks for pointing out the problems with public servants who do not serve the public. Trust is earned, not won at the ballot box. We know we cannot trust Engardio because of his lack of honest discourse over the Great Highway caper. Now he is trying to sell us upzoning and density decontrol. The voters will not be fooled twice.
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Wondering how much of Park Alliance funds ended up in the campaign to close streets. Looks like they will not be financing any more soon. Everyone is looking for that missing money.
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For anyone who thinks Joel Engardio broke any promises, I encourage you to check out a snapshot of his issues page on July 2022, 4 months before the board of supervisor’s election.
In it, he clearly mentions that he sees the closure of the great highway extension as an opportunity to create a permanent oceanside park and even calls out the NYTimes article that talks about how closing the highway to cars has made it a popular destination.
Anyone who believes he is a “traitor” or “liar” clearly did not read his issues page, the one place a voter should consult before choosing a candidate.
Citation: https://web.archive.org/web/20220727002840/https://engardio.com/parks-environment
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Once is an accident. Twice is a coincidence. Three times is enemy action.
I have never met Mr. Chow personally, and at a glance perhaps you’re rebuttal might seem plausible.
But I certainly am aware of a number of individuals who have alleged of Mr Engardio serious faults of basic human decency and character.
e.g. https://richmondsunsetnews.com/2025/06/27/letter-to-the-editor-questioning-engardios-role-in-reinstating-eighth-grade-algebra/
(i have not met Maya personally before. There are many other similar allegations.)
For that matter, I have called out Mr. Engardio’s lies myself, personally, here: https://richmondsunsetnews.com/2025/04/09/letter-to-the-editor-setting-the-record-straight-on-merit-based-admissions-at-lowell/
The contents of my statement above I would be willing to declare under penalty of perjury if need be.
What can I say, Mr Chiba? Your copy and paste letter always says the same thing but please forgive me if I just seem a little skeptical as to either your or Mr Engardio’s character.
Frank Cheung
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