Editor:
The San Francisco Standard recently reported that Vin Budhai, the grassroots leader of the Engardio recall “abruptly stepped down” just a week before the signature deadline. What the article doesn’t tell us is who is running the recall campaign now and what their motives are.
Public filings with the City Ethics Commission reveal that Budhai has been quietly replaced by two former Aaron Peskin staffers: Jamie Hughes as “principal officer” and Otto Pippenger as treasurer. A third Peskin staffer, Forrest Cameron, rounds out the recall campaign team according to the Standard. Hughes is a long-time San Francisco Progressive who recently worked as Peskin’s volunteer manager, while Pippenger was co-chair of the Democratic Socialists of America’s National Electoral Committee and proudly writes that he “help[ed] get Chesa elected.” (https://x.com/OttoPippenger/status/1758549189234221451)
Sunset residents deserve answers about who is really running this recall campaign now and how petition signatures will be used by this sudden new leadership. Why have the Sunset grassroots leaders who have been in this fight since the beginning suddenly been replaced by progressive Chesa supporters? Is this campaign still about reopening the Great Highway, or are we all being taken for a ride by political insiders with some other agenda?
Mark Ensign
Categories: letter to the editor
Richmond Review/Sunset Beacon 
Vin Buddhai stepped down from the campaign and was replaced. Ok, and?
The author insists we should ‘be afraid’ of the recall process because ‘Socialist agents’ are in charge of collected signatures, am I reading this FUD right? Peskin staffers have political experience in SF. I’m not seeing the boogeyman you are?
“Sunset residents deserve answers about who is really running this recall campaign now and how petition signatures will be used by this sudden new leadership”
What? The signatures get “used” by verifying them – then the recall vote happens.
That’s it! Talk about some last-ditch “confusion” – there is no actual mystery here.
Recall if you will that Engardio himself came into office TOUTING RECALLS! Yes!
If the recall passes, there is a new election for Supervisor to replace Engardio.
Neither of the “Peskin staffers” would have any extra say in that part after the recall is passed, obviously – or at least that should be obvious to most political observers!
As opposed to people pretending to be confused, sowing FUD for “reasons”… (!)
I’ll leave a parting note – “Democratic Socialism” has some historical baggage as a term to be associated with, but it is perhaps aptly applied when you’re talking about a campaign to replace a an irreverently bourgeois local bureaucrat who is dishonestly taking public lands away from ‘The People’ and privatizing them for wealthy plutocrat (Billionaire) interests! Apt indeed, it’s a fight between the wealthy and the rest of us. Engardio isn’t on our side, and he’s made that abundantly clear.
Happy to help assuage your ‘fears’ Mark! Keep up the ‘good’ work?
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if Shaggy from ScoobyDoo were running the recall id still vote joel out
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It would also be useful for Sunset residents to be better informed of the key big money people behind Yes on K, about all actions by Scott Weiner and any others involved in efforts to loosen building restrictions and environmental regulations of Cal.Coastal Commission and the eventual loosening of long standing building restrictions.
Peter Mandell
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It appears that Chesa and Peskin have co-opted this recall. Meanwhile, the residents of District 4 are getting played.
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Honestly, I don’t care who’s running the recall as long as they’re decent people and can get the job done. Vin did a great job—leave the guy alone.
This isn’t some shady takeover. The campaign is still made up of regular Sunset folks who are tired of Engardio ignoring us and pushing policies that make our lives harder.
Trying to turn this into a Chesa/Peskin conspiracy is just lazy deflection. The recall is about Engardio’s own actions—no town halls, broken promises, and policies that hurt working families. Period.
Let us vote. That’s all this is about.
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The recall was made up of regular Sunset folks with clear and straightforward motives who have been working on this for years. Now, complete control of the campaign has suddenly switched to the exact paid political operatives from outside the district who are proud that they got us Chesa in the first place. That’s not a conspiracy; it’s public record.
Support the recall or not, I hope we all agree that we all have a right to know who is leading such a large political movement in the Sunset and what their motivation is. This quiet last minute switch reeks of City Hall gamesmanship, and no explanation has been forthcoming. I don’t know what’s going on, and I’d simply like to know if our neighborhood is now being used as pawns in someone else’s game.
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As a recall supporter, let me say this clearly: I don’t care who’s running the campaign. What I care about is whether they’re getting the job done—and they are.
You’re out here acting like you uncovered some Watergate-level plot because a few new names were added to the paperwork? Please. This isn’t a Netflix thriller. It’s a neighborhood recall—and it’s happening because Joel Engardio failed his constituents. That’s it. No conspiracy, no shadowy agenda. Just consequences.
Why are you more upset about who filed the forms than you are about the real problems? Engardio closed the Upper Great Highway, pushed for upzoning without community input, ignored town halls, and dismissed the concerns of actual residents. But sure—let’s talk about how someone used to work for Aaron Peskin. That’s your big red flag?
Meanwhile, I’m worried about parents at risk of losing their jobs because of the traffic nightmare Engardio helped create. That’s real. That’s now.
This whole “concerned citizen” routine you’re doing? It reeks of bad-faith distraction. No one was “quietly replaced.” Campaigns evolve. Volunteers step back, others step up. It’s not deep.
You want to know who’s behind the recall? I AM. Regular people. Sunset residents. People who’ve had enough of a supervisor who treats us like an inconvenience.
Let us vote. That’s all this is about. And trust me—Engardio’s record will take care of the rest.
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Wendy Liu couldn’t have said it better. There are hundreds of unpaid volunteers collecting signatures and donating what little money they can to attempt to get this recall on the ballot, and to fight the heavily financed out-of-district real estate developers and tech giants supporting Joel’s effort to deny his constituents a voice. That we were able to get enough money to hire some professional help is something to be proud of, and where or for whom they previously worked is completely irrelevant. Support this recall and help D4 residents get representation by someone else who will be committed to including them in decisions that directly impact their daily lives. And by the way, Vin is still actively volunteering/participating despite removing his name from the paperwork. RecallEngardio.com.
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it’s not true that Budhai has been replaced by anyone, all the people referenced here have been working on the campaign for months. I get texts from Otto almost every day, that’s what he’s paid to do. Just last month the campaign was being accused of being run by Trumpers, I wish they’d make up their minds.
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Vin Budhai’s decision to step down from his leadership role—but stay involved in the recall—shows honesty without political spin. He could’ve used the usual excuses like “family time” or “health reasons,” but instead, he was direct and transparent. That’s a sharp contrast to Joel Engardio.
When Engardio pushed a permanent closure plan without a single town hall in the Sunset, he pointed fingers instead of taking responsibility—despite being the one who submitted it. He bypassed the very community he was elected to represent.
Using a citywide ballot to silence the Sunset District was a betrayal. Joel Engardio knew what our Sunset community needed, but chose to ignore us. Now he’s using big money and PR teams to spin the narrative, retaliate, and drown out our voices.
But we’re not backing down. This recall isn’t about one person—it’s a team effort. Team Sunset. Team Westside. Team everyday residents who care.
Please sign the petition. Help get our voices on the ballot. Let Sunset have a vote in its own future.
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