Press Release: Sunset Boulevard Received $1.5 Million for Infrastructure

By Sunset Beacon on July 28, 2025 • ( 2 Comments )

Sunset Boulevard Receives $1.5 Million for Resilient Infrastructure, Workforce Development Programs

On July 28, District 4 Supervisor Joel Engardio, State Sen. Scott Wiener and Mayor Daniel Lurie’s Chief of Climate, Transportation and Mobility Alicia John-Baptiste announced a coordinated City and state investment to revitalize Sunset Boulevard, a major recreation and open space corridor on San Francisco’s west side.

$1 million will be dedicated to the Sunset Boulevard Recycled Water Project. The improvements, designed by Public Works, will replace potable water supplied for irrigation with highly treated recycled water that exceeds state standards. Wiener successfully secured the funding in the California state budget this fiscal year.

The remaining $500,000 will launch a new maintenance and workforce training program, a partnership of the SF Recreation and Park Department, the Northern California Laborers Training Center, and Public Works. Engardio prioritized this request in the city budget, which also secured support from Lurie.

“Sunset Boulevard should be a gem of San Francisco,” Engardio said “The greenbelt has the potential to create an ‘emerald necklace’ of San Francisco that connects Lake Merced and Fort Funston, Ocean Beach, Sunset Dunes and Golden Gate Park. This continuous green loop will let residents and visitors revel in the natural beauty our city offers. But for many years, Sunset Boulevard has not received the care it deserves. A combination of drought, deferred maintenance and broken irrigation pipes have resulted in a boulevard far less green and vibrant as it could be. This new funding and partnership between Rec. and Park and Public Works will ensure Sunset Boulevard receives the same level of care, staffing, and investment as other prominent greenspaces in San Francisco.”

“I am grateful this important project was able to be included in the State Budget,” Wiener said. “Since 2023, Supervisor Engardio has been engaging with my office about how the state could contribute to this important infrastructure project. While improving the streetscape remains the primary objective, I am thrilled that the Public Works-Recreation and Park partnership will create a workforce training program. I am thankful for Mayor Lurie and Supervisor Engardio’s leadership in making this project a reality.”

“The new partnership and investment focusing on the improvement of Sunset Boulevard will advance the recent momentum in the revitalization of this important westside corridor,” said Public Works Director Carla Short. “The collaborative operation that brings together city departments, elected leaders, labor and the community demonstrates our joint resolve to create a more resilient and beautiful greenway.”

“This investment is an exciting opportunity to reimagine what Sunset Boulevard can be – a vibrant, sustainable green space that truly serves the public,” said San Francisco Recreation and Park Department General Manager Phil Ginsburg. “We’re honored that Rec. and Park will assist in its care, and we’re grateful for the recognition of our dedicated staff. The men and women of Rec. and Park take great pride in serving San Francisco, and we look forward to bringing that same commitment to Sunset Boulevard.”

“This exciting investment builds on the past 20 years of workforce development collaboration between the Laborers Union and the City and County of San Francisco, including our ApprenticeshipSF partnership with the Recreation and Park Department and SF Public Works, as well as the Mario De La Torre Academy pre-apprenticeship program,” said Leonard Gonzales, executive director of the Northern California Laborers Training Center. “Thanks to Supervisor Engardio’s leadership and support from Mayor Lurie, the Sunset Boulevard project will not only help beautify the neighborhood, but provide industry-recognized training for jobseekers looking to enter the unionized maintenance and construction fields.”

Measuring more than two miles in length, Sunset Boulevard is a 60-acre greenbelt that connects Golden Gate Park and Lake Merced. A biodiversity hotspot, the corridor features 30 rain gardens, native plant habitat, a multipurpose recreational trail, and exercise equipment. In June 2025, Engardio successfully nominated Sunset Boulevard as a Priority Conservation Area, a regionally significant designation adopted by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.

Categories: Press Release

Tagged as: Daniel Lurie, Golden Gate Park, infrastructure, Joel engardio, Press Release, Richmond District, Richmond Review, Scott Wiener, Sunset Beacon, sunset boulevard, Sunset District

PR Stunt Alert: Sunset Greenwashing Doesn’t Erase the Damage

After closing down the Upper Great Highway, rubber-stamping unaffordable ADU condo schemes, and standing by as westside families endure brutal construction, traffic gridlock, and service cuts — Joel Engardio now wants us to cheer for… irrigation upgrades and a recycled water project?

A $1.5 million greenwashing PR stunt, dressed up in buzzwords like “resilient infrastructure” and “workforce development,” does not undo the years of harm he’s caused this district. Let’s be clear:

$1 million of this is for switching to recycled water on Sunset Boulevard’s already-failing irrigation system. That’s fine, but it doesn’t address the real stormwater flooding, cracked pavement, or pedestrian safety issues Sunset residents have actually been asking about.
That $500,000 “maintenance and workforce training program” sounds grand — like a big investment in our community. But when you do the math, it barely covers a dozen full-time jobs for six months, assuming every penny goes to wages. In reality, some funds will go to overhead, training materials, and administration — so the number of people who actually benefit is even smaller. It’s a nice-sounding headline, but it doesn’t come close to addressing the scale of the Sunset’s real needs after years of disruption and neglect.
And about those “rain gardens” and swales? Fact check: they were installed back in 2021 by the SF Public Utilities Commission — before Engardio was even in office. They handle a modest amount of runoff and do little to stop the serious street flooding during major storms. Calling this a climate solution is like putting a band-aid on a broken pipe.
This announcement lands just weeks before school starts, concerts jam Golden Gate Park, and construction on 19th Ave begins — promising a traffic nightmare made worse by Engardio’s ongoing closure of the Great Highway.

Let’s be honest: this “beautification” project feels less like leadership and more like a last-ditch PR move to distract from all the damage he’s caused the Sunset — from transit chaos to speculative development.

By launching this project at literally the worst possible time, he might just be accelerating the frustration that fuels his own recall.

This isn’t revitalization. It’s reputation damage control.

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2 replies »

Wendy Liu says:

July 29, 2025 at 1:48 am
PR Stunt Alert: Sunset Greenwashing Doesn’t Erase the Damage

After closing down the Upper Great Highway, rubber-stamping unaffordable ADU condo schemes, and standing by as westside families endure brutal construction, traffic gridlock, and service cuts — Joel Engardio now wants us to cheer for… irrigation upgrades and a recycled water project?

A $1.5 million greenwashing PR stunt, dressed up in buzzwords like “resilient infrastructure” and “workforce development,” does not undo the years of harm he’s caused this district. Let’s be clear:
- $1 million of this is for switching to recycled water on Sunset Boulevard’s already-failing irrigation system. That’s fine, but it doesn’t address the real stormwater flooding, cracked pavement, or pedestrian safety issues Sunset residents have actually been asking about.
- That $500,000 “maintenance and workforce training program” sounds grand — like a big investment in our community. But when you do the math, it barely covers a dozen full-time jobs for six months, assuming every penny goes to wages. In reality, some funds will go to overhead, training materials, and administration — so the number of people who actually benefit is even smaller. It’s a nice-sounding headline, but it doesn’t come close to addressing the scale of the Sunset’s real needs after years of disruption and neglect.
- And about those “rain gardens” and swales? Fact check: they were installed back in 2021 by the SF Public Utilities Commission — before Engardio was even in office. They handle a modest amount of runoff and do little to stop the serious street flooding during major storms. Calling this a climate solution is like putting a band-aid on a broken pipe.
- This announcement lands just weeks before school starts, concerts jam Golden Gate Park, and construction on 19th Ave begins — promising a traffic nightmare made worse by Engardio’s ongoing closure of the Great Highway.
Let’s be honest: this “beautification” project feels less like leadership and more like a last-ditch PR move to distract from all the damage he’s caused the Sunset — from transit chaos to speculative development.

By launching this project at literally the worst possible time, he might just be accelerating the frustration that fuels his own recall.

This isn’t revitalization. It’s reputation damage control.

LikeLike
kathryninsf says:

July 29, 2025 at 10:56 am

Well, I admit: it’s a good strategy. Engardio backstabbed residents with the Great Highway closure so now he is trying to promote Sunset Blvd by saying “it should be a gem of San Francisco” and referring to it as an emerald necklace. Is it really though? Folks only want to be able to get around the city without sitting in traffic and having to weave throughout residential streets, and his actions have caused just that. Is it enough to get him recalled? We shall see soon enough.

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