Editor:

I am a D4 Sunset resident, and I voted “yes” on K to permanently close the Upper Great Highway for a park. The Yes on K campaign assured us that the community would have more than a year – until 12/31/2025 – to hold town halls and work on traffic mitigation before the compromise expired. I believed them, because nearly 20,000 daily commuters don’t just vanish with a road closure. Community input seemed reasonable, especially when the City faces a deficit and we were told the closure would save money.

But it was another lie from Supervisor Joel Engardio. He ran on supporting the compromise and “giving D4 a voice,” yet he bypassed the Sunset community completely. There were no town halls, no real dialogue, only expedited changes pushed through without input. He claimed the permanent closure would save money, but we saw overtime paid to remove traffic lights, costly sand removal, speed bumps and signage installed, and even $46,000 wasted on “hammocks” made of 2x4s and fishnets.

And what “park” did we get? An abandoned road with random Burning Man–style props – a dangerous octopus sculpture children fall from, confusing “snail” signs causing accidents, and zoo-like giraffes while the actual SF Zoo suffers from declining attendance.

Engardio justifies his actions with staged events and excuses about other supervisors, but the truth is: he silenced Sunset voters. His lies are not about one issue – they are nonstop, calculated and disrespectful to our community.

That is why I voted “yes” on K, but I will also vote “yes” on A to recall Supervisor Engardio. The recall is a democratic process to restore power to the people. Sunset deserves better.

Dee Wong, D4 Sunset Resident