By John Ferrannini

On Sept. 16, District 4 voters in the Sunset District decided they wanted to change who represents them at City Hall. With about a year left in his term, Supervisor Joel Engardio was recalled in a citizens’ revolt primarily over his support of the closure of the Upper Great Highway to vehicle traffic and the creation of the new Sunset Dunes park on the site.

The recall was decisive. According to the San Francisco Department of Elections, 62.72% voted in favor of the recall and 37.28% were opposed. Nearly 43% of the 50,273 registered District 4 voters turned out to vote in the special election.

“The residents of District 4 sent a message to Joel Engardio that they’re a lot smarter than he thought they were,” said Richard Corriea, a former San Francisco Police Department commander who helped lead the recall, at an election night party at Celia’s by the Beach restaurant.

Engardio rode the wave of westside voters feeling ignored by City Hall into office back in 2022, becoming the first person to unseat a sitting, elected supervisor (Gordon Mar) since the return of district elections a generation ago.

In a statement the night of the recall vote, Engardio was defiant. He argued his fateful decision to embrace 2024’s Proposition K – which replaced a compromise keeping the Upper Great Highway open to vehicle traffic on weekdays while it was used for outdoor recreation on the weekends – would one day be judged as having been on the right side of history.

“The Golden Gate Bridge faced a lot of resistance when it was proposed. Detractors called it an ‘upside down rat trap,’” Engardio said. “Thankfully, forward-looking people had the courage to build it anyway and create the icon of our City. This is the story of Sunset Dunes, and I invite you to visit. Find new ways to connect with nature. Discover the food, art and culture of the Sunset neighborhoods. Be inspired by your coast and your park.”

Engardio said that having the whole City vote on Prop. K, “allowed for more public debate in the most open, democratic and transparent process possible.”

Although the measure won citywide, it failed in every precinct of District 4. Sixty-four percent of District 4 voters rejected Prop. K.

It was also overwhelmingly rejected by Richmond District voters. Their representative, Supervisor Connie Chan, said she will “explore a ballot measure” to reopen the Upper Great Highway to vehicle traffic on weekdays.

In a statement, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie – who will choose a successor to Engardio after Engardio vacates his seat on Oct. 10 – acknowledged voters’ concerns.

“As I campaigned for mayor last year, I heard countless westside families say what San Franciscans have been feeling for years – that their government is doing things to them, not with them, and that government is not working to make their lives better,” Lurie stated. “We will continue to be in constant communication with our partners in government and across communities as we work to make San Franciscans’ lives better. That means delivering a city that is safe and clean, where small businesses can thrive and the next generation of San Franciscans can afford to raise their children.”

At the election night party, Quentin Kopp, a former San Francisco supervisor, also spoke, rallying the crowd to oppose Lurie’s upzoning proposal, which he called the “next fight.” So too did recall organizer Otto Pippenger, who also used his Celia’s victory speech to deride Lurie’s proposal to increase property taxes to close the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s $322 million deficit.

The upzoning plan was approved by the SF Planning Commission on a 4-3 vote just days before the recall. It expanded the earlier Western Neighborhoods Plan to increase height limits on corridors such as Judah and Taraval streets.

State Sen. Scott Wiener lamented Engardio’s fate, stating that “various leaders of the recall movement … will deeply harm San Francisco and San Franciscans” if their plans are successful by “freezing the City in amber, destroying a popular park and stopping new housing (including in the Sunset, where home prices are explosively expensive),” if their plans are successful.

“Those of us who believe that for San Francisco to thrive it must be willing to build housing, create public spaces, and have a sustainable transportation system, will continue to fight for a strong future for the greatest city on the planet,” Wiener stated.

Wiener’s former political director, Todd David, now at Abundant SF, had a meeting with Engardio and current president of the Friends of Sunset Dunes Lucas Lux that was not disclosed on a copy of Engardio’s calendar provided to Corriea earlier this year. A previously released version of the calendar entry had disclosed the meeting, which is how the discrepancy was discovered.

Recall proponents revealed the matter in July and said Engardio should resign over it. For his part, Engardio attributed the mistake to “human error” in an interview.

The San Francisco Sunshine Ordinance Task Force voted 8-0 on Sept. 3 concluding Engardio was not in compliance with local ethics rules about his calendar. The task force forwarded the matter to the City’s ethics commission, which can decide to investigate.

According to Bill Barnickel, president of the Outer Sunset Merchants and Professional Association, Lurie told merchants at Andytown Coffee Roasters on Taraval Street he will appoint someone who wants to run for the next term, Mission Local (missionlocal.org) reported on Sept. 26.

Barnickel said the mayor made it clear.

“If we pick someone, we have to make sure they go into the next four years as the supervisor and do a good job,” he said.