Stand With Joel
By Supervisor Joel Engardio
Serving the Sunset is an honor and privilege. I strive to be a responsive and accessible supervisor, working to fix everything from trash cans to traffic flow.
Many Sunset residents are telling me they do not support a recall — and they include voters who don’t agree with every policy position I’ve taken.
They say the entirety of my work — not just one issue — is what matters. They like how I focus on public safety, fight for education, champion small businesses, and support creating the housing that families need to stay in San Francisco.
As supervisor, I’ve:
If you require assistance with anything in your neighborhood, my staff and I will be happy to help. My door, phone, and email in-box are open to you anytime and I am committed to working with you to address your concerns. Together, we can create our best Sunset.
Recall background
I’m humbled by the views of residents who opposed Prop K. Many said they didn’t feel heard in the process, and I take their concerns to heart.
People are worried about street safety and traffic flow. These are valid concerns. That’s why I’m working with Mayor Lurie to ensure key traffic improvements are made before any road closure.
I’m facing a recall attempt because I was one of five supervisors to put the measure to a democratic vote of the people. Passed by San Francisco voters, it closes the Great Highway to cars between Lincoln Way and Sloat Boulevard to create a new Ocean Beach Park.
This makes lemonade out of a lemon sent by Mother Nature. Due to severe coastal erosion, the state has directed San Francisco to close the southern section of the Great Highway. This connection to Daly City was already legislated to close. The northern section that connects the Richmond and Sunset neighborhoods remains open to cars 24/7 and is not affected by Prop K.
To ensure a smooth transition, I’m working with Mayor Lurie to put key traffic improvements in place before any road closure.
Traffic improvements
No matter how you voted, we can all agree that improving street and pedestrian safety while helping drivers get where they need to go is a top priority.
At the start of 2025, there is significant progress to announce about investments and upgrades regarding traffic and pedestrian safety infrastructure in the Sunset.
I’ve been coordinating city and state agencies to accelerate the completion of:
The Sunset Boulevard improvement and repaving project led by the Department of Public Works.
A new traffic signal at Sloat Boulevard and Skyline led by SFMTA, which replaces a three-way stop sign bottleneck.
A new traffic signal at Skyline and Great Highway led by Catrans, which allows for a smoother commute on Skyline and safer pedestrian crossing from Lake Merced to planned hiking trails near the coast. This signal will also direct traffic into a new parking lot for access to the coast.
This new infrastructure will be ready soon, demonstrating major quality of life improvements for drivers in early 2025.
My advocacy helped secure millions of dollars for new traffic signals on Lincoln Way at La Playa and on Lincoln at 45th Avenue. There will also be intersection upgrades at Great Highway and Lincoln. Two lanes of traffic will be able to turn left onto Lincoln simultaneously, greatly improving traffic flow during the morning commute.
I’m also working closely with Mayor Lurie to deliver traffic improvements at 41st Avenue and Lincoln. We are cutting through the bureaucracy to see results in a matter of months versus what normally has taken years. Mayor Lurie and I agree we need to put key traffic improvements in place before any road closure on the Great Highway.
Through my work with the County Transportation Authority (each city supervisor also serves as a commissioner on the CTA board), I have funded more than six miles of new stop signs, safer crosswalks, and speed humps in District 4. Many of these treatments are targeted on streets adjacent to the Sunset’s schools. These improvements help make our neighborhood more safe for everyone.
Case against recall
Many Sunset residents are telling me they do not support a recall. They say the entirety of my work — not just one issue — is what matters. And this includes voters who didn’t agree with me on Prop K. They’re also letting me know they oppose my recall.
While voters have a right to recall elected leaders, many Sunset residents say recalls should be reserved for the most egregious offenses and repeated job failures. For example, when the school board was recalled in 2022, parents could point to numerous actions (or lack of action) that demonstrated near total job failure. By contrast, the residents against my recall say I’m a hard-working supervisor delivering results on a number of issues they support.
They like how I focus on public safety, fight for education, champion small businesses, and support the housing that families need to stay in San Francisco.
They don’t believe the misinformation about Prop K often repeated online. They believe the city’s Department of Emergency Management when it says the Great Highway is not a designated evacuation route for residents and that there will always be a road for emergency vehicles, even after a section of it becomes a park.
They understand that I opposed a 2022 ballot measure (Prop I) to reopen the Great Highway to cars 24/7. I’ve always talked about the pending closure of the Great Highway south of Sloat due to coastal erosion and how it would create the opportunity for a permanent oceanside park between Lincoln and Sloat. This language has been on my website and platform since my campaign in 2022. I publicly said at candidate forums that I was against Prop I because it would not allow for the temporary weekend closure and precluded any opportunity for a permanent park.
The residents against a recall know that recalling me will not change the outcome or implementation of Prop K. And they realize it was not something I had unilateral control over. The measure required a minimum of four supervisors for placement on the ballot and was supported by seven.
Robust public discussion
This issue has been discussed and debated publicly for nearly four years and there were only two ways to resolve it: By the voters directly or by the 11 members of the Board of Supervisors. Either way, residents or supervisors on the eastside would have a say.
In 2022, Prop I backers didn’t object to a citywide vote on the Great Highway when it was their ballot measure. And when Prop I failed, the proponents of a full time road for cars filed lawsuits and multiple appeals to kill the temporary weekend closure.
That’s why we needed additional voter clarity about what to do with a section of our coast — because the coast belongs to everyone. Prop K allowed for even more robust public discussion leading up to the election. Campaigns were able to form for and against the measure in the most open, democratic, and transparent process possible.
Standing with Joel
A number of Sunset residents are reaching out to say why they’re standing with me. I’ve created a new website to share their statements: StopTheEngardioRecall.com
If you want to join them, please visit the website to add your voice.
Recall or not, I will continue to serve your needs. If you require assistance with anything in your neighborhood, my staff and I will be happy to help. My door, phone, and email in-box are open to you anytime and I am committed to working with you to address your concerns.
Together, we can create our best Sunset.
How can you help?
Fill out this form to show that you stand with Joel.