A group of residents of San Francisco’s Sunset District launches a recall campaign against Supervisor Joel Engardio weeks later voters approved a measure to close the Great Highway to cars.
Supporters are expected to file a formal notice of intent to recall the District 4 supervisor with the city’s Elections Department on Tuesday morning.
“The recall highlights Supervisor Engardio’s failure to address critical issues impacting the residents of District 4. Chief among these concerns is his support for Proposition K, which permanently closed the Great Highway to motorists/commuters – a measure that voters in his district overwhelmingly opposed,” the campaign said in a statement.
“This action underscores the need for leadership that truly listens to and represents the voices of the community,” the group continued.
The recall campaign’s website said they are “powered by the team that brought you Open the Great Highway,” the group that opposed the measure.
According to the latest results, Prop. K approved by 54.73% of voters citywide in last month’s elections. The measure would permanently close a two-mile stretch of the Great Highway from Lincoln Way to Sloat Blvd to cars and convert the space into a park.
The road is currently closed to motor vehicles on weekends as part of a pilot program.
On Tuesday, Engardio released a statement about the recall against him.
“Voters have the right to recall their elected leaders. I respectfully ask voters to consider all of my work representing them, not just this one issue,” he said. “I was elected with the goals of making neighborhoods safer, supporting small businesses, standing up for better public education, and making it easier to build the housing families need to stay in San Francisco.”
The regulator also defended its support for Prop. K and noted that a recall would not change how the measure would be implemented.
“I supported Prop K because I believe it solves the inevitable concerns about the environment and what to do with a precious coastline that belongs to everyone. I believed that the residents of San Francisco should be able to directly determine the future of their coastline. A majority of Sunset voters disagreed and I invite every Sunset resident to work with me to address their concerns,” he said. “I have also reached out to recall leaders to work together to resolve common concerns about traffic flow and street safety.”
