The ins and outs of the recall against Supervisor Joel Engardio, which ends Tuesday
San Francisco voters are poised to potentially recall their fifth elected official in fewer than four years. The first results in the recall election of Supervisor Joel Engardio will be tabulated and released by the Department of Elections on Tuesday night, marking the beginning of the end of a saga that started last year.
Wait, who is this guy?Well, if you live in the Outer Sunset and Outer Parkside, he’s your representative on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Engardio was elected to a four-year term in 2022 by ousting incumbent Supervisor Gordon Mar, a victory celebrated by The City’s political moderates. He ran for office unsuccessfully in 2016 and 2020, but his profile grew as an advocate of the recalls of both three school board members and former District Attorney Chesa Boudin in 2022. After district boundaries were redrawn — as they are every decade — Engardio’s home was in a new district, shifting from District 7 to District 4. So why is he being recalled?The recall is primarily a response to Engardio’s support for the permanent closure of a 2-mile section of upper Great Highway to cars and its conversion into Sunset Dunes Park. Proposition K, the 2024 ballot measure that turned Great Highway into a park, was opposed by 64% of voters in Engardio’s district and was broadly unpopular on the west side, where many residents used the road as motorists. Recall advocates allege that Engardio failed to provide sufficient opportunity for public input before the measure was placed on the ballot by him and four other supervisors last year. By placing Great Highway’s future on the ballot for the entire city to decide, Engardio’s opponents contend he sold out his constituents, who would have to suffer the consequences of increased traffic congestion as a result of the road’s closure to cars. What’s his defense?Engardio supported Prop. K for many reasons, including that the previous compromise — which closed it to cars on the weekends but left it open to commuters on weekdays — was set to expire at the end of 2025. In essence, he argued, the choice was between allowing the Board of Supervisors to decide the road’s fate or toss it to voters. The supervisor has also maintained that he’s working to address the side effects of Great Highway’s closure, partnering with the San Francisco Municipal Transit Authority to implement tweaks that make the new north-south route of choice — Sunset Boulevard — a smoother ride. And Engardio has also looked to highlight his other work in the district, such as advocating for public safety improvements and spearheading popular new night markets. Ex // Top Stories Marjan Philhour says her future lies in politics — but not in office On the heels of a new opportunity, she said she’s still plenty energized even after a string of heartbreaking supervisorial electoral defeats ‘Family zoning’ plan’s narrow advancement lays bare housing tension The contentious 4-3 vote now sends the plan to increase housing density across much of The City to the Board of Supervisors Library’s Hispanic Heritage Month events showcase ‘traditions that differ’ Free programs take place at branches throughout the month and October, including author talks, film screenings and workshops Who’s supporting him?Engardio has received staunch support from Prop. K and Sunset Dunes Park advocates, including Ripple CEO Chris Larsen and Yelp CEO Jeremy Stoppelman, who have respectively given Engardio’s campaign $200,000 and $175,000. The money they’ve put behind Engardio has allowed him to massively outspend the recall advocates, flooding social media with digital ads and paying campaign staff to canvas Sunset neighborhoods and speak with voters. Prominent elected officials, including U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi and state Sen. Scott Wiener, have thrown their support behind Engardio. The San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee deadlocked on the issue and did not offer an endorsement one way or the other, and Mayor Daniel Lurie — who polls indicate is broadly popular with voters — has also not taken a stance. Who’s leading the opposition?The recall campaign has been vastly outspent and outraised, but painted themselves as a grassroots movement formed out of all corners of San Francisco’s political spectrum. Leaders of the campaign include Albert Chow, a hardware store owner in the Sunset, and retired police captain Richard Correia. Several of the campaign’s organizers have ties to former Supervisor Aaron Peskin, leading some Engardio supporters to believe the North Beach progressive is pulling strings in an attempt to oust a moderate supervisor. Peskin has denied any direct involvement in the recall bid.Lurie will be tasked with appointing a replacement on the Board of Supervisors, who will serve until the next scheduled city election in June 2026. The winner of that election will serve until Engardio’s term was originally set to expire — a mere six months later.If Engardio is not recalled, he will serve the remainder of his term. In either case, he can run again in 2026.
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