OUSTED SAN FRANCISCO SUPERVISOR Joel Engardio attended his last Board of Supervisors meeting this week, closing his time in office with a final vote that declared the results of the special election that solidified his own recall.
“I’m very proud of the time I’ve served as the Sunset supervisor,” he said in an interview. “We’ve done a lot in two years and nine months.”
District 4 voters decisively recalled Engardio last month, with 63% of ballots voting “yes” to remove him from office.
The effort to recall Engardio centered around the closure of the Great Highway along the western edge of the city to private cars, a move made permanent with the passage of Proposition K in the November 2024 election. The highway has now been turned into Sunset Dunes, a park that hundreds of pedestrians, runners and bicyclists use every day .
Prop K was led by Engardio, despite what election results showed was the majority of voters in his district opposing it.
After the measure passed, opponents quickly began organizing a recall campaign. They argued that Engardio ignored his constituents’ views and didn’t consult them before proposing the measure.
Engardio said discussions about the highway had been ongoing since he took office in 2022. He also argued that putting Prop K on the ballot gave voters, not the Board of Supervisors, the final say.
On October 18, Engardio will officially be out of office.
“This was my last Board meeting, but we’ll still be taking in inquiries and fixing things until the very last day,” he said.
The last items on Tuesday’s agenda included declaring the special election results and recognizing Engardio’s service during his time as District 4 supervisor.
The Board approved the items without discussion before adjourning the meeting, quietly ending Engardio’s time in office.
Several supervisors shook Engardio’s hand and thanked him. However, Supervisors Connie Chan and Shamann Walton, who have been vocal in their dissent of the Great Highway’s closure, walked out of the meeting chambers right away.
Chan is considering ways to resolve the concerns that west side residents have about the closure of the Great Highway. One potential solution is a ballot measure to reopen the Great Highway to cars again .
Chan represents District 1, which includes the Richmond District where the majority of voters opposed Proposition K in November 2024.
“In the coming weeks, I will push forward conversations with Mayor Lurie and my colleagues on the Board, to address these issues,” she said in a statement shortly after the special election. “If necessary, I am ready to take these issues before the voters.”
For Engardio, the battle over the Great Highway is not over. Even after he’s out of office, he will try to push back against efforts to reopen the Great Highway.
“We have to make sure that Sunset Dunes remains a park,” he said. “I know that people are trying to take that away and go back to the ballot, so I’ll fight to make sure we keep the park, because it’s all positive.”
‘When a door closes, a window opens’
Once the rest of the supervisors left the Board chambers, Engardio packed up his belongings for a final time and flipped over his name placard.
He is not clear on what his next ventures will be, but he hopes to do work that serves the city.
“When a door closes, a window opens,” he said. “I’ll be looking to see what all the different opportunities are. I’m looking forward to continuing to serve San Francisco and create our best city.”
Once the District 4 supervisor seat becomes vacant on October 18, Mayor Daniel Lurie will appoint an interim supervisor to serve until voters return to the ballot box for the June 2026 election. The winner of that election will serve the remainder of Engardio’s term, which was set to expire at the end of 2026.
Finally, another election in November 2026 will take place where District 4 voters will elect a candidate to serve the next four years.
When asked if he had any words of advice for the next supervisors, Engardio emphasized that District 4 representatives should prioritize constituent services, such as fixing broken streetlights or repairing park benches.
“Some of the stuff that we do here and legislate is important, but sometimes it can take a long time before you see any outcome,” he said. “But people have real problems every day, and focusing on constituent services is a great way to help the community.”
