AFTER DISTRICT 4 SUPERVISOR Alan Wong fell short in his effort to get a measure on the ballot that would reopen the Great Highway to cars, defiant residents are taking matters into their own hands.
The group that organized the recall campaign against the former District 4 Supervisor, Joel Engardio, said it will start collecting signatures for a measure to allow cars back on the Great Highway on weekdays. The road would close on the weekends and turn into a park for pedestrians.
“A lot of us were disappointed that Alan Wong couldn’t get it on the ballot,” said Jamie Hughes, an organizer of the recall campaign, in an interview. “We knew that our only option left was to decide to launch it.”
In December, Wong was appointed by Mayor Daniel Lurie to fill Engardio’s seat. Engardio was recalled in September by District 4 voters mainly over his support for Measure K in the November 2024 election, which closed the Great Highway to cars. While the measure passed citywide and created Sunset Dunes park, the majority of voters in District 4 opposed it.
Facing one of the most divisive issues in the District, Wong decided to side with the group that wanted to restore the hybrid format — open the Great Highway to commuters only on weekdays and allow it to be a park on the weekends.
The deadline to file qualifying ballot measures for the June election was Tuesday at 5 p.m. Wong, who needed at least three other supervisors to get on board, fell short of one signature.
“This question could have gone directly to voters without asking residents to shoulder the burden of collecting signatures themselves,” Wong said in a statement.
Now the organizers of the recall campaign will have to collect around 10,000 signatures in order to get their own measure on the ballot for the November election.
Wong said he will support the citizen-led effort.
“I respect the resolve of residents who are stepping up to lead a community-driven effort,” he said. “I will continue to support community-led signature gathering and stand with residents who want a practical, thoughtful path forward for the west side.”
But Hughes criticized Wong’s approach, saying that he wasted time and waited until the last minute to craft the measure.
The draft measure was finalized less than a week before Tuesday’s deadline.
Wong was able to get signatures from supervisors Connie Chan and Chyanne Chen. He was counting on Supervisor Shamann Walton to get on board since he previously opposed initiatives that closed roads to cars in favor of pedestrians.
Wong suggested that Walton did not support his measure because Walton’s legislative aide, Natalie Gee, is running against Wong in the June election.
Hughes dismissed Wong’s argument.
“I think that’s kind of an excuse,” Hughes said. “I think it was pretty clear, as the supervisor of the Sunset District, what his position should have been. That could have given him a lot of more time to get support.”
Hughes expects the campaign group to start gathering signatures in early February.