A SAN FRANCISCO SUPERVISOR on Tuesday defended his opposition to a proposal at last week’s Board of Supervisors meeting that would have placed a new measure on the ballot to decide the fate of the Great Highway that was recently turned into a coastal park along the western edge of the city.
Supervisor Alan Wong, whose District 4 includes the Great Highway, made a failed attempt to get a measure on the June ballot that would reopen the Great Highway to cars on weekdays. He blamed, in part, Supervisor Shamann Walton, representing District 10 in the southeast part of the city, for its failure to get enough signatures from other supervisors in time for the Jan. 13 deadline.
But Walton said he supports a compromise; he just didn’t like the draft Wong created.
“When it comes to ballot measures, my priorities are to advocate for things that serve District 10 residents and the city as a whole,” said Walton in an email. “There are several important issues and critical priorities on the June ballot, and I do not want to be distracted by a measure that was not well thought-out, introduced at the last minute, and constantly changing.”
In November 2024, San Francisco voters approved Proposition K, which permanently closed the Great Highway to cars and created a coastal park called Sunset Dunes. However, the majority of voters in District 4, which includes the Sunset and Parkside neighborhoods, were opposed to the closure.
Backlash over Proposition K’s passage led District 4 voters to recall their former supervisor Joel Engardio in September, with some arguing he led the measure against the wishes of his constituents.
‘Sabotaged by political gamesmanship’
Wong, who was appointed in December of last year by Mayor Daniel Lurie to fill Engardio’s seat, decided to propose getting a measure on the June ballot to undo Proposition K and restore the compromise.
He needed at least three other signatures from other supervisors by Jan. 13 at 5 p.m., but he fell short. Only Supervisors Connie Chan and Chyanne Chen, who had previously said they were against the closing of the Great Highway, got on board. Walton, who has historically been opposed to initiatives that close roads to cars, declined to sign on.
Wong said his colleague’s approach to the issue has been “baffling,” especially since Walton previously said he would support reopening the Great Highway.
Instead, Walton said he would prefer a citizen-led effort to get the measure on the ballot for the November election.
“Instead of him signing one signature to put it on the ballot, he is making people gather 10,000 signatures to put it on the ballot five months later in November instead of June,” Wong said in an interview. “That doesn’t make sense at all.”
Wong surmised that his plan was “sabotaged by political gamesmanship,” because one of Walton’s aides, Natalie Gee, is running against Wong in the upcoming June election where District 4 voters will decide if they want to keep Wong as their supervisor to serve out the remainder of Engardio’s term.
Walton supports ‘community-led’ process
But Walton said that the last-minute process of creating the measure and the changes in its language deterred him from supporting it.
Wong did not have a final version of the ballot measure until Jan. 12, the day before the deadline. He sent drafts to Walton on Jan. 8.
The only major change, Wong said, was that the proposed weekend closure to cars start Fridays at 6 p.m. instead of Fridays at noon.
“I had sent supervisor Walton a draft of that legislation and asked him multiple times if he had any questions, if he needed to call me,” Wong said. “I sent each iteration to him, and up to last minute, he told me that he had no questions.”
Gee said in a statement that Wong did not try and lobby Walton in person or visit his office.
“Anyone who has worked at the Board of Supervisors knows that the most effective way to lobby colleagues is in person,” Gee said. “He needs to take responsibility for his own actions, or lack thereof.”
Wong doubled down, defending his approach to crafting the measure given the time constraints since he entered office Dec. 3.
“What we shared was very straightforward and simple — Do you support rescinding Proposition K and reopening the Great Highway on weekdays?” Wong said. “That’s a straightforward policy matter that folks have taken a position on.”
In light of Wong’s failed attempt, citizens have taken matters into their own hands. The group that organized the recall campaign against Engardio 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.
Walton said he will support the community-led effort.
“I continue to support a compromise from the community around the Great Highway,” he said. “I look forward to supporting the community-led process to get a measure on the ballot in November that will be well thought-out and not rushed and disjointed.”