California Recall Fever Hits San Francisco’s Quiet Westside

[This column was reported for Political Breakdown, a bimonthly newsletter offering analysis and context on Bay Area and California political news. Click here to subscribe.]

A beachside park in San Francisco’s quiet Sunset neighborhood has kicked up a political sandstorm. Now, voters in the city’s westside district have to answer the question: Should Joel Engardio be removed from the Board of Supervisors?

Ballots have gone out to about 50,000 District 4 voters. Preliminary results will be posted on election day, Sept. 16, with vote-counting continuing until the election is certified no later than Oct. 16.

Engardio has pulled in significant cash, particularly from moderate Democrats, and support from both YIMBYs and environmentalists who argue the road was doomed anyway — it’s literally falling into the ocean due to coastal erosion.

Still, experts told me Engardio faces an uphill battle against local drivers furious over longer commute times and progressives targeting Engardio’s support from billionaire donors.

“If you get on a recall ballot, the odds are against you,” said Jason McDaniel, a political science professor at San Francisco State University.

Engardio won his seat in 2022. The recall only needs a simple majority to succeed. And in what will likely be a low-turnout special election, it’s often the angriest voters who show up.

Engardio’s supporters and opponents have mixed ideologies and motivations, unlike other recent recall elections like the one targeting Gov. Gavin Newsom, who drew clear political lines between his detractors.

“I don’t think (Engardio’s) recall breaks down on ideology lines very much at all,” McDaniel said. “This recall is about access to something that is popular citywide amongst a lot of people, but in this particular district, it is not.”

If Engardio is recalled, Mayor Daniel Lurie will appoint a temporary replacement to represent District 4 until the next election in June 2026. If the recall fails, Engardio serves out his term.

Engardio faced criticism for supporting Proposition K, a 2024 ballot measure that closed the upper portion of the Upper Great Highway to cars. The strip of highway between Lincoln Way and Sloat Boulevard is now an oceanfront park, called Sunset Dunes.

His stance has attracted donations from wealthy tech executives like Yelp CEO Jeremy Stoppleman and Ripple chairman Chris Larsen. Bike and recreation enthusiasts across the city have also rallied in person to support the park.

But in his own district? Not so much. While many people across the city voted to approve Proposition K, the majority of residents in the Sunset opposed it. The pro-recall camp has raised only a fraction of money compared to Engardio’s campaign, but upset Sunset residents are still fighting the road closure in conversations with neighbors, online forums and in court.

“I think people out there just kind of have the mentality, like ‘Leave me alone. I just want to live my lifestyle here,’” said political consultant David Ho, who grew up in the Sunset. “Most people have multiple cars, they have intergenerational households. But how do you balance that with the needs of an evolving urban city?”

Some of Engardio’s supporters in the Sunset told KQED they like his positions on increased policing and clearing homeless encampments. He’s also nabbed endorsements from officials, including five of his fellow supervisors, state Sen. Scott Wiener and San Francisco Sheriff Paul Miyamoto.

But Engardio still hasn’t secured an endorsement from Lurie, who opposed Proposition K.

“He needed full-throated support from Mayor Lurie and others in leadership in San Francisco. And I don’t think he’s gotten it as much as he needs,” McDaniel said. “I think that reflects a political calculation; Lurie does not want to be connected to this issue.”

Engardio himself gained political prominence by supporting earlier recalls — against District Attorney Chesa Boudin and several school board members. He previously told KQED that while he stands by his decision to create the park, he also believes in residents’ right to recall.

But, importantly, recalling Engardio will not immediately reopen the Upper Great Highway to cars. That would require a future ballot measure to undo Proposition K, Supervisor Connie Chan has said she might explore such a measure if the recall succeeds.

It’s unclear who Lurie might appoint if Engardio is removed. But political observers say someone open to revisiting the highway closure is likely.

“The mayor is under a lot of pressure to appoint a moderate Chinese, or conservative Chinese American, who’s at least going to say, ‘I agree with Connie Chan. Let’s bring back the ballot measure and let the voters decide,’” Ho said.