Great Highway Ballot Measure Proposal Officially Doomed for June Election

Last-minute efforts to place another Great Highway ballot measure before San Francisco voters in June 2026 have been defeated.

Supervisor Alan Wong, who represents the Sunset District, has been leading the charge to give voters another chance to weigh in on whether cars should be allowed back on the Great Highway on weekdays. The deadline to submit the measure was Tuesday at 5 p.m., and he was shy the support of just one supervisor to reach the threshold needed to qualify.

“While we did not receive the four signatures necessary to put a ballot measure to reopen the Great Highway on the ballot, I am proud of the overwhelming community support behind this measure,” Wong said Tuesday evening after the deadline. “While the measure will not move forward at this time, it is clear from continued community engagement that a compromise approach remains important.”

Richmond Supervisor Connie Chan, who is currently running for California’s 11th Congressional seat, announced she would back Wong’s measure.

Supervisor Cheyenne Chen also signed on to Supervisor Wong’s ballot measure just before the Tuesday deadline. 

“San Francisco residents who are unable to use public transit need safe and predictable road access for their daily commutes,” Chen said in a statement. “The compromise allows community members to get to and from their appointments, school, and work, while also maintaining a public open space on the weekends.”

Supervisor Shamann Walton, who had previously said he could support such a ballot measure, did not sign on. Walton, whose aide Natalie Gee is running for District 4 supervisor, said he still supports a “compromise from the community” for opening the Great Highway, according to Mission Local.

The fight over the Great Highway has been a fraught issue in District 4 for years now. In 2020, the city closed a 2-mile stretch of the road to cars to allow for more social distancing and recreation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Then in 2022, voters elected to keep the road closed to cars on weekends and allow them on weekdays.

In November 2024, voters citywide passed Proposition K, which permanently closed the upper portion of the Great Highway to cars to make way for a beachside park, called Sunset Dunes, which opened in April 2025.

Supporters of the park say it’s brought increased foot traffic to local businesses and created an outdoor venue for events, cycling and strolling, art exhibits and a skate park. Others point to how the Great Highway is in need of an environmental overhaul already due to climate change, and note that the lower portion of the road is already closed due to coastal erosion.

“This was the last gasp of an anti-park crusade that San Franciscans have rejected at every turn,” said Lucas Lux, a Sunset resident and president of Friends of Sunset Dunes. “San Franciscans have made a decision and the park is here to stay. The park belongs to all San Franciscans regardless of how they voted on it, so we invite our neighbors to join us in planning the next phase of our shared oceanfront park.”

Despite Proposition K’s success citywide, voters who live closest to the park in the Sunset largely voted against removing cars from the Great Highway. Mayor Daniel Lurie appointed Wong in December to represent the Sunset after District 4 voters recalled their former supervisor, Joel Engardio, largely over his support of Proposition K.

“I’m glad that the vast majority of supervisors realized putting Sunset Dunes back on the ballot would be a distracting political wedge issue when we need to focus on issues like affordability and everything else that has the world on fire right now,” Engardio said Tuesday evening. “Fighting over a park and a road is not going to help anyone when the park is popular and traffic is fine.”

Wong, who was born and raised in the neighborhood, said he voted against Proposition K and supports reopening the Great Highway to cars during weekdays and keeping it closed as a park on weekends.

“Let me be clear––the reason why we don’t have the four signatures is because of politics. The measure had community support,” Wong said. “This was a straightforward measure––it would have rescinded Proposition K and restored the Great Highway compromise.”

Not all businesses have felt a boost from the road closure.

“Our restaurant is right on 19th Avenue, and we have seen fewer customers because traffic is so backed up and parking is harder to access,” said Susan Wang, owner of Guilin Rice Noodles House, in a press release from Supervisor Wong’s office.

Others who want cars back on the westside thoroughfare, including Wong, said Proposition K has led to increased traffic in the area and has made commuting hours a headache. A study from the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority found minimal impact, however.

“When that access was removed, those trips didn’t go away. Traffic was redirected onto neighborhood streets and already busy corridors, changing what everyday life looks like for families, seniors and small businesses across the Sunset,” Wong said. “I need to listen to my constituents and prioritize daily commutes to work, school and essential services over weekday recreational use.”

KQED reporter Ayah Ali-Ahmad contributed to this story.