A random sample of 549 of the 10,985 signatures yesterday submitted in the effort to recall Supervisor Joel Engardio was vetted today by the San Francisco Department of Elections. And 545 of them were deemed valid — a 99.3 percent hit rate.
In order for the recall to qualify, 9,911 valid signatures are required. The recall campaign today said the Department of Elections expects 10,525 signatures, give or take a few, will be deemed legitimate — more than enough.
“The numbers are looking great,” said Jamie Hughes, who is running the recall effort. “We weren’t going to get thousands over, so it was very important that what we had was perfect. And we were close to perfect.”
The recall campaign, with great fanfare, turned in 10,700 signatures yesterday afternoon; apparently nearly 300 more were submitted before close of business.
The next step is for the Department of Elections to verify every last signature, a process Hughes expects to require three to four weeks. If the recall does indeed qualify, a special election would be required.
Hughes said the signatures were being validated internally by the recall campaign throughout the effort that commenced in January. They were “re-evaluated at the end.”
The 99.3 percent accuracy rate far exceeds what has been seen in other recalls and signature-driven campaigns of late, but the full vetting process of the nearly 11,000 signatures is yet to come.
Engardio last year was the principal sponsor of Proposition K, which permanently closed the Upper Great Highway and led to the establishment of a park, now called Sunset Dunes. Nearly two-thirds of Engardio’s constituents voted against Prop. K, but it passed with 55 percent of the vote citywide. In March, Prop. K foes sued over the closure of Great Highway.
On Jan. 21, a group of District 4 constituents submitted the paperwork to initiate a recall. While Engardio urged voters not to sign onto what he called a costly, distracting and unwarranted recall, the irony is lost on nobody that Engardio’s political reputation was substantially built by his support of and participation in the recent spate of recalls.
Should the recall qualify, Engardio, even with the backing of wealthy donors, would be facing an uphill battle. A message for the anti-recall campaign has not yet been returned; this story will be updated if and when it is.
“Our aim was to leave essentially nothing to chance,” said recall field manager Otto Pippenger. “Hence the very process that has produced the results we appear to be seeing.”
Reached for comment, Lucas Lux of Friends of Sunset Dunes wrote, “Even if all the signatures are deemed valid, more Sunset residents voted Yes for Sunset Dunes park than signed the recall.”
so after engardio is removed and replaced by a similar pick from daniel lurie, will the bitter sunset residents be happy with their billionaire mayor chosen new supervisor?
The interim supervisor will have a tenure of under 2 years and will be replaced if they do not live up to their own words, as Engardio failed to do.
Wow, impressive work by the organizers. That’s an amazing signature success rate.
I’m no fan of Joel but this recall is primarily lead by a republican– who was hoping to set up a statewide recall PAC, “recall nation,” that would operate with Koch-esque national funding. Luckily, the PAC never seemed to get off the ground.
But to anyone who supports this recall. Do you think Lurie will appoint anyone different? Whoever he appoints will be a carbon copy of Engardio, have the benefit of incumbency in 2026, and two potential full terms ahead of them: a potential of 9 years in office. You are basically voting to recall Engardio to replace him with an Engardio clone. If Engardio remains, he is badly damaged by all of this, and could potentially be replaced by someone better in 2026.
“I’m no fan of Joel but this recall is primarily lead by a republican” – is bullsh!t.
“Do you think Lurie will appoint anyone different?” – Yes.
“Whoever he appoints will be a carbon copy of Engardio” – Says you.
“have the benefit of incumbency in 2026” – Which Liar Joel has now.
“a potential of 9 years in office.” – If they don’t lie and get recalled…
You need to think harder please. Getting 1 additional vote is not a big problem.
Lucas Lux’s comments are becoming more and more desperate. The vast majority of the Sunset district voted against Prop K, so his claim that it was otherwise is absolutely ludicrous.
He’s a paid PR actor, not a Sunset local in reality – *(&Google Lawyer no less)
I hope he finds his ‘Paris’ or ‘Manhattan’ paradise someday far, far from here,
long after Engardio has been recalled and forgotten as a failed gentrifier.
Yay DEMOCRACY! When a representative in-name-only LIES to your face repeatedly, you don’t have to just take it – VOTE THEM OUT, like we did with London Breed.
Sunset, like every other district, deserves a representative OF THEIR OWN INTERESTS, not downtown Billionaire developers like Moritz and Larsen and the City Family goons.
ALL the recall does is give the district another chance at actual representation.
Nobody else should be telling them how to run their local district affairs for others.
Not the corrupt Parks dept’s Ginsburg, not Google lawyers, not PR shills like Singer.
JUST LOCALS, FOR THE LOCAL INTEREST!
This recall process is anti-democracy. We all voted and the majority won (no matter how slim)- which is to close a portion of the great highway. It seemed personal- but having to go through a costly process sets a dangerous precedent. And it will not even change the results. It is important to know who you elect. If I were an activist- I will start a grassroots effort of educating people the importance of voting for the right person and how it affects policies. Do you research ahead of time and do it well. Be an independent thinker and come election time – seal the deal.
“This recall process is anti-democracy.” – Literally the opposite of this is true.
Not to metion Joel’s pro-recall political baptism that he rode a wave of Billionaire superPAC dark money into office on – for lesser offenses, like disagreeing with Breed.
He’s just another lying carpetbagger, we can certainly do better – and the Sunset deserves a representative OF THEM, not downtown interests. We’ll take that vote!
It’s enormously important to distinguish between a Billionaire-backed, top-down big-P Political Recall *(backed and funded from abroad, like the previous round that saw Engardio take office) from one that is ENTIRELY made of local supporters and small-$ donors who have a legitimate gripe with being lied to deliberately.
One is absolutely not the other. This is the latter, and all it actually does is allow for people to get a second vote on a candidate who made promises and went against them – that’s all. It doesn’t do anything else but give voters slightly MORE power over their elected officials, in time of need as this clearly is. Truth has value, even in politics, and this cannot be brushed aside.
they are the same waste of tax payer money on an election.
Engardio has wasted millions on millions and nobody seems to care among his supporters. By the way now that the sigs have been verified, that money IS SPENT, and the only way out is through the ballot – replace the liar, or keep the liar. It would be “wasting” the money to have done all this for nothing, otherwise it’s money well spent and a fraction of what Engardio has himself wasted for no benefit.
I agree with you 100%
But unlike The Bloated Orange One where there’s nothing we can do about other than to suffer through the next 4 years. Whereas here in SF CA, the Outer Sunset residents can do something about the supervisor who’s supposed to represent THE OUTER SUNSET. He put up the dang Prop K that no one in the Outer Sunset wanted pushed forward.
Imagine this… How would you feel if your supervisor put forth a City wide Prop to turn your backyard into a public park?
“He put up the dang Prop K that no one in the Outer Sunset wanted pushed forward.”
Hmm, that’s funny. I thought that somewhere around 40% of the Sunset voted FOR the creation of the park.
“Imagine this… How would you feel if your supervisor put forth a City wide Prop to turn your backyard into a public park?”
Aaand there it is. You people are delusional. Ocean Beach is NOT your backyard.
Engardio rightly recognized that the Sunset was divided; many of the people running the campaign to create Sunset Dunes even live in the Sunset. And that it was a citywide, not a district only, issue. So he rightly proposed letting ALL the citizens of the city vote. He did NOT abandon the Sunset, he did what was fair, even though you don’t like it.
The process of putting it on at the last minute after lying to his constituency about his plans say everything, he cannot be trusted and is not trusted. Skipping CEQA is equivalent to skipping state law wholesale and the PR blurbs about “creating cooling green urban zones” and other horsesh!t is utterly just that. He lied, he sold out, and nobody trusts him to do what he says he will do BECAUSE HE DIDN’T. That he came in proposing recalls for everyone else is just icing on his failcake.
It sends a message, work for people who voted you in, not for the big developers who want the park because they want space for that 55 floor condo building they want to build by the zoo. Joel and Scott act like big business Republicans.
” Joel and Scott act like big business Republicans.”
This exactly!
Can’t wait to see this idiot recalled. Anyone who wasn’t smart enough to see the consequences of his actions shouldn’t be in position to make any important decisions. He rolled the dice and is going to pay the price
the recall people were very careful in asking residency and signing only within the box. When they hired the petition gatherers at the end, they finally got my stepson. I told my stepson the man is out here for the recall. He ask why we are recalling the supervisor? All I said was “Great Highway” and he said, “oh yeah.” Thanks Joel, for the loud motorcycle, cars and trucks, thanks Joel for the honks blaring at all times of the day because I live a house away from only a two way stop. I know you are reading this, Joel, even Eric would have been better than you, I regret my vote.
Gordon Mar, not Eric Mar. But yeah.
This is no longer about the Great Highway being closed. The highway suffered costly and irreparable harm already. The traffic lights were promptly removed the week after the scheduled closure. I was impressed by what billionaires’ money can buy: nauseating/incessant youtube ads, government efficiency and elected politicians…
The truth is, this recall is more a stern warning to future supervisors. Sellout the Outer Sunset at your own political aspirations’ peril. Cuz we’ll throw you out like yesterday’s fish wrap.
Proletariat to the Max!
sure jan
Uhhh… Who/what is “jan?”
Let us review how we got here and why this has become so heated…
The difference between center left/right wings in comparison to absolute left/right wings is that the center’s views are seldom exclusionary whereas the balls-out approach requires a more “our ways or the highway” approach. (pun intended)
At the tail end of the pandemic, a decision was made to share the Great Highway with park/outdoor enthusiasts by closing it Saturdays and Sundays. A decision that the Outer Sunset and Richmond District more or less went along with, because it passed the common sense “smell tests.” We agreed that we should “share the road,” so to speak. But the proponents of Prop. K deemed weekends and holidays insufficient. Some individuals on the pro K side even went as far as labeling Prop. K opponents as foreign and not worthy of discourse.
The Sunset District has always been Center Left. This recall is simply a natural reaction to “Big Money” forcing changes when the neighborhood is simply not ready for. It is a way for the neighborhood to let its democratic voice be heard. Something that Engardio forgot he was elected by the majority of the residents of District 4 to do.
Again, the Great Highway is more than likely be gone forever. I’ve never seen The City work on ANYTHING so fast before. The signal lights, the lights and street signs are already torn down. Prop K proponents should rejoice in their victory and enjoy their new park. This recall is a lesson for future supervisors reminding them to do their job, who voted them into their job and to BUILD CONSENSUS BEFORE putting windmill crusades up for a City wide vote.
* Please note that I am not calling anybody “delusional” in my attempt to discourse in this forum.
That’s not a comment.
I love the canned argument that “ a portion of the Great Highway” has been closed. Yeah, the “portion” that connects the Sunset to the Richmond district. We’re not stupid May and Joel is gone. Enjoy your concrete park while you try and get the sand out of every orifice in your body
it’s pretty great to walk and bike, try it sometime, you seem stressed.
You seem oblivious.
The path was always there, troll. You must be new here.
I think Joel really wants to be a supervisor. He ran in our district multiple times (and lost)9 before his district moved and he finally won. But the #1 rule of being a good supervisor is listening to your people and making sure you truly represent them.
I really like the park, and I am glad it is now a park and not a highway, but he didn’t listen to the people he represents and they have every right to be mad. Because of this, I think the recall is justified. The article also noted that he was a supporter of other recalls so I guess what comes around goes around.
How much free time do these people have to keep tilting at this same windmill. San Francisco voted. They wanted the park, not the highway. It’s over.
Recalls are not difficult to initiate. Elections often have over 40% of voters who did not vote for the eventual winner; finding 10% from that group to sign a document is easily achieved. Do we want our elections that easily overturned, and do we trust — or even know — the people initiating the recall campaign? Lots of agendas lurk in the shadows, but the biggest threat is the long-term weakening of elections and the rise of a new kind of activist, the recall anarchist: opportunistic, mercenary, and brutally effective. Let the office-holder hear the dissatisfaction of the voters; let’s see if they listen, respond, adjust, and show the ability to use the levers of government to enact the will of the people. Short of a complete disregard for the constituency, we gave them four years, let’s not break that agreement. Recall requirements need to be abit stricter. This is a good system – a few tweaks, and careful attention to the unintended consequences, and we’ll be where we need to be.
Solutions to the Problem:
Target the Right Buildings: Focus on narrow, shallower office buildings that are easier to convert (better natural light and window access). Pre-screen building layouts for conversion viability.
Offer Direct Subsidies or Low-Interest Loans: Offset high conversion costs, especially for plumbing and infrastructure retrofits. Provide public-private financing programs to reduce project risk.
Streamline Permitting and Zoning: Create a “conversion fast-track” program with simplified approval processes. Allow greater flexibility on residential building codes when safe and appropriate.
Public Acquisition and Redevelopment: The city could purchase underutilized office buildings, convert them directly, then sell or lease to housing operators or nonprofits.
Mandate or Nudge Owners: Impose time-limited incentives (e.g., convert within 5 years or lose benefits). Consider vacancy taxes or penalties for long-term underused properties.
Support Tenant Demand: Encourage livability downtown (schools, grocery stores, public safety). Co-invest in neighborhood improvements that make residential life viable.
Coordinate with State and Federal Funding: Tap into infrastructure and housing grants (e.g., from HUD or state surplus funds) to offset upfront costs.
Bottom line: Tax breaks alone aren’t enough. San Francisco needs smarter targeting, financing support, zoning streamlining, and stronger city-led efforts to make office-to-housing conversions happen at scale.
Engardio took away rent-control protections for ADU’s, after the entire “premise” of the ADU program was to incentivize low-income rentals for City workers. He’s gutted the entire point of having the program. Next he stripped low-income housing requirements for office coversions to residential (condo) units, which is such a complete 180 from his previous BS that neck should snap trying to follow his logic. Finally he’s on board with giving Big Developers huge tax cuts and other giveaways up front for top-end-of-market-rate housing (yuppie condo towers) which he insists will help the Housing Crisis as felt exclusively by the lower and middle incomes he’s ignoring deliberately.
He’s a fox guarding a henhouse full of developer money and his mouth is full of feathers. We can find a real housing advocate instead of a lying sellout, and must do so ASAP if we’re going to meet Wiener’s arbitrary 82,000 unit “law” that he invented exactly for this purpose – to enrich SF developers and trample over longtime locals and rent controlled middle incomes. Send these parasites back where they came from because it certainly as hell isn’t here.
and you think daniel laurie’s pick will fit that specification?
Dan Lurie will pick an interim supe who doesn’t reflect badly on his administration – or they will be replaced in under 2 years.
Given that Engardio did basically zip, I’d say anyone Dan Lurie picks will be probably better, yes. If not? Gone also.
There is HOPE on the West Side after years of Billionaire-backed drought!
The best news in ages! It’s a shame, however, that it takes an impossibly difficult “recall” to enforce democracy in San Francisco. Forcing supervisors to represent their constituents, rather than their personal political dogmas, shouldn’t take a herculean effort. The only reason the current crop of Supes seem to run for office is to force their personal vision of the world onto everyone else! The Sunset should be allowed to thrive as it has existed for decades. As the place thousands of San Franciscans have invested their life savings in precisely because it is what it is. Even though it’s already overcrowded, hard to access, and woefully short of parking, it’s still the only part of the City left that’s livable, and even close to affordable for families to raise healthy kids with a healthy space around them. Making traffic worse, and forcing high rises onto residents against their opposition, is criminal.
It will only make San Francisco more oppressive, angier, and less livable than it already is. Which, apparently, is the “goal” for the “yimby” carpetbaggers and real estate interests who don’t live or care about the neighborhood, and think all of SF should be a dense, dark, sun and sky free ghetto. That will definitely “lower the cost of housing!”
Fortunately it’s a Sunset-only vote! They know who burned them deliberately.
A major win for the working class families of the westside!
It’s time to fight back against the affluent bike hipsters that try to project their own lackluster lifestyle to the rest of the city.
They wrecked Market St, they damaged the once thriving Valencia St, they want to do the same in Hayes. The recall of engardio is an important step in turning the tide.
They turned the most beautiful city, San Francisco, to an apocalyptically empty city — a place hostile to young people and working class families. And they simply do not care, as long as they can bike to their office. If they do, as some of them live in Marin or commute using the shuttles of the tech companies they work for.
The needs and focus should be on affordable housing, a reliable, dense and safe public transportation system. And not ironically the latter benefits from a clean drug-free city that people want to live in and definitely not from a city that people leave into droves because it became a playground for 50 tech hipsters and way more drug dealers and addicts.
What about those of us in the working class who bike to work out of necessity? My partner and I can’t afford a car or even an e-bike but at least we can pedal to work and not add to congestion or carbon emissions.
We ain’t hip, we ain’t young, and we don’t work in tech. Why the sweeping generalizations?
“We ain’t hip, we ain’t young, and we don’t work in tech. Why the sweeping generalizations?”
Because you politically aligned with those who cater to all of those?
and you’re supporting a recall election that will cost tax payers city-wide. i’m so glad the park exists and i’m so glad you hate it so much because i will enjoy it that much more.
Awww… that’s real mature of you. Now we know you’re a bicyclist.
The cost of the sig verification is already spent, and the costs are less than 1% of what Engardio has wasted in his folly of violating CA state Law. It’s money well spent.
I’m sorry you don’t get a million personal votes, but it’s actually a Democratic function to vote out a liar.
Hipsters? I can’t remember the last time I saw a genuine hipster. I hear they have them in Oakland, still.
But I understand the confusion if you live near Sunset Dunes. If you see a large person and one or more small people on a bike, they’re not hipsters. The large person is a parent. The smaller people are “children”. I’m told they’re rare, but I see plenty of “children” here in the Mission so I dunno.
If you’re confused in the future, look for facial hair on the little ones. If there isn’t any, probably not a hipster.
the working class families with million dollar homes
Engardio stripped ADU’s of rent control and low income % requirements from office conversions. You can stop playing the victim as you support a Billionaire-backed liar and gentrifier.
A furious rage against Joel Engardio has been smoldering ever since his gerrymandered “win” over Gordon Mar. Remember when Engardio hitched his campaign wagon to nutcase Leanna Louie, the racist slurring candidate who pretended to live in D4? The Dept. of Elections and City Attorney had to take the drastic measure of removing Louie from the ballot for lying about where she actually slept at night. Like Joel, Louie zealously supported the DA and School Board recalls. Today, the Tech and real estate billionaire funded Astroturf groups GROWSF and TOGETHERSF continue to dump $$ into Joel’s anti recall campaign. Engardio’s support of Prop K, where he chose city wide voters over his own district constituents (many of them previous recall zealots) is the coup de grace. Engardio’s poor judgment and serial betrayals of D4 voters have finally caught up with him. It is unfortunate that it has taken this long.