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A voter casts his vote at a ballot drop box for the November 2024 election. Wind Newspaper photo

Letter to the Editor: Was the exclusive District 4 Proposition K election converted into an "at-large" citywide election in November 2024 ?

Dear Editor,

  • Joel Engardio’s tenure as Supervisor of District 4 has been marked by a pattern of betrayal. During his campaign, he promised to keep the compromise of the Great Highway as a shared space that most neighbors supported. Yet a year later into his term, he clandestinely drafted a ballot measure with a handful of people to reverse that very compromise, closing the Great Highway for park use and ignoring the overwhelming majority wishes of his own constituents.

    A recall election will be held on September 16, 2025 to decide by District 4 voters if Supervisor Joel Engardio should be removed from office. Courtesy Recall Engardio campaign

  • Joel Engardio held zero town hall meetings before pushing through a permanent closure of the Upper Great Highway that affects almost 20,000 daily commuters. I am one of them.

    Selena Chu (center in front row) has been active in the Recall Engardio campaign in support of the removal of D4 Supervisor Joel Engardio from office. Courtesy photo

  • As the Chairperson of the Historical and Cultural Committee at the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association (CCBA), I was very surprised to hear that the pedestrian bridge connecting the Hilton Hotel and Portsmouth Square has been scheduled to be demolished.

    At 11:00 am on September 6, 2001, attendees from all over the nation of the 17th National Lee Family Association Conference took a group photo on the Portsmouth Square pedestrian bridge after a parade in San Francisco Chinatown. Then San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown was present at the event and joined the attendees for photos. Ding Lee stood behind Brown in the photo. If the city demolishes the bridge one day, the opportunity for taking a big group photo at such a perfect venue will be gone. Courtesy Ding Lee

  • After 16 years with the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD), my two daughters have graduated and been accepted into competitive majors within the UC System. My family is deeply grateful for the excellent and equitable education that SFUSD has provided.

    Josephine Zhao, an education and parent leader (left), is grateful for the excellent and equitable education provided by the SF Unified School District where her two daughters graduated and enrolled at UC San Diego and UC Davis respectively. Courtesy Josephine Zhao

  • In Ross Alley, an old alley in San Francisco's Chinatown, a rusty abandoned newspaper box unexpectedly became the object of people's attention. This public art installation, called "Non Alien Box", was created by international students Xinling Wang and two of her friends, Grace Cao and Yunfei Hua, from the California College of the Arts.

    Three international students from China create the Non Alien Box on Ross Alley in San Francisco Chinatown. Photo by Peter Huang

  • Dear Sunset Community,

    Albert Chow speaks at a Chinese American Democratic Club meeting to share his opinion in support of the Recall Engardio petition. Courtesy Recall Engardio

  • I was a supporter of keeping the Upper Great Highway (UGH) open to cars. While I disagreed with Supervisor Joel Engardio on this one issue, we cannot expect to agree with our elected representatives 100% of the time. That’s why I oppose this spiteful and wasteful recall against Supervisor Joel Engardio.

    District 4 Supervisor Joel Engardio (center) faces a recall challenge for proposing a ballot measure, Prop. K, in November 2024 election to close the Upper Great Highway in order to create a coastal park which has been opened in April 2025 for the public and renamed as Sunset Dunes. Courtesy SF Recreation and Park Department

  • For almost a year I’ve been in conversations and debates concerning how the safety and quality of neighborhood life impacts of closing the Upper Great Highway (UGH), and the need for mitigation, planning and financing before any closure.

    Proposition K, which proposed to permanently close the 2-mile Upper Great Highway for vehicles in Sunset District to transform it into a coastal park, was strongly opposed by the westside communities in November 2024 election. Photo by Wind Newspaper

  • After 5 years as the head of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), Director Jeff Tumlin did not renew his contract last December. Director Tumlin is undoubtedly well-intentioned in his efforts to address San Francisco's transportation challenges.

    Proposition K, which proposed the closure of the Great Highway and was passed by San Francisco voters in the November 2024 election, sparked significant anger, particularly in the Western and Southern parts of the city, where the Chinese community is most concentrated. Photo by Wind Newspaper