Gay SF Supervisor Joel Engardio recalled by voters

Gay San Francisco District 4 Supervisor Joel Engardio’s long-sought political career came crashing down late Tuesday, as he was recalled by voters in a special election. Preliminary returns showed the recall leading with 64.64% to 35.35% voting to retain him.

The San Francisco Department of Elections released the first unofficial results at about 8:45 p.m. Tuesday, and issued updated figures at 10:41. It will release an update at 4 p.m. Wednesday.

Engardio didn’t return a request for comment by press time for this report. In an email he sent to supporters, he stated, “My time as a supervisor is going to be shorter than expected. I accept the election results. But we can still celebrate, because we are on the right side of history.”

At an election night party at Celia’s by the Beach, recall proponents raucously cheered when the first results were announced. 

“The residents of District 4 sent a message to Joel Engardio that they’re a lot smarter than he thought they were,” said Richard Corriea, a former San Francisco Police Department commander who helped lead the effort.

While there are still ballots to be counted, they’re likely not enough to change the outcome. Engardio is expected to depart in a few weeks and the Board of Supervisors will decrease from four out members to three: gay Board of Supervisors President Rafael Mandelman, who represents District 8; gay District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey; and queer District 9 Supervisor Jackie Fielder. 

Mayor Daniel Lurie will choose Engardio’s replacement once the Board of Supervisors certifies the recall results – which could be as soon as September 30. Engardio would be required to leave office within 10 days of the certification. Lurie’s chosen replacement will stand for election in June to serve the remainder of Engardio’s term. Next November, another election will take place for the term stretching from 2027-2031. Engardio, a moderate, has largely been a reliable vote for Lurie initiatives.  

Lurie broke his silence on the matter to the B.A.R. late Tuesday, stating, “Our team is evaluating next steps for the District 4 supervisor seat.”

Lurie thanked Engardio for his service, but then changed tact to address voters’ concerns.

“As I campaigned for mayor last year, I heard countless west side families say what San Franciscans have been feeling for years: that their government is doing things to them, not with them, and that government is not working to make their lives better,” he stated. “That’s why my administration has continued to communicate openly and transparently with San Franciscans on a wide range of important issues—from public safety and the behavioral health crisis to affordable housing and public space. This honest dialogue has bred a strong working relationship with the Board of Supervisors and a shared feeling that San Francisco is coming back stronger than ever.”

The mayor added, “We will continue to be in constant communication with our partners in government and across communities as we work to make San Franciscans’ lives better—that means delivering a city that is safe and clean, where small businesses can thrive and the next generation of San Franciscans can afford to raise their children.”

At Celia’s, recall proponent Quentin Kopp, a former San Francisco supervisor, also spoke, urging Engardio opponents to also oppose Lurie’s upzoning proposal, which he called the “next fight.”

Gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) was one of Engardio’s strong supporters. He issued a statement after the early returns were released.

“Joel Engardio is a fantastic public servant who chose public life for the right reasons and the only reasons that matter: To serve his community and improve people’s lives,” he stated. “I strongly opposed Supervisor Engardio’s recall, but the voters of District 4 have spoken. I disagree with but respect their judgment as part of our democratic process.”

Wiener's statement also framed the recall as a reactionary throwback to the past, and said proponents' opposition to Sunset Dunes and upzoning would lead to, "freezing the city in amber, destroying a popular park, and stopping new housing (including in the Sunset, where home prices are explosively expensive)."

"Those of us who believe that for San Francisco to thrive it must be willing to build housing, create public spaces, and have a sustainable transportation system will continue to fight for a strong future for the greatest city on the planet," Wiener concluded.

Prop K doomed Engardio
Engardio, who was elected in November 2022, was the first person to oust an incumbent supervisor in the generation since district elections were reintroduced in San Francisco. He defeated then-supervisor Gordon Mar in a tight race. Prior to that, Engardio had unsuccessfully run for the board three times in District 7. He was redistricted into District 4 in 2022.

Also the first gay man to represent the city’s westside neighborhoods, Engardio rose to prominence amid the 2022 voter revolt centered in the Sunset district that helped recall San Francisco district attorney Chesa Boudin and three members of the city’s school board.

The issue that led to the recall was last year’s Proposition K, which permanently closed a portion of the Upper Great Highway to vehicle traffic. Before Prop K, a compromise brokered by Mar kept the highway open to cars on weekdays and closed on weekends.

Engardio said during his 2022 campaign for supervisor that he supported a compromise that would leave the Great Highway open to cars on weekdays. But as an elected official, Engardio championed Prop K, which closed the highway and created Sunset Dunes Park that opened this spring.

While Prop K passed citywide with 55% of the vote, precincts in Engardio’s district voted heavily (64%) against it. Following the implementation of Prop K, which is currently being challenged in court, Sunset residents got a recall on the ballot after they turned in 10,523 signatures from registered voters in District 4. (A minimum of 9,911 valid signatures were needed, according to the Department of Elections.)

Asked about his 2022 statements by the B.A.R. earlier this year, Engardio pointed to his campaign website that year, which stated he supported the possibility of a park between Lincoln Avenue and Sloat Boulevard. He also said that he "supported the compromise in 2022 because that was the best we had in the moment."

Adding to his troubles, Engardio was unanimously dinged by the city’s San Francisco Sunshine Ordinance Task Force September 3 after a copy of his calendar released to Corriea failed to mention a meeting with Lucas Lux, who is now president of Friends of Sunset Dunes, an affinity group connected with the park that replaced the Great Highway, and Todd David, who is now political director for Abundant SF and was a former political director for Wiener when Wiener was running for state Senate.

Engardio’s campaign attributed the redaction to “human error.” Recall proponents used it to argue Engardio was trying to hide his meeting with supporters of the park.

The San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee could not come to a decision one way or another as to whether it should support or oppose the recall. The body, which runs the city’s Democratic Party, also didn’t endorse him in 2022. 

Mar, who sits on the committee, broke his long silence on the matter during that August 27 meeting, urging the party to stay out, saying, “This is a decision for District 4 voters alone.”

“This recall is actually more justified than those we had in 2022,” he said. “Supervisor Engardio misled voters about one of the most contentious issues in our district, in presenting one position in order to get the votes of many of the people here today, and then reversing himself once in office. … He then led an effort to put a citywide ballot measure on the ballot without any input from his constituents, who he misled.”

Speaking for the other side, Wiener’s proxy Matthew Rothschild, a gay man, profoundly disagreed with Mar’s rationale.

“The party opposed these other recalls,” he said. “People want to know what we stand for. To not take a position on something like this? How can we look voters in the eye and say, ‘Oh, we didn’t get involved?’ You got elected to make tough votes. If you can’t take tough votes, you shouldn’t stand for an election.”

For his part, Engardio stated he was ahead of his time, stating, "We won’t be able to imagine San Francisco without a coastal park and all the benefits it offers."

Lux agreed, stating, "As Sunset residents, we know that Sunset Dunes is here to stay and will continue to grow in popularity as it evolves to reach its full potential," although at least one supervisor, District 1's Connie Chan, said she will "explore a ballot measure" to overturn Prop K.

Updated: 9/17/25: This article has been updated.