Chan to Explore Ballot Measure to Reopen Great Highway

Supervisor Connie Chan is contemplating introducing a ballot measure to reopen the Upper Great Highway to cars, aligning with the potential recall election of Supervisor Joel Engardio. This development adds complexity to the ongoing debate over the roadway's future.

The Facts

Supervisor Connie Chan has announced that, if the recall against Supervisor Joel Engardio qualifies, she will "explore a ballot measure to keep Upper Great Highway open to vehicular traffic Mondays through Fridays and closed on the weekends for recreation." This will effectively undo November 2024's Prop K which closed the Great Highway permanently.

The Context

Supervisor Joel Engardio is facing a recall campaign due to his sponsorship of Proposition K, which ended the "Great Highway Compromise" (that is, keeping the road open to cars Monday morning through Friday afternoon, and closing it to cars Friday afternoon through Sunday). Prop K fully closed the Great Highway with the intention of creating an oceanfront park. Recallers have until May 22nd to submit around 10,000 signatures from the roughly 45,000 residents of District 4.

This isn't the first time a Supervisor wanted to run a ballot measure to undo a recent ballot measure. In fact, in 2022 Supervisor Peskin undid his own measure, which created the Streets & Sanitation Department, just two years after voters passed it in 2020.

The GrowSF Take

We understand the frustration that westside voters are feeling, and support their right to collect signatures for a recall (even though we aren't endorsing it). But we are very frustrated by Supervisor Chan spending even more taxpayer money to relitigate an issue the City just voted on. And to really rub it in, let us remind you that she's the chair of the budget committee! Surely there are better uses of taxpayer money during a historic budget deficit?