On March 4th, a candidate question and answer forum for the San Francisco District 4 City Council drew nearly a hundred residents to hear from five candidates on issues such as the Upper Great Highway, transportation, housing, small business development, and city finances.
The District 4 City Council election will take place on June 2nd, with the five candidates being the incumbent Councilman Alan Wong, who was appointed by Mayor Daniel Lurie in December last year; Natalie Gee, former chief of staff to former District 10 councilman Shamann Walton; small business leader Albert Chow; educator David Lee; and independent candidate Jeremy Greco.
The closure of the Upper Great Highway following the passage of the K proposal in the 2024 elections, and the transportation issues that came with it, has become a central topic of the election campaign.
Among the five candidates, only Greco expressed support for keeping the Sunset Dunes Park and prohibiting vehicles from using the Upper Great Highway as per the K proposal, while the other three candidates indicated they would consider different compromise solutions. However, only Chow explicitly pointed out that the closure of the Upper Great Highway leading to a significant number of vehicles diverting to community streets is one of the main reasons exacerbating the traffic issues in District 4.
Despite most voters in the Sunset District opposing the closure of the Upper Great Highway, the majority of San Francisco voters supported the K proposal in the 2024 elections. In early 2025, the section of the western side of San Francisco was completely closed to private vehicles, becoming the “Sunset Dunes Park,” but the road still needs to be accessible for specific vehicles.
Former Councilman Joel Engardio, who actively promoted the proposal, was recalled by voters in a special recall election in September 2025.
Following a legal setback for residents in early 2026, newly elected Councilman Alan Wong hastily introduced a ballot proposal to overturn the K proposal and reinstate weekday vehicle access to the Upper Great Highway while closing it on weekends and holidays. However, the proposal failed to garner the support of at least 4 out of the 11 council members.
Wong stated during the debate that the proposal reflects the overall will of District 4 voters. He also expressed his role as a councilman to listen to all viewpoints and make balancing decisions among various interests.
During the forum, Gee did not explicitly oppose the closure of the Upper Great Highway but suggested that if voters ultimately support the closure, the government should implement it gradually and conduct studies on its traffic impacts.
Greco, however, indicated that a personal experience changed his initial opposition to the closure of the Upper Great Highway. He shared emotional anecdotes about the communal activities at Sunset Dunes Park, emphasizing its significance as a space for leisure and community engagement.
Continued in next comment…