Westside organizers file to gather signatures for November Great Highway revote

A west-side citizen group filed paperwork at the San Francisco Department of Elections on Feb. 20 to begin collecting signatures for a November ballot initiative that would reopen the Upper Great Highway to vehicular traffic Monday through Friday while preserving weekend-only access for pedestrians, skaters and cyclists at the oceanfront "Sunset Dunes" park. The filing sets a specific target: 10,615 valid signatures by July 6 to qualify the measure for the ballot, the figure reported by the San Francisco Examiner.

Organizers tied to the 2025 recall of former Sunset Supervisor Joel Engardio led the filing. Richard Corriea, identified in coverage as a retired San Francisco police commander (called a retired police captain in other reports) and a leader of the Engardio recall, will serve as principal officer of the campaign, organizers said. Corriea addressed supporters at the Department of Elections and said, "By this initiative, San Franciscans seek to restore the balanced approach that was working."

Jamie Hughes, another Engardio recall leader and the campaign spokesperson, framed the effort as community-driven after a failed board-route attempt. Earlier reporting said organizers expected to start signature gathering in early February; the formal filing occurred Feb. 20. Campaign backers described their plan as "a very grassroots campaign," and RichmondSunsetNews reported the group intends to reopen about two miles of the coastal roadway to cars on weekdays.

Support at the submission included elected and local political figures. The Examiner photo and RichmondSunsetNews captions show Supervisor Alan Wong present when Corriea turned in paperwork, with District 4 candidates David Lee, Natalie Gee and Albert Chow among front-row supporters. The Examiner reported "nearly two dozen supporters" attended. Wong, who had tried to secure signatures from fellow supervisors to place a June referendum on the ballot but failed to obtain the minimum support, said he will back the citizen-led effort: "I respect the resolve of residents who are stepping up to lead a community-driven effort," and "I will continue to support community-led signature gathering and stand with residents who want a practical, thoughtful path forward for the west side."

Wong's board approach fell short after he was unable to persuade at least three colleagues to sign on; reporting named Supervisors Connie Chan and Chyanne Chen as two who backed his draft and said Supervisor Shamann Walton did not join. Hughes criticized Wong's explanation about Walton as "kind of an excuse" and said Wong "wasted time and waited until the last minute to craft the measure." Corriea went further in other reporting, saying, "Alan Wong began slow-walking this issue the minute he took office and had no intention of truly supporting it from Day One... He may want west-side voters to give him an A for effort, but that's disingenuous."

The political dispute returns the project to a ballot fight after nearly 55% of voters in 2024 supported permanently closing the roadway to cars, clearing the way for creation of Sunset Dunes park. Opponents of reopening have repeatedly pursued litigation and ballot campaigns since 2021; RichmondSunsetNews catalogued a string of failed challenges and appeals from 2/2021 through 5/2024, including a 2023 appeal listed under case number A164797. Park defenders told RichmondSunsetNews, "For now, we will continue to focus on improving and activating the park. If the park opponents qualify a measure for the November ballot, we will launch a vigorous campaign to defend the park."

The timetable is now set: organizers aim to qualify for the November 2026 ballot by meeting the Examiner-cited threshold of 10,615 signatures by July 6. Campaign filings list Corriea as principal officer in early reports; reporters and city officials will need to confirm the final initiative text, the exact geographic stretch covered and whether the campaign will rely on volunteers or paid signature gatherers as the July deadline approaches. The move guarantees a November rematch over the Great Highway that will test west-side political alignments and likely draw organized opposition from park proponents.