A Campaign to Create Our Best San Francisco
By Joel P. Engardio
Do you still believe in San Francisco? I do. I’m running for supervisor to create our best San Francisco.
I know there’s a lot to fix and it can feel daunting. But with your help, the city we love can realize its full potential.
Where do I get this optimism? From you. From the large majority of voters who took two important steps to fix our city:
Recalled an incompetent school board
Recalled an ineffective district attorney
But we can’t fully fix San Francisco until we take a third, vital step:
3. Replace out-of-touch city supervisors
City Hall’s infighting, distracting sideshows, and fixation on ideologies must stop. Our elected officials must focus on getting the basics right:
Safer streets
Better schools
More middle-income housing
Vibrant small businesses
We deserve to live in a city that works.
A sensible voice for all
While I’m running for supervisor to represent my westside neighborhoods, I will also be a sensible voice for all San Franciscans. The only way to effectively address citywide issues is to elect better supervisors.
It’s time to replace the status quo
We need to replace out-of-touch supervisors like Gordon Mar. He opposed the school board recall, which was supported by 80% of his district’s voters. He appeared in “Stand with Chesa Boudin” ads while 70% of Sunset voters wanted to recall the district attorney.
I believe in criminal justice reform. I also believe San Franciscans deserve a reform-minded district attorney who is willing to prosecute serious crime and always put victims first. Residents shouldn’t have to choose between reform and safety. We can have both.
It’s time to focus on making things work
I’m a forward-thinking and sensible Democrat. I will always listen to your concerns and fight for common sense solutions to your problems. I embrace innovation and I’m focused on results.
I’m proud to have the full endorsement of State Senator Scott Wiener.
Here’s how I'm already doing the work:
Education: I helped lead the recall of an incompetent school board when our kids were suffering. The local media said my work was “key to the school board recall’s smashing success.”
Public Safety: I lead the group Stop Crime SF and we held former District Attorney Chesa Boudin accountable for his failure to put victims first. I support criminal justice reform, but for it to succeed, residents must feel safe and victims cannot be ignored.
Stop Asian Hate: My group Stop Crime SF ran a campaign to stop anti-Asian discrimination and attacks on Asian seniors. My in-laws are Chinese and they’re afraid to visit San Francisco. It shouldn't have to be that way.
Holding City Hall Accountable: As a journalist for over 20 years, I know how to uncover government inefficiencies and give residents a voice. City Hall’s budget doubled the past decade. If $14 billion isn’t enough to have twice-as-clean sidewalks and twice-as-fast Muni, we need to audit every program and change how the money is being spent. We deserve an innovative city government that is fiscally responsible, free from corruption, and fully transparent.
Protecting Our Rights: I’m a civil liberties advocate who worked for the national ACLU to establish and protect Constitutional rights for LGBTQ people, women, immigrants, and voters. I also focused on free speech rights and upholding the rule of law. Read more about my work to advance civil liberties.
Learn more about my background and my platform on local issues.
Your role
I want you to be part of the movement that turns City Hall around. Tell your friends in District 4 (see map) to vote for Joel Engardio on the November ballot.
The Q&A below tells you more about the stakes of this election and how we can win.
Join me to create our best San Francisco.
Q&A
What’s at stake in this election?
Why is Joel best suited for this role?
Why is Joel eligible to run this year?
Why is Gordon Mar a vulnerable incumbent?
What advantage does Joel have?
How will Joel reach the large Chinese-language population in District 4?
Does it matter that Joel has run for supervisor before?
What’s at stake in this election?
It's important to elect better supervisors because this is the only way to effectively address citywide issues. Joel helped lead the school board recall and his group Stop Crime SF held former District Attorney Chesa Boudin accountable for his failure to put victims first. But we also need sensible lawmakers at City Hall. We have to start flipping some supervisor seats if we want to truly fix San Francisco. A win for Joel will create the momentum to replace more supervisors in the next cycle. This is how we can create a common sense majority at City Hall.
Why is Joel best suited for this role?
Joel is a forward-thinking and sensible Democrat. He embraces innovation and is focused on results. Joel is already doing the work that will lead to safer streets, better schools, more middle-income housing, and vibrant small businesses. This is the type of leadership we desperately need at the Board of Supervisors.
Why is Joel eligible to run this year?
San Francisco’s supervisor district lines were redrawn in April 2022, based on population shifts in the 2020 census. Joel’s formerly District 7 home neighborhood was moved into District 4. The even-numbered districts are up for election this year.
Why is Gordon Mar a vulnerable incumbent?
Gordon Mar is not a typical incumbent. He faces a newly configured district with thousands of residents who never voted for him before. He also worked against the two most important issues in District 4: education and public safety. Mar opposed the school board recall, which was supported by 80% of his district’s voters. He appeared in “Stand with Chesa Boudin” ads while 70% of Sunset voters wanted to recall the district attorney. Mar is not representing his district’s interests.
What advantage does Joel have?
District 4 has expanded into two large neighborhoods where Joel won 60 percent of the vote in 2020. Thousands of Joel’s supporters have moved into District 4 with him. Joel’s work on the school board recall and the group Stop Crime SF is well known. He is seen as a leader on the issues District 4 voters care about.
How will Joel reach the large Chinese-language population in District 4?
Kit Lam, who organized Chinese voters and gathered 12,000 signatures for the school board recall, has joined Joel’s campaign to lead Chinese language outreach. Fluent in Cantonese and Mandarin, Kit frequently appears on Chinese-language media outlets. Joel’s husband Lionel Hsu is fluent in Mandarin and will advise the campaign.
Does it matter that Joel has run for supervisor before?
Over the past year, we’ve seen voters in San Francisco wake up and demand better from their elected leaders. The historic recalls of the school board and district attorney are powerful examples. Joel has been at the forefront of these efforts. Joel has been fighting for common sense politics and policies for years.
Harvey Milk famously ran four times before his historic win. In three runs for supervisor, Joel keeps winning more votes each time as his base of support continues to grow. In 2020, he won the most first-choice votes and narrowly lost after the ranked choice reallocation. Since then, even more people know Joel from his work on the school board recall and Stop Crime SF.
This year, voters are demanding change and Joel is answering the call for better leadership.
Joel’s campaigns have followed the motto of hockey great Wayne Gretzky: “Skate to where the puck is going.” Everything has led to this moment. Come November, we will score.