Creating Our Best San Francisco: What Would Jimmy Carter Do?

Supervisor Joel Engardio at San Francisco Board of Supervisors
September 30, 2025
Running time: 14:17

TRANSCRIPT
Colleagues, when I gave the commencement speech for political science graduates at San Francisco State last year, I told the class:

“You are charged with analyzing and navigating some of the world’s most intractable issues. But if you want to practice your skills for the State Department or the United Nations, go to any neighborhood association meeting in San Francisco and ask the following questions: Should the Great Highway be a highway for cars or a park for people? Where should we build housing? And how tall can the buildings be?”

I remember that line drew some knowing laughter from the audience. 

Then I said: “Dare to answer those questions and you risk being kicked out of office as a one-term supervisor.”

Another laugh line, because comedy is found in the painful truth. 

My time as supervisor will be shorter than expected. But today, I want to share with you my hopes for the future of our city.

There’s a plaque above my desk that says “What Would Jimmy Carter Do?”

A one-term president. But history has shown the wisdom of his views on human rights, the economy, and the environment.

He put solar panels on the roof of the White House nearly 50 years ago. And when Jimmy Carter lost his re-election campaign, the new president — Ronald Reagan — tore out those solar panels. America doubled down on the gas and oil industry.

Imagine how much better the world would be if we had followed Jimmy Carter’s vision and spent the past half century focused on advancing renewable energy. 

I wish more elected officials had the courage of Jimmy Carter. Imagine if Bay Area leaders in the 1960s had more courage when planning BART. We would have train tunnels from downtown to the westside and under 19th Avenue. BART would go to Marin in the north, San Jose in the south, with multiple crossings to the East Bay.

But it was not politically popular. And political survival usually comes first for politicians. Does anyone remember the names of city supervisors from the 1960s? Even mayors and governors are eventually forgotten.

We may not know their names, but we would be grateful if they had created the public transportation system we so desperately need today.

That's why we must ask ourselves: What decisions are we making today that people will appreciate in 50 years — even if we are not remembered?

That’s why I ask myself: What would Jimmy Carter do?

This question was on my mind for a number of issues that divided our board and the public. I voted for the ceasefire resolution, I defended our Sanctuary City policy, I called for the release of the Banko Brown video, and I stood with labor when the vote was not unanimous. I faced a lot of pressure to vote differently, but I voted my conscience.

I’m proud of that. And I’m proud of what my office has done for the Sunset district in my nearly three years as supervisor.

While we didn’t solve world peace, I made sure we prioritized the tangible things we could do to improve the daily lives of residents. We focused on the actual things a city supervisor can do. That’s why I created an online fix-it form to upload a photo of a problem that needs fixing. Our fixed-it file addressed thousands of constituent issues from pot hole patching to playground repairs. 

We launched the Sunset Night Market with community partners. It attracted tens of thousands of people to the Sunset to support local businesses. We proved what’s possible for night markets on commercial corridors citywide. Now they’re everywhere and that’s wonderful.

We legislated opportunities for homeowners to build and sell backyard in-law units — giving longtime residents options to downsize and create family wealth.

We legislated taller apartment buildings on corner lots so families can stay in San Francisco. It allows for a ground floor amenity like a grocery or cafe that the entire neighborhood can benefit from. 

We worked with parent advocates and sponsored Prop G, which provided the public pressure the school district needed to bring back 8th grade algebra, after a decade of delay.

When merchants were struggling during the L-Taraval train construction, we secured them a million dollars in relief funding.

We helped restore funding for civil legal services and food security for seniors in the city budget. 

We met with every officer at Taraval police station and visited the firehouses to hear directly what our first responders need. I also created a civilian public safety liaison to assist crime victims. They run crime prevention programs in English, Cantonese, and Mandarin.

The Sunset Chinese Cultural District adopted its strategic report for cultural history, housing, and economic sustainability in the Sunset. 

When the greenway along Sunset Boulevard had faded and fallen into disrepair over the years, we delivered city and state investments to make it green again. Residents had long asked for Rec and Park gardeners and they’re finally coming. 

Now the two miles of parkland along Sunset Boulevard can connect Lake Merced and Golden Gate Park to create an emerald necklace of San Francisco that extends to the coast.

This includes Sunset Dunes — our new park created from a section of the Great Highway.

Sunset Dunes. What would Jimmy Carter do? I believe he would have supported the park because it was the courageous thing to do.

There was a contentious debate about the future of the Great Highway. I met with advocates on both sides. I supported democracy by giving people a choice about what to do with their coast. I joined four other supervisors to put Prop K on the ballot. It allowed for more public debate in the most open, democratic, and transparent process possible. Every voter had an equal say because the coast belongs to everyone.

The Great Highway is a climate change issue. The southern section of the road is falling into the ocean from severe coastal erosion. The convenient connection to Daly City was going to close by state mandate no matter what. Cars had to divert inland no matter what.

This is the lemon Mother Nature gave us. Now we are making lemonade by creating a new coastal park.

And the sky didn’t fall. The traffic “carmageddon” people feared did not happen. Traffic studies show that cars are getting where they need to go with minimal impact. We’re also putting a lot of attention on traffic calming in the avenues to keep pedestrians safe.

The benefits of the park far outweigh the fears. Sunset Dunes is good for the environment, good for our local economy, and it’s bringing joy and health to people of all ages and abilities. 

Yet there is a lot ugly rhetoric about the park that is disappointing to hear. 

Park advocates are labeled as “dangerous” because they support something that will attract “new people” and “a different type of people with a whole different set of values and visions” on the west side.  

This rhetoric does not represent our city’s values. San Francisco has always been a place for newcomers — most notably during the Summer of Love. Every new immigrant, artist, LGBTQ person, and innovator makes our city better.

Opposition to Sunset Dunes has become synonymous with opposition to new housing and the housing plan that this board will consider. The catchphrase “Don’t let Ocean Beach become Miami Beach” has stoked fears that are simply not true. Our city charter forbids development in parkland. The streets along Sunset Dunes are not being upzoned in the housing plan. Our coast will not become Miami Beach.

Yet we need to build more housing in San Francisco and the west side, especially near public transit. All cities in California need to do this because suburban sprawl is terrible for the environment. And it's terrible for public health. But above all, suburban sprawl is terrible because it limits access to economic opportunity.

The refusal to build enough affordable housing in San Francisco has forced more people to the suburbs. And this includes some very important people a city needs to function — our first responders, teachers, and essential workers. We’re forcing them to live far away and commute back into the city. Even our adult kids and grandkids have to move away.

But they can stay in San Francisco if we embrace some apartment buildings in every neighborhood. 

I knocked on thousands of doors the past few months and had important conversations with Sunset residents of every background. One woman stands out in how she summed everything up:

“Sunset Dunes is popular and the traffic is fine,” she said. “Why are we arguing about a park and a road when the world is on fire? We need to focus on more important things like saving our democracy.”

I agree. Our immigrant community is under attack. LGBTQ people are being targeted. Science-based institutions are being dismantled. A generation has grown up in a culture of mass shootings. We have a mental health crisis. The cost of housing and healthcare makes it impossible for many to survive. 

As city supervisors, we don’t have the powers of governors and senators. But there is a lot we can do locally to fight what’s on fire in the world. Our Sanctuary City policy matters. Our housing and zoning policies matter. How we run our Department of Public Health matters. 

And when it comes to the literal fires all over California, it matters how we approach the existential threat of climate change. This is about our future. 

If we want to keep our families and workers here, then we have to be good stewards of the environment. We will have to accept some taller apartment buildings near public transportation. And we will have to accept creating some safe spaces for walkers and cyclists.

That’s not asking a lot. No one is banning single-family homes. We’re only talking about some six-story apartment buildings. No one is banning cars. Far from it. We’re only talking about some cars taking a slightly different route. 

How are we ever going to come together and address our biggest issues –  like climate change – if we cannot build an apartment building or change our driving habits without it becoming an ugly battle over who deserves to live in a neighborhood and define its character?

This raises some important questions about the future of San Francisco. Do we want to be a city that only looks to preserve the past? Or do we want to be a forward-looking and innovative city that keeps our families and workers here while welcoming new people, immigrants, and ideas? 

San Francisco will only realize its full potential if we let ourselves do bold things. We cannot be the most progressive city that fears change. We must be the most progressive city that embraces the future. 

If we never changed anything in San Francisco, the Sunset would still be sand dunes. 

And we would not have residents like Dorothy Lathan. Dorothy was one of the first Black residents allowed to buy a home in the Sunset — a few years after baseball star Willie Mays was denied on the westside.

Dorothy has lived across from the Great Highway for more than six decades. She contributed to our city as an educator and community leader. Dorothy’s presence is the benefit of change. And she embraces it. She loves Sunset Dunes.

My favorite image of Dorothy is seeing her at a Sunset night market, a cane in one hand and a margarita in the other, bopping to the music. At 93, she is the antithesis of the angry old man who yells at clouds.

Dorothy is more fun to be around. Let’s be like Dorothy and create our best San Francisco. 

Our city is defined by movements and landmarks that required difficult and courageous choices. The Golden Gate Bridge was built in spite of its many detractors. It was called an "upside down rat trap" and now it's the icon of our city. 

This is the story of Sunset Dunes.

A transformational space that connects people to something bigger than themselves. The power of the ocean. The beauty of the sunset. Where children can learn to ride a bike and dream. Where a senior can roll in a wheelchair and remember. A space for every facet of life. To celebrate, mourn, heal, and reflect.

Before long, we will wonder why there was a controversy at all. And we won't be able to imagine San Francisco without a coastal park and the benefits it offers.

Like the woman I met at the door said: “Sunset Dunes is popular and the traffic is fine. Why are we arguing about a park and a road when the world is on fire? We need to focus on more important things like saving our democracy.”

I am certain Jimmy Carter would have said amen to that.