JOEL ON INNOVATION
The definition of progress is forward movement and continuous improvement. We won’t solve San Francisco's housing crisis or transportation challenges by being stagnant, looking backward or shouting at history to stop happening. We need to embrace the future, embrace change and manage it with common sense solutions. We all want buses that run on time, clean streets, places for dogs to run and kids to play soccer, schools we can walk to and more places to live whether we are renters or aspiring homeowners. Getting this done will take innovation and helping people who fear change understand how it can work for them.
Meet the group of Outer Sunset moms who started the Ocean Beach Plunge Club. They bond over early morning walks and a dip in the Pacific.
The future of the Great Highway is on the ballot this November. The section between Lincoln and Sloat has served as a part-time park with the road closed to traffic on weekends the past few years. Now, voters will determine if the city should plan for this section of the Great Highway to become a permanent oceanside park.
The Sunset Night Market returned this year at more than double the size. We created a lot of joy with 20,000 people in attendance.
Join the Sunset Community Band. Our newly formed band will perform at special holiday events, Sunset Night Market, Great Highway events, and march in San Francisco’s LGBTQ Pride, Lunar New Year, and Fourth of July parades to display Sunset pride — and bring joy to everyone.
Intern Voice features student interns in Supervisor Joel Engardio’s office who researched issues and wrote OpEds for their final project.
Intern Voice features student interns in Supervisor Joel Engardio’s office who researched issues and wrote OpEds for their final project.
We started a new Fourth of July tradition in San Francisco — an oceanside parade.
More than 10,000 people showed up to the first-ever Sunset Night Market. We’re bringing it back double the size.
We’re starting a new Fourth of July tradition in San Francisco — an oceanside parade brought to you by the Friends of Great Highway Park.
This is my love letter to the Sunset in video form. I worked with the producers at SFGovTV (City Hall’s cable channel) to pack as much life about the Sunset as possible into the video. It’s a whirlwind of people, places, history, food, and culture. Look closely and maybe you’ll see yourself!
Meet Mike Kanzler, a legend in the surfing community at Ocean Beach. Mike’s surfboard repair shop on 34th Avenue is an essential business for one of the Sunset’s most popular activities. He fixes every board by hand. “My job is about getting people into the water,” Mike says. “And keeping them there.”
San Francisco spends $646 million a year trying to address homelessness with less than desirable results. Yet a small nonprofit that gives free legal services to poor people claims it can reduce homelessness by 40 percent in four years — for only $4 million. Sound too good to be true?
Meet Joey Snip. He opened Avenues Barber Lounge to fill the “third place” between work and home where a haircut inspires conversation and builds community. Joey says there’s so much more to his craft than being named Snip: “Barbering is an art form.” Joey calls his shop a lounge “because we want people to be comfortable being here.” Both are true at the corner of Taraval and 19th Avenue.
The impact of the pandemic lockdown of four years ago still reverberates for the children who experienced it. That’s why Taylour Ganster, a Sunset-based behavior therapist, is helping kids overcome developmental delays caused by COVID isolation.
Meet Evan Rivera-Owings. The Sunset resident loved his own free-range childhood exploring San Francisco. Now today’s city kids can experience some of that thrill with the summer day camp he founded.
Fire Chief Jeanine Nicholson introduces the hose tender. It’s a portable water system that can pull water from Lake Merced and send it at high pressure to multiple locations anywhere in the Sunset.
Join the all-ages Sunset Community Band. Our newly formed band will perform at special holiday events, Sunset Night Market, Great Highway Park on weekends, and march in San Francisco’s LGBTQ Pride and Lunar New Year parades to bring joy and display Sunset pride.
There’s a rare group of kids ages 11 to 17 who voluntarily — even eagerly — give up their phones and screen time every week for IRL adventures: the members of the Sunset’s three Boy Scout troops. By choosing wilderness hikes and camping over video games, these kids are discovering how much fun real life can be.
Meet Darlene Bereznicki. The Sunset resident hosts a comedy night at the Riptide, a legendary bar at the end of Taraval Street known as the “best little honky-tonk by the beach.”
Struggling with debt? Trying to save to buy a home? Worried about paying off student loans? City Hall offers a program called “Smart Money Coaching” for anyone who lives, works, or receives services in San Francisco.
Meet Alex Peng. He retreated to the online world of video games until a high school counselor told him about Mission Bit, a nonprofit that teaches tech skills to underprivileged youth. Now he’s a computer science major at Stanford. It was quite a journey from San Francisco’s Sunset district.
I believe we must always lead with joy. My focus is to build solid foundations of public safety, housing, education, and the local economy — for the purpose of supporting joyful lives. We can celebrate the joy in San Francisco as we work to create more.
Meet Peggy Jiang, Sandy La, and Christine Wen. They have worked at Chinese Hospital’s Sunset clinic for a combined total of nearly 50 years. And they’re made the “tiny but mighty” clinic an essential place for many Sunset residents. Learn why the patients love them in return.
Meet Saw Nwe. The Sunset resident and Lowell High School graduate is benefiting from the ultimate stocking stuffer this holiday season — a $50 deposit in a savings account the city gives to every child entering the public school system. Learn more about the Kindergarten to College program and the status of your child’s $50.
Sasha Ponomareva and Will Tachau created a group called Green Outer Sunset with advice on how to get rid of the concrete in front of your home and replace it with something beautiful.
Meet Adrian Tirtanadi. The founder of Open Door Legal has opened an office in the Sunset to help low-income residents get access to civil legal representation and the justice they deserve. Adrian envisions “a world where everyone who needs legal help gets it.” He believes that “when everyone has access to the law, poverty will be dramatically reduced.” Learn how.
Meet MJ Watson. The massage therapist recently took the leap from selling her handmade jewelry at a farmers market booth to opening a storefront wellness and healing facility for women. Her journey had plenty of obstacles she was able to overcome to realize her dream.
More than 10,000 people showed up to the first-ever Sunset Night Market. What explains such a large crowd? Certainly people wanted a night market experience. But I believe the overwhelming response was because we needed it.
Meet Sage Kitamorn. He is a Sunset resident who started the Cozy Cubs Puzzle Club. What started as a passion project is growing in popularity with puzzle fans of all ages.
Meet Melissa Chow, a media student raised in the Sunset who is leading an effort to save Cantonese in San Francisco. She wants to ensure young generations will be able to speak the language of their grandparents.