Gay SF supe Engardio’s 1 for 2 in LGBTQ Dem club support ahead of recall

San Francisco’s two LGBTQ Democratic clubs have come out with their positions on the attempt to recall gay District 4 Supervisor Joel Engardio. One voted to oppose his ouster, while the other took no position on the matter that has embroiled Engardio’s constituents for months.

Members of the Alice B. Toklas LGBTQ Democratic Club voted to oppose the recall of the moderate politician at their July 14 meeting. The following day, the more progressive Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club voted not to take a position.

Voters in District 4, the Sunset, will decide whether to keep Engardio in office in a special election September 16. The recall backers only need to secure a majority of the ballots cast to remove him.

In November 2022, when Engardio was first elected, the Alice club voted to support him and the Milk club backed his opponent, then-supervisor Gordon Mar. Engardio was the first supervisor to unseat a sitting elected incumbent since district elections were re-introduced in 2000.

He is also the first LGBTQ board member to win a district centered on the city’s western neighborhoods. Having run three times prior for the District 7 seat centered around West Portal, Engardio found himself redistricted in 2021 into Mar’s District 4. He rose to prominence amid the 2022 voter revolt centered in the Sunset district that helped recall San Francisco district attorney Chesa Boudin and three members of the city’s school board. 

Beachside park fuels backlash
The contentious issue that led to the recall was last year’s Proposition K, which permanently closed a portion of the Upper Great Highway to vehicle traffic. As the Bay Area Reporter previously reported, Engardio said during his 2022 campaign for supervisor that he supported a compromise that would leave the Great Highway open to cars on weekdays. 

As an elected official, Engardio supported Prop K, which closed the highway and created Sunset Dunes Park that opened this spring. While Prop K passed citywide, precincts in Engardio’s district voted heavily against it. Following the implementation of Prop K, which is currently being challenged in court, Sunset residents got a recall on the ballot after they turned in 10,523 signatures from registered voters in District 4. (A minimum of 9,911 valid signatures were needed, according to the Department of Elections.)

Asked about his 2022 statements by the B.A.R. earlier this year, Engardio pointed to his campaign website that year, which stated he supported the possibility of a park between Lincoln Avenue and Sloat Boulevard. He also said that he "supported the compromise in 2022 because that was the best we had in the moment."

Martin Rawlings-Fein, a co-chair of the Alice club who is a bisexual and transgender father, stated to the B.A.R., “At the Alice B. Toklas LGBTQ Democratic Club, both our PAC and membership voted independently to oppose the recall of Supervisor Engardio.”

“While we do not vote on the reasoning behind each vote, there is a shared concern about the growing use of recalls to challenge policy choices,” Rawlings-Fein stated. “Many in our community believe that recalls should be reserved for serious misconduct, not used to overturn the results of a fair election based on a single issue.”

Milk club Co-President Melissa Hernandez, a queer and bisexual woman, stated, “A majority of members voted to not endorse a position.”

“I believe this ‘no endorsement’ vote reflects the complex dynamics at play in this recall,” Hernandez stated. “We have never endorsed Joel Engardio and disagree deeply with him on several policy issues, including his prior championing of reactionary recalls,” a reference to the Boudin and school board recalls Engardio had supported.

The Milk club had vigorously opposed Boudin’s recall. On Prop K, the Milk club was a prominent backer of closing the Great Highway for a park.

“Our members wanted to remain consistent with our values, but we aren’t hitting the streets for Engardio in this disaster of his own making,” Hernandez noted.

Otto Pippenger, a field director for the recall, told the B.A.R. that, “The Alice endorsement is unsurprising.” It had given Engardio a sole endorsement in his 2022 race.

“Joel has been deeply involved with the club for some time, and was on the board of directors as I recall. While we were not invited to participate, we appreciate their involvement in this special election,” Pippenger stated. “Unfortunately, Milk did not take a position but there was a lively and worthwhile discussion process. While there was far more support for us than Engardio, we weren’t able to reach the high requirements (60%) for an endorsement. We appreciated Milk’s allowing us to present and the discussion process was valuable – we are glad to have gained many new supporters.”

Engardio was on the Alice board from 2012-2022, according to Rawlings-Fein. His tenure overlapped with his three unsuccessful bids for the District 7 supervisor seat. 

Engardio’s campaign opposing the recall didn’t return a request for comment.

The San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee governs the local Democratic Party; it endorsed Mar back in 2022 and has not voted on whether to support the recall. San Francisco Democratic Party Chair Nancy Tung didn’t return a request for comment.

The San Francisco Standard reported in its July 28 Power Play that the vote was to take place at a special meeting July 30, but was pushed back to the committee’s regular meeting next month. Unnamed sources said the committee is expected not to make an endorsement one way or the other, which would require only a simple majority. 

The recall of Engardio is opposed by elected gay officials state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) and Engardio’s Board of Supervisors colleagues President Rafael Mandelman, who represents District 8, and District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey. Queer District 9 Supervisor Jackie Fielder didn’t immediately return a request for comment on her recall stance.