Joel Engardio
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Joel P. Engardio (born September 17, 1972) is an American politician, writer, and public-safety advocate. He is the
supervisor A supervisor, or lead, (also known as foreman, boss, overseer, facilitator, monitor, area coordinator, line-manager or sometimes gaffer) is the job title of a lower-level management position and role that is primarily based on authority over la ...
for District 4 of
San Francisco, California San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
, serving since 2023 after unseating incumbent
Gordon Mar Gordon Mar (born August 15, 1962) is an American politician from San Francisco. He was a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors from 2019 to 2023, representing District 4. He is the twin brother of former District 1 supervisor Eric Ma ...
in the 2022 San Francisco Board of Supervisors election.


Early life and education

Engardio is a native of
Saginaw, Michigan Saginaw () is a city in Saginaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. It had a population of 44,202 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located along the Saginaw River, Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township, ...
, where he attended Arthur Hill High School. Engardio graduated with a bachelor's in journalism from
Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State o ...
and a
Master of Public Administration A Master of Public Administration (MPA) is a specialized professional graduate degree in public administration that prepares students for leadership roles, similar or equivalent to a Master of Business Administration but with an emphasis on the ...
from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.


Media career

Engardio is a former journalist. He moved to San Francisco in 1998 to cover
Tom Ammiano Tom Ammiano (born December 15, 1941) is an American politician and LGBT rights activist from San Francisco, California. Ammiano, a member of the California Legislative LGBT Caucus, served as a member of the California State Assembly from 2008 t ...
's mayoral campaign during the 1999 San Francisco mayoral election. Engardio and Tom Shepard directed the documentary ''Knocking'' about
Jehovah's Witnesses Jehovah's Witnesses is a Christian denomination that is an outgrowth of the Bible Student movement founded by Charles Taze Russell in the nineteenth century. The denomination is nontrinitarian, millenarian, and restorationist. Russell co-fou ...
.


San Francisco Board of Supervisors

Engardio ran failed campaigns for District 7 supervisor in
2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
,
2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
, and
2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...
. Engardio ran for District 4 supervisor after his neighborhood was redistricted from District 7. He was elected in November 2022, unseating incumbent
Gordon Mar Gordon Mar (born August 15, 1962) is an American politician from San Francisco. He was a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors from 2019 to 2023, representing District 4. He is the twin brother of former District 1 supervisor Eric Ma ...
by a margin of 50.9% to 49.1%. Engardio is the first gay supervisor elected to represent the city's westside. Engardo was also the first candidate to defeat an incumbent supervisor. In 2023, Engardio organized the first
night market Night markets or night bazaars ( zh, 夜市) are street markets which operate at night and are generally dedicated to more leisurely strolling, shopping, and eating than more businesslike day markets. The culture of night markets originates from C ...
in the Sunset District along with other community groups. The first event drew over an estimated 10,000 visitors. This spurred similar events in other neighborhoods, such as
Chinatown Chinatown ( zh, t=唐人街) is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, O ...
and
The Castro The Castro District, commonly referred to as the Castro, is a neighborhood in Eureka Valley in San Francisco. The Castro was one of the first gay neighborhoods in the United States. Having transformed from a working-class neighborhood throug ...
. Engardio was among five supervisors who placed Proposition K, which proposed closing two miles of the
Great Highway The Great Highway is a road located on the West Side of San Francisco that forms the city's western edge along the Pacific coast. Built in 1929, it runs for approximately next to Ocean Beach. Its southern end is at Skyline Boulevard ( Sta ...
in the Sunset District to cars and turning it into a public park, onto the November 5, 2024 election. The proposition passed with nearly 55%. A
recall Recall may refer to: * Recall (baseball), a baseball term * Recall (bugle call), a signal to stop * Recall (information retrieval), a statistical measure * ReCALL (journal), ''ReCALL'' (journal), an academic journal about computer-assisted langua ...
campaign was subsequently launched against Engardio, who represents the neighborhood. The new Sunset Dunes park opened in April 2025. Engardio authored Proposition G: Offering Algebra 1 to Eighth Graders. This proposition would encourage the
San Francisco Unified School District San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD), established in 1851, is the only public school district within the City and County of San Francisco, and the first in the state of California. Under the management of the San Francisco Board of Edu ...
to allow eighth graders to take Algebra I, in place of needing to wait until ninth grade.


Recall Effort

In November 2024, a group of voters in the Sunset District launched a recall campaign Engardio over his support of Proposition K which was a ballot measure to close part of the
Great Highway The Great Highway is a road located on the West Side of San Francisco that forms the city's western edge along the Pacific coast. Built in 1929, it runs for approximately next to Ocean Beach. Its southern end is at Skyline Boulevard ( Sta ...
. A recall petition was filed with the San Francisco Department of Elections in December 2024. While Proposition K passed with 55% of San Francisco residents voting in support, 64% of his constituents in District 4 voted against it. Many residents in the district did not believe that an issue that would disproportionately affect them should be voted on by the entire city. On Friday, May 20, 2025 the San Francisco Department of Elections confirmed that it had received 10,985 valid signatures which is more than the 9,911 signatures that were required to put the recall on the ballot (20% of the voters in District 4).


Political stances

Engardio is categorized as a moderate. Engardio supported the 2022 recall of San Francisco District Attorney
Chesa Boudin Chesa Boudin (, ; born August 21, 1980) is an American lawyer who served as the 29th San Francisco District Attorney's Office, District Attorney of San Francisco from January 8, 2020, to July 8, 2022. He is a member of the Democratic Party (Uni ...
and the 2022 recall of three
San Francisco Board of Education The San Francisco Board of Education is the school board for the San Francisco, City and County of San Francisco. It is composed of seven Commissioners, elected by voters across the city to serve 4-year terms. It is subject to local, and state ...
commissioners.


Personal life

When he was elected to supervisor, Engardio lived in the Lakeshore neighborhood of San Francisco. He was raised a
Jehovah's Witness Jehovah's Witnesses is a Christian denomination that is an outgrowth of the Bible Student movement founded by Charles Taze Russell in the nineteenth century. The denomination is nontrinitarian, millenarian, and restorationist. Russell co- ...
, however he does not identify with the religion. Engardio is gay. He has been married to Lionel Hsu since 2015.


References


External links

*
Campaign website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Engardio, Joel Living people San Francisco Board of Supervisors members 21st-century California politicians Harvard Kennedy School alumni Michigan State University alumni American LGBTQ city council members LGBTQ people from San Francisco 1972 births