Engardio's Math Doesn't Add Up
Fact and tone checking for San Francisco Supervisor recall election
Supervisor Joel Engardio, in his 1,200+ word Perkins breakfast menu that he attempted to pass off as an Op-Ed to The Sunset Beacon, wrote the following:
“Secured $1 million in state funding for irrigation upgrades for Sunset Boulevard beautification and $1 million in city funding for more gardeners.”
False! You get a (False!) grade on this one because you did NOT “secure” jack. And this one really annoys me. As a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors you should know better. The $1 million “secured” from the state for connecting Sunset Boulevard irrigation to the 36th Avenue recycled graywater pipeline was “secured” by state Senator Scott Weiner.
I know that you shill for Senator Wiener in all manner of things Supervisor Engardio, so perhaps you feel confident that stealing credit from him is no big deal. Honestly, I do not care about that, it is between you and him, but when you take credit for something that true residents of The Sunset have advocated for nearly a decade to bring about, you insult more than just Senator Wiener.
Moreover, connecting Sunset Boulevard irrigation to the graywater pipeline that run along the length of 36th Avenue from Lake Merced to Golden Gate Park should have been done back when the line was completed, circa 2018. Supervisor Engardio, you are a Johnny-come-lately to this issue. You did not come up with this idea. Nor do you singularly deserve the credit.
When you take credit for something like this — and you do that a lot — you offend and disempower the people who actually live around and care about The Sunset and Sunset Boulevard. I wrote about your falsehoods on this topic previously — 8 Years and a Recall — and I wrote it before you penned your Perkins breakfast menu Op-Ed. Wow, it’s like I’m psychic or something. How could I possibly have known you would try to steal all the credit on this issue? Oh, that’s right, you do that a lot.
Too many bullet points
From that point on, Supervisor Engardio’s bullet points descend into a maddening list of political slop. Honestly, I think they could have coaxed a better list from ChatGPT. Most of that slop should not be dignified with analysis or counterpoint.
However, there are two bullet points that sit up and beg for rebuttal. In the interest of moving this process forward I am going to set up those two rebuttals here and come back to them in my next writings.
Supervisor Engardio stated that he, “Accelerated the repair of three Sunset playgrounds by two years.” I will have a bone to pick with him on this one too, but once again more on the grounds of his stealing political valor from others who deserve it more.
Supervisor Engardio also stated that he, “Protected the coast from high rise development and stopped the avenues along [the] (sic) Sunset Boulevard greenbelt from being up-zoned. Now that is a good one. I may have to focus one writing on just this issue alone because it is so fraught with falsehoods. But not on this day!
What will a recall accomplish? — (Finally, Engardio moves on from bullet points.)
I want to tackle this paragraph before anything else.
“Let’s be clear: this recall isn’t about corruption or failing to do my job — it’s about political retaliation over a single issue.”
Supervisor Engardio, if you hear nothing else that I ever say or write, I implore you to read and actually hear these words. You are correct, but only about the very last part of your statement. The Recall Engardio campaign is about one issue — betrayal.
You failed to do your job, you broke trust with the voters, and you showed the residents of District 4 that you are politically corrupt when you betrayed the voters after you manipulated and deceived them to gain enough votes, barely, to win an election. It is not retaliation. The voters of District 4 gave their civic consent to your governance based upon a false promise, actually a series of false promises, lies and deception of the first order.
On May 22nd, 10,523 registered voters of District 4 submitted their signatures affixed to the official petition calling for your recall and removal from office. It was a massive vote of no-confidence. You have never listened to the voters of District 4.
Mark my words, however, because they have every intention of being heard. And they will be heard starting on August 18th when official mail ballots begin arriving at their homes. And they will keep being heard right through September 16th, Election Day, and the day that the counting of the recall votes begins.
Yes, they intend to be heard. No matter how hard we have to work at it, we intend to be heard. Do you hear that, Joel? Do you hear them now? Do you hear me now? Do you hear us now?
Recall Engardio! Vote Yes on A! Vote Yes on A for The Sunset and to Recall Engardio!
I hear, feel and share your anger, John. It is so important that you are getting this “out there.” It is maddening every single time he broadcasts how much he has done for us without ever bringing up the history of whatever it is or praising all the hard work put in by others over the years. He has got to go! Vote Yes to Recall Joel Engardio.