District 4

Joel Engardio

District 4

Letter from Supervisor Joel Engardio

What does the movie Inside Out and its cartoon characters of fear, anger, sadness, disgust, and joy have in common with San Francisco?

It takes all of those emotions to deal with our city’s challenges. Everything that needs fixing can feel daunting. But recognizing joy offers hope.

There is plenty of joy in San Francisco to be found. Think of gatherings with your friends and family. Or how you feel when you experience the natural beauty, cuisine, and culture that defined San Francisco long before “doom loop” became a buzzword.

The problems in our city are real. So are the joyful things. We must keep that perspective.

I’m focused on getting the basics right: safer streets, better schools, more housing, and vibrant small businesses. These are the foundations for a healthy city.

San Francisco’s best days are ahead if we’re willing to address our problems with equal doses of innovation and common sense. But the energy it takes to fix things is not sustainable without hope. That’s why I believe we must always lead with joy.

When I launched the first-ever Sunset Night Market, more than 10,000 people filled Irving Street.

They were hungry, both literally and figuratively, for good food and a fun experience shared with the community. They were 10,000 doom loop antidotes who reclaimed the narrative of our city.

The night market was more than a party. It made the street a safe place to gather and gave small businesses a boost — exactly what we need more of in San Francisco.

The path to San Francisco’s future seems to run through neighborhoods like the Sunset. The New York Times has mentioned it in several recent articles:

• “The Outer Sunset has flourished while downtown struggles.”

• “Thousands of people packed Irving Street for the inaugural Sunset Night Market, eating Asian delicacies and watching ballerinas dance in the road.”

• The Great Highway was named one of "52 places for a changed world" when used as a park.

I’m glad journalists are starting to notice how great the Sunset is. Residents have known it all along — and we still have lots of untapped potential.

Let’s encourage more joy as we work to create our best San Francisco.

Where is District 4?

District 4 is best known as the Sunset. It is home to about 80,000 residents. District 4 is everything west of 19th Avenue to the ocean, from Golden Gate Park to Lake Merced Boulevard. It includes the Sunset, Outer Sunset, Parkside, Pine Lake Park, Lakeshore and Merced Manor neighborhoods.

A Video Love Letter to the Sunset

This is my love letter to the Sunset in video form. It discovers and celebrates the Sunset experience. 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.

About Supervisor Joel Engardio

Supervisor Joel Engardio believes San Francisco’s best days are ahead — if we are willing to address today's problems with equal doses of innovation and common sense.

He is focused on getting the basics right: safer streets, better schools, more housing, and vibrant small businesses. He believes these are the foundations for a healthy city.

Supervisor Engardio represents District 4, which is best known as the Sunset. It has about 80,000 residents living west of 19th Avenue between Golden Gate Park and Lake Merced.

Supervisor Engardio moved to San Francisco in 1998 to take a job as a journalist. He wanted to advocate for people who don’t feel heard. He believes San Franciscans deserve an innovative city government that is fiscally responsible, free from corruption, and fully transparent.

Supervisor Engardio has won numerous journalism awards. He has worked for tech startups, public relations firms, and nonprofits including Out & Equal and the American Civil Liberties Union. He produced and directed an award-winning PBS documentary focused on First Amendment rights. He has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Michigan State University and a Master in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

Supervisor Engardio was raised by a single mom who cleaned houses for a living in Saginaw, Michigan. She didn’t have much money or education, but she taught her son how to get things done with the resources they had.

Supervisor Engardio’s husband Lionel Hsu was born in Taiwan. He grew up in poverty under Martial Law and became a software engineer in Silicon Valley. They have lived in their home near Stern Grove since 2014 and want to make sure the next generation has access to the San Francisco dream.

Supervisor Engardio served on the boards of two of San Francisco's largest political organizations: the Alice B. Toklas LGBTQ Democratic Club and the United Democratic Club. He also served as a member of the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee.

Supervisor Engardio hosts the popular “SF Politics 101” presentation each month where he educates residents about how they can be participants in creating our best San Francisco.