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Photos: Fight over future of Great Highway sparks dueling rallies

Proposition K proponents convened in the Panhandle while opponents rallied against the measure on Market Street.

People wearing blue "Vote YES for Ocean Beach Park" shirts are gathered, holding signs supporting Measure K at an outdoor event, with trees and banners in the background.
Parker Day, center, holds campaign material before going door-knocking for the Yes on K event in the Panhandle. | Source: Jason Henry for The Standard

A ballot measure that would permanently ban vehicles from a two-mile stretch of the Great Highway ignited dueling demonstrations on Saturday.

Opponents of Proposition K staged a car rally on Market Street to decry the measure as a threat to San Francisco’s largely residential Westside.

Proponents met at the Panhandle Playground in Golden Gate Park, where volunteers joined city supervisors Joel Engardio, Myrna Melgar and Dean Preston as well as state Sen. Scott Wiener to knock on doors to talk to voters about the Yes on K campaign.

San Francisco closed a portion of the Upper Great Highway to cars during the pandemic shutdown in 2020 to give people more space to roam. A year later, the city reopened it to cars on weekdays. And in 2022, city leaders instituted the weekend closure as an experiment through 2025.

Come November, voters get to decide whether to keep the highway between Lincoln Way and Sloat Boulevard car-free for good.

The city says carving out a portion of the highway for cyclists and pedestrians has drawn 4,000 visitors a day. If the closure becomes long-term, Prop. K supporters say the city could turn the oceanfront roadway into San Francisco’s version of the New York City Highline.

A person in a black jacket holds the brim of a white cap with dark sunglasses attached. The cap displays a yellow sticker reading "OPEN THE GREAT HIGHWAY."
A person in a black jacket holds the brim of a white cap with dark sunglasses attached. The cap displays a yellow sticker reading "OPEN THE GREAT HIGHWAY."
Stephen Gorski shows off a sticker on his hat at a "Keep The Great Highway Open" rally held on Market and Hyde streets. | Source: Jason Henry for The Standard
A group of people marches on a city street holding up yellow signs that read, "KEEP THE GREAT HIGHWAY OPEN." One person is playing a drum.
A group of people marches on a city street holding up yellow signs that read, "KEEP THE GREAT HIGHWAY OPEN." One person is playing a drum.
The Chinese American Democratic Club led the car rally in downtown San Francisco. | Source: Jason Henry for The Standard
In a city with tall buildings, cars are lined up on the street. The leading car, a Lexus, has yellow signs saying "KEEP THE GREAT HIGHWAY OPEN" taped to its windows.
In a city with tall buildings, cars are lined up on the street. The leading car, a Lexus, has yellow signs saying "KEEP THE GREAT HIGHWAY OPEN" taped to its windows.
About 10 cars drove around the northern part of the city for the No on K rally. | Source: Jason Henry for The Standard
A woman enthusiastically holds a yellow sign reading, "Keep the Great Highway Open" in a city street with trees, buildings, and a school crossing sign visible in the background.
A woman enthusiastically holds a yellow sign reading, "Keep the Great Highway Open" in a city street with trees, buildings, and a school crossing sign visible in the background.
Elisa Smith shouts "No on K" on Hyde Street before the car procession commenced. | Source: Jason Henry for The Standard
A woman stands in front of a crowd holding a bright yellow sign reading "KEEP THE GREAT HIGHWAY OPEN." The crowd behind her holds similar signs.
Josephine Zhao, president of the Chinese American Democratic Club, said keeping the highway open to cars protects the interests of working-class commuters. | Source: Jason Henry for The Standard
A man wearing a white baseball cap and a black shirt sits in the driver's seat of a car. The car window has a yellow sign reading "KEEP THE GREAT HIGHWAY OPEN."
Stephen Gorski joined the car caravan in his BMW. | Source: Jason Henry for The Standard
A group of people holding yellow signs reading "KEEP THE GREAT HIGHWAY OPEN" stand on a busy sidewalk. Nearby, there are individuals with suitcases resting or standing.
Anti-Prop. K marchers rally to keep the Great Highway open to cars. | Source: Jason Henry for The Standard
A group of people is standing on a city street holding yellow signs reading "KEEP THE GREAT HIGHWAY OPEN." They appear to be participating in a protest or rally.
Moe Jamil, a candidate for District 3 supervisor, rallied against Prop. K. | Source: Jason Henry for The Standard

Stephen Gorski, who says he lives “literally 100 feet from the highway,” joined the No on K crowd on Market Street to educate other parts of the city about the impact of a permanent closure. He said proponents of the measure overstate the number of visitors who frequent the car-free thoroughfare.

“As an example, yesterday I went out twice; I counted no more — and I took photos at 5 o’ clock, looking north and south — and I saw 12 people, combined bicyclists, pedestrians, runners,” he said. “Twelve. And yet it was bumper-to-bumper on the Lower Great Highway because they close it at noon. And it’s stupid.”

Josephine Zhao — president of the Chinese American Democratic Club, which led the anti-K car rally — said she opposes the ballot measure because the Great Highway is a lifeline for the city’s Westside.

“Especially for families that need to take their kids to school, then working people who need to go to work physically, who go to work in cafeterias and as custodians, but also retirees and disabled people that need to rely on cars,” she said.

Traffic that would otherwise be routed along the two-mile run of the Upper Great Highway gets routed to Sunset Boulevard, which is under construction, Zhao noted. For the boulevard to see a flood of cars while mitigation measures are still underway, she argued, is a sign of poor planning by the city.

“Right now, we are putting the carriage before the horse,” Zhao said. “And it’s not the democratic way to do it.”

Another No-on-K rally attendee, Elisa Smith, started a group on NextDoor two-and-a-half years ago to document parking removal and street shutdowns all over the city — “and people were blown away,” she told The Standard.

“So this is all part of it,” the Sunset District resident said of Prop. K.

Two men conversing in a park, one in a blue "Vote YES for Ocean Beach Park" shirt, the other in a red shirt, while another man in a similar blue shirt walks behind them.
Two men conversing in a park, one in a blue "Vote YES for Ocean Beach Park" shirt, the other in a red shirt, while another man in a similar blue shirt walks behind them.
Prop. K campaign manager Lucas Lux, left, speaks with District 5 Supervisor Dean Preston at the Panhandle rally. | Source: Jason Henry for The Standard
Two men stand at an open door, accepting flyers and a clipboard from an unseen person. One man wears a blue robe, and the other is shirtless, wearing shorts.
Barbara Hoffer, 75, left, and Stan Glantz, 78, right, speak with Javarcia Ivory, center left, and Kamden Gray, center right, about the Yes on Prop K campaign. | Source: Paul Kuroda for The Standard
An individual wearing a white helmet with a sticker that reads "Great Highway Park" and depicts a bird on a skateboard.
An individual wearing a white helmet with a sticker that reads "Great Highway Park" and depicts a bird on a skateboard.
Carol Brownson sports a Great Highway Park sticker at the Yes on K rally. | Source: Jason Henry for The Standard
A woman with a microphone speaks passionately to a crowd holding "Yes on K" signs in a park, with Victorian houses and large trees in the background.
Supervisor Myrna Melgar speaks in favor of Prop. K at the campaign's rally in Panhandle Park. | Source: Paul Kuroda for The Standard
A group of people, some holding “YES on K” signs for Ocean Beach Park, are gathered outdoors. One person in a jacket and glasses is speaking to another wearing a cap.
A group of people, some holding “YES on K” signs for Ocean Beach Park, are gathered outdoors. One person in a jacket and glasses is speaking to another wearing a cap.
State Sen. Scott Wiener was among the supporters and volunteers advocating for Prop. K. | Source: Jason Henry for The Standard
A diverse group of people, including children, stand outdoors holding signs that say "YES on K" and "OCEAN BEACH PARK." They appear to be participating in a rally or gathering.
A diverse group of people, including children, stand outdoors holding signs that say "YES on K" and "OCEAN BEACH PARK." They appear to be participating in a rally or gathering.
Supporters and volunteers gather at Panhandle Park before going door-knocking to support Prop. K. | Source: Jason Henry for The Standard
Two people hand out flyers to a third person at her door. She smiles while holding a flyer. The door has a lace curtain and floral wreath hanging.
Barbara Hoffer, 75, left, and Stan Glantz, 78, right, speak with Ruth Starkman, center, about why they support Prop. K. | Source: Paul Kuroda for The Standard
A woman holds a dog leash while standing on a sidewalk. Another person bends down to assist the dog. A third person looks on. They are in front of a gate and stairs.
A Yes on K campaign volunteer stops along her door-knocking route to pet a dog. | Source: Paul Kuroda for The Standard
People at a rally hold signs reading "YES on K" with "OCEAN BEACH PARK" in the background. A woman in yellow affectionately leans on a boy in a green-striped shirt.
Liam Chang and son Jay, 7, hold up signs in favor of Prop. K. | Source: Paul Kuroda for The Standard

At the Yes on K rally, Wiener called the measure a once-in-a-lifetime chance to build something great.

“This is a generational opportunity to create an oceanfront park so that people can just enjoy themselves and bike or walk or just hang out, be with their kids,” he said.

Closing JFK Drive to vehicle traffic made that roadway a wildly popular destination for pedestrians, he said. The same was true for Octavia Boulevard after the city took down part of the Central Freeway, he added.

“Every time we have a fight about whether to turn pure car space into space for people and every time we actually take that step, it ends up being wildly successful,” Wiener said. “And people look back and say, ‘Wow why was that even controversial?'”

If voters pass Prop. K, campaign manager Lucas Lux said that would be just a starting point.

“We can’t begin to imagine what a future coastal park could look like,” he said, “until we first pass Prop. K and set aside part of our coast for use as a park.”