Days before Prop K opponents filed lawsuit before San Francisco’s Great Highway closes to their private cars

SAN FRANCISCO – Community leaders and residents of San Francisco’s Westside area announced on March 11 that they filed a lawsuit seeking an injunction against the implementation of Order K, approved in November 2024.

The two-mile stretch and a 1.7-mile southern expansion of San Francisco’s westernmost highway were permanently closed on March 14, as planned by San Francisco Recreation & Parks.

“The key to the lawsuit is that you can’t partially close the road and voters don’t have the authority to close the road. At the rally on March 11, Richard Colier, a fourth-generation resident of San Francisco’s west side, said: “The key to the lawsuit is that you can’t close the road, and that’s why the electorate has no authority to close the road. At the rally on March 11, Richard Colier, a fourth-generation resident of San Francisco and a retired police commander.

The complaint was filed on March 10 by lawyers James Sutton and Eli Love, which lists the city of San Francisco, its Board of Supervisors (including the five supervisors who placed Prop K on the ballot), and its recreational department as defendants.

The lawsuit states that the supervisor involved in Prop K “ignoring the entire state’s authority over traffic control and roads and placing illegal measures in front of San Francisco voters.

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According to the lawsuit, Prop K violates the state’s vehicle code and the lack of a proper environmental assessment also violates the California Environmental Quality Act.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, 18,000-20,000 vehicles were using the upper highway per day. Traffic levels are slowly rising again, and opponents are worried that highway closures will cause traffic congestion and other safety issues in the already crowded alternative corridors.

“that’We are going to make it worse for us, for our business, for our jobs, for our safety, for our children, for our elderly, or for us. Albert Chow, owner of a Sunset area hardware store, said at the rally.

“San Francisco is the most democratic city in the United States. It was once a city about people’s power. It was once a city that had a very comprehensive process, and this is the absolute opposite,” former District 7 candidate for supervision, Matt Bochette told the Epoch Times.

Boschetto said many small business owners are worried. Because the diverted flow of people and cars can affect their livelihoods.

“This lawsuit is our only course to ensure a legitimate and legitimate process for those who have made it wrong and are most affected. It’s about holding elected officials at City Hall accountable for the laws of our state,” Bochette said in a speech at the rally.

Opponents of Prop K also launched a recall for District 4 supervisor Joel Engardio, accusing them of not representing members on the issue.

However, Prop K supporters say there is no merit in the lawsuit.

“The lawsuit is just a part of a long series of attempts by park opponents to overturn the will of San Franciscans,” Lucas Lux, president of Friends of Ocean Beach Park, issued a statement in a March 10 email. “These lawsuits continue to waste time and city resources, undermining the outcome of our elections.”