Come November, San Francisco voters will decide whether the stretch of coastal road known as the Upper Great Highway will permanently close, opening the door for a brand-new oceanfront park.
The plan would impact a two-mile section of the road, between Lincoln Way and Sloat Avenue, which currently operates normally during weekdays, but closes to cars for pedestrians and cyclists to use during the weekend. Supporters of a permanent closure say that it would allow for the creation of a landmark beachside park, while also addressing concerns of erosion as climate change affects coastal geography.
Unsurprisingly, a sizable opposition has risen up against this transformation, holding rallies and lobbying residents to open the Upper Great Highway to all cars, all the time. They claim a full-time closure will choke the Sunset and Richmond with traffic, and even hurt businesses. Many are focusing their anger at District 4 Supervisor Joel Engardio, who oversees most of the Sunset.
A website for the “Open the Great Highway” campaign claims the movement is made up of “environmentalists,” “commuters,” and “residents” concerned about the negative impact of diverted traffic in their neighborhoods. Many of the leaders of the movement are Chinese American, which is unsurprising, given the demographics of the Sunset and Richmond neighborhoods.
But the movement is also led by several committed members of a larger reactionary movement that has gained political power in the last four years, by levying fierce rhetoric and, at times, misinformation to win hearts and minds. A review of photos of the crowd by Gazetteer has found that people present at two recent rallies against the closure — one on July 18 at Ocean Beach, and another at City Hall on July 23 — included a melting pot of political actors with a penchant for extremist speech and ideals, including two people who took part in the January 6, 2021 insurrection.
At least one of those J6 attendees is actually a central organizer of the Great Highway opposition. Other leaders of the protests have led recall campaigns against progressive politicians, often while espousing culture war narratives about crime, equity, and gender.
Below, Gazetteer breaks down some of the most high-profile organizers and attendees.
Ellen Lee Zhou - SF’s MAGA Mayoral Candidate / Chinese Community Activist
One of the most recognizable figures in attendance at both rallies was Ellen Lee Zhou, a frequent fringe candidate in city politics who is most famous for attending the Jan. 6 insurrection in Washington, D.C., and maintaining a love of Trumpesque MAGA politics.
She’s running for mayor this year after a failed campaign in 2019, and touts a remarkable track record: Labeled a racist for using an offensive caricature of London Breed in a billboard, fired from the city Department of Public Health after refusing COVID vaccines in 2022, and now a plaintiff in a lawsuit that could dissolve unique public benefits for Black mothers and trans people in the city.
In an interview with Gazetteer, Zhou said she is now one of the leaders for “Open the Great Highway,” fielding calls and messages from Chinese American supporters and plugging them into the protest effort. She noted that the city has “enough parks” in the area around the Upper Great Highway and said the closure effort is rife with “Democrat lies.” Zhou is not a resident of the Sunset or Richmond — she lives near Portola in District 9 — but says she was motivated by her work in those neighborhoods with Chinese immigrants and elders.
“I encourage people to learn about politics and get involved and be your own voice. You cannot rely on politicians for your voice,” Zhou said. “We have a lot of groups and people on WeChat asking me to show up, so I did, and it’s been a lot of fun.”
Daniel Goodwyn - self-proclaimed Proud Boy who served prison time for January 6th participation
Daniel Goodwyn, who was prosecuted for his involvement in Jan. 6, was also in attendance at both rallies. He served 60 days in prison after his sentencing in May 2023 and is nearing the end of his 12 months of supervised release. A self-proclaimed member of the extremist hate group Proud Boys, Goodwyn continues to claim in public speeches that he is a “survivor” of the insurrection, that mask requirements are oppression (there is no mask mandate in San Francisco), and that there are conspiracies to put “microchips” in people.
At the July 23 rally, Goodwyn stood with organizers and supporters on the steps of City Hall, according to analysis of footage taken by an attendee of the protest and posted online. (He did not respond to calls or emails for comment.)
Marie Hurabiell - Head of ConnectedSF
One of the speakers at the July 23 event was Marie Hurabiell, who was appointed to the Presidio Trust Board of Directors in 2018 by then-President Donald Trump. A two-decade registered Republican, Hurabiell rebranded herself as a Democrat in 2022 for a City College Board of Trustees run (she lost).
Nonetheless, she maintains strong ties to conservative causes. Her political organization, ConnectedSF, has taken more than $500,000 from Neighbors for a Better San Francisco Advocacy, the powerful PAC backed by right-wing billionaire William Oberndorf. Hurabiell also frequently shares content on X from accounts with names like “End Wokeness,” and platforming messages that, among other things, imply potential voter fraud in SF and amplify a notorious transphobe. (She did not respond to a request for comment by email.)
Leanna Louie - Community College Board of Trustees Candidate and activist for school board and Boudin recalls
Leanna Louie, an influential figure in the 2022 recall of former District Attorney Chessa Boudin, spoke at both Great Highway protests. Louie was notably removed from the ballot during her 2022 run for the Board of Supervisors due to allegations of voter and residency fraud. She was also lambasted for calling Mission Local reporter Joe Eskenazi, who is Jewish, “EskeNAZI” in a social media post after receiving critical coverage from the publication. Louie, who is a veteran, told Gazetteer that one of her concerns is accessing the VA Medical Center at the edge of the Outer Richmond. She also blamed a “narrative” of anti-car advocacy that is affecting the daily lives of residents.
“Closing [the Great Highway] cuts off one group of people: Drivers. Excluding drivers has been the Bicycle Coalition’s narrative for the last God knows how many years. It’s horrible,” Louie said. “It seems like they want to shut down the whole city.”
Josephine Zhao - Head of Chinese American Democratic Club and activist for school board and Boudin recalls
Josephine Zhao, who was present at both protests, was previously a fierce advocate for the 2022 school board recall. The effort succeeded in booting three people from the SF school board, and it was motivated by moves to end “merit-based” admissions at the prestigious Lowell High School (which has an Asian majority student body), claims that the board was overrun by a “woke” agenda, and the drama over one board member’s contentious tweets about Asian people. Though the recallers came from all walks of life, Asian Americans were instrumental in leading the rhetoric, especially on assertions that the board was acting with anti-Asian bias.
While Zhao leads the respected Chinese American Democratic Club, she also has a track record of reactionary moves, including making transphobic remarks and trying to tank legislation designed to protect trans youth at schools.
Zhao, in an interview, said that she wants to help support Chinese Americans who are affected by the Great Highway closure but don’t know how to organize around it. She claimed her past offensive comments were due to misunderstandings and “poor translation,” but that they were ultimately her “own fault.” An hour after her interview with Gazetteer, Zhao suddenly requested to retract the entire conversation.
What Comes Next
In November, voters will decide whether to close the Great Highway permanently, rather than maintaining the current hybrid schedule. Engardio, the supervisor for the Sunset, points out that there are currently enough Board of Supervisors members in favor of the plan to authorize it without a vote, but have instead agreed to let the community choose.
“The writing is on the wall: seven Supervisors today are in favor of this ballot measure, which means that they could just legislate the closure by decree,” Engardio told Gazetteer. “Having it on the ballot allows those who oppose it to organize and fight it and potentially defeat it.”
And yet, Engardio said he’s been the target of immense ire for supporting the closure, including some calling for a recall against him.
To some advocates for bikes, pedestrians and city greening, closing the Upper Great Highway is a no-brainer that ultimately helps the city wean itself off a dependence on cars. But to others, it’s the latest battleground for a minority community that many members believe is being ignored and sidelined in favor of “progressive” demands (even if Engardio is, himself, backed by moderates).
There’s nothing inherently partisan about a fight over a road closure. But this fight, like the school board and Boudin recalls before it, has turned into something more than a simple question of cars versus bikes. It’s a proxy battle in a war over the culture of the city.
