San Franciscos never-ending beach boondoggle heads back to voters

San Francisco‘s bruising fight over an iconic coastal roadway has already spawned a citywide ballot measure, a supervisor’s recall and millions of dollars of political warfare — now it’s headed for round four.The city’s Department of Elections confirmed Thursday that a ballot measure seeking to rip apart Sunset Dunes Park and reopen the upper Great Highway to vehicle traffic has qualified for the November ballot, teeing up yet another bitter showdown over the former Ocean Beach roadway, which runs next to the Pacific Ocean along the western edge of San Francisco.The measure would reverse Proposition K, a 2024 voter-approved transformation of the freeway into Sunset Dunes, a two-mile oceanfront park that opened in April 2025 and features picnic areas, hammocks, fitness equipment, skate and bike amenities, and seating overlooking the Pacific.Opponents wasted no time blasting the new proposal as an expensive and unnecessary attempt to undo what voters have already decided.“Demolishing one of the city’s most used parks isn’t just an awful idea, it’s a boondoggle that would cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars with no upside,” Lucas Lux, president of Friends of Sunset Dunes, told The Post.Lux said the measure would require the city to dismantle every park feature, eliminate weekday access to the park — when supporters say roughly 60% of visits occur — and erase what advocates describe as one of San Francisco’s most successful new public spaces.“Data has debunked any remaining traffic concerns,” Lux said, “and local businesses are flourishing thanks to the park, which this measure would destroy.”An analysis by city agencies, including the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, estimates it would cost more than $14 million to dismantle Sunset Dunes and restore the roadway.

Opponents have argued the ultimate price tag could approach $20 million once demolition and related work are complete.Over the last six years, the Great ...