Opinion: One of the problems with Prop K is the way it got on the ballot

One of the problems with Prop K is the way it got on the Ballot. Five supervisors put Prop K on the Ballot, unannounced and at the last minute leaving no time for an opposing ballot measure to be submitted.

If not technically unethical, it is a down-and-dirty way to do government. There was no community input, and no discussion by the Supervisors.

If you believe in good government, if you believe in democracy, if you believe in the legislative process as the way for communities to address problems, you must vote no on Prop K.

Even the language of Prop K is misleading: "The restrictions on private vehicles have enabled people of all ages and all walks of life to safely recreate by the coast next to Ocean Beach by using the Upper Great Highway as a promenade for walking, jogging, biking, scooting, and rolling."

There is no need for any additional restrictions on private vehicles to accomplish this.

The Upper Great Highway is already closed to traffic from 12 PM on Friday to 6 AM on Monday and every holiday. The rest of the time, there is Ocean Beach on one side and a broad promenade on the other side for people to engage in "walking, jogging, biking, scooting, and rolling."

What are the motives for closing the Great Highway?

The politicians are working overtime to exempt the Lower Great Highway from the coastal zone protections established by the California Coastal Commission and upzone that area.

There must be hundreds of millions of dollars to be made from developing two miles of multi-story condos with a beachfront location. Mark Buell, President of the Recreation and Park Commission, has a long history as a real estate developer, but that may just be a coincidence.

How clever to disguise this gentrification of the Sunset as an "Ocean Front Park." Prop K will open the door to future development that will massively displace the local residents and destroy the community of the Outer Sunset. A well-funded, well-orchestrated advertising and promotional blitz proclaiming "Ocean Beach for Everyone" to deceive us.

No on K:

1. The bill lacks a plan or funding for a park; simply closing the area doesn't create one.

2. Parks already exist nearby (the Beach, Golden Gate Park, Land End, US National Parks and Recreation).

3. There is already a walking and bicycle path.

4. The bill undermines the compromise by shutting down the third option (closed on weekends).

5. The real intention appears to be to enable developers to build skyscrapers to profit developers.

6. The bill was introduced during a busy election year without any community input.

7. The supervisor submitted the bill just hours before the deadline to silence his district.

8. It doesn’t just add three minutes to commutes north and south; consider the overall impact.

9. It makes it very difficult for veterans to reach the Veterans Hospital.

10. It overlooks the future traffic burden on D1, D4, and D7 from 10,000 new housing units planned.

11. The bill exploits the Westside neighborhoods by submitting an issue to a citywide vote.

12. There are no climate benefits; it merely shifts smog inland to Sunset neighborhoods, with increasing idling.

13. The timing was strategic for ballot exclusion, allowing Yes on K to promote it while limiting opponents' time.

14. No one tells the whole story, 19th Ave repaving and rehabilitation work slated to start summer 2025 - from Holloway to Lincoln.

15. No environmental study.

*Gregory Leung is an appointed member to the California Acupuncture Board, retired Health Facilities Evaluator Nurse and member of the Chinese American Democratic Club in San Francisco.