This is a followup to our November 2024 correspondence.
August 14, 2025
Sent to: City Administrator’s Office
We are following up once again on our ongoing inquiries regarding the bulletin board on Parcel K. It has now been over 2 years since we first raised concerns. To date, we have received no substantive response or path forward from your office or any city agency overseeing this public site. That silence is deeply troubling. This so-called “community board” continues to serve as a vehicle for one group to control the public narrative—most recently through materials promoting the permanent street closure and affiliated events that compete directly with independent small businesses in the area. Meanwhile, other city-recognized neighborhood groups remain excluded. Our flyers and positions, which reflect the perspectives of a wide range of residents and merchants, have been repeatedly removed by HVNA representatives. This is simply not right.
We have proposed reasonable compromises, including a modest solution: a half-page listing of contact information for the other city-recognized groups in Hayes Valley. That request has gone ignored. Instead, we continue to witness selective access, viewpoint discrimination, and the use of a public-facing platform to advance narrow interests under the guise of “community.”We are now formally requesting answers to the following:
- Why has there been no reply to our previous correspondence?
- Who is ultimately responsible for ensuring public fairness and free expression on publicly leased property?
- Will the City take steps to ensure this board is no longer under exclusive control?
This ongoing situation raises serious concerns about public misrepresentation, exclusion, and the City’s failure to uphold basic standards of civic fairness and neutrality. {This is not just a matter of principle, this situation has caused real and measurable harm. By allowing only one group to define the narrative and silence competing viewpoints, the City has inadvertently enabled policies and decisions that have reshaped our neighborhood without inclusive input.} We ask that this be treated with the seriousness it deserves. If no action is taken, we will be forced to explore additional remedies, including public exposure of this continued exclusion. We look forward to your response.
-HVS
This correspondence has been edited for clarity and conciseness. Routine greetings, scheduling notes, and contact details have been omitted; the substance of the communication remains unchanged.