For nearly 2 years, the Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association (HVNA) has operated a parallel approval system governing access to a public street. This isn’t about events or programming. It’s about who controls access to a public street. A de facto gatekeeping and sublicensing system in which third parties are directed to apply for access to Hayes Street through HVNA’s own … Read post
To our neighbors, public officials, and anyone paying attention— For over five years, we’ve shown up in good faith and we’re still showing up. We’ve submitted public comments, organized businesses, met with agencies, and tried to elevate the voices of residents who’ve been left out of the loop. We believed perhaps naively that if we did the work, we’d be … Read post
On December 16, the San Francisco Entertainment Commission approved a year-long amplified sound permit for the 400 block of Hayes Street. The approval authorizes recurring amplified sound on Fridays and Saturdays for up to six hours per day, tied to the ongoing Hayes Street closure. While the approval has now been granted, the hearing and application record raise serious concerns … Read post
A 2020 Governance Record of Retaliatory Exclusion in Hayes Valley Part of the Hayes Street Series — documenting the governance patterns that predate and shaped later decisions around Hayes Street. Purpose of This Summary This summary is not submitted to re-litigate internal disputes from 2020. It is submitted to document early warning signs of governance abuse that later escalated into … Read post
Most people remember COVID as a time of fear, isolation, and uncertainty. What’s easier to forget is how the breakdown of everyday civic life accelerated power shifts that were already underway. In Hayes Valley, the pandemic didn’t create civic dysfunction. It exposed and intensified it. The cracks were already there Well before 2020, many neighbors were already raising concerns about … Read post
For anyone new to our work, it may look unusual that neighbors have spent more than a year documenting the weekly conditions of a weekend street closure. But the truth is: we should never have had to. For nearly five years, the Hayes Street closure has operated under a patchwork of “temporary” permits that drifted further and further away from … Read post
A quick update on an issue we’ve raised for more than two years, one that has become newly relevant. On Parcel K, a bulletin board labeled a “community board” sits behind locked glass on City-owned land. In reality, only one neighborhood faction holds the key. They use the board to promote their initiatives, including messaging tied to the Hayes Street … Read post