The earliest evidence of undue influence and eroded process.
In January 2025, just two weeks into Supervisor Bilal Mahmood’s term, a SFMTA/ISCOTT hearing was held to consider the Head West street closure permit. This for-profit marketplace had begun seeking a higher frequency (4x) of dates in Hayes Valley during the early pandemic — compounding the impacts of the already contentious Hayes Street weekend closure. HVS and local businesses had raised concerns for years, and Head West’s expanded footprint only intensified the harm. These events diverted foot traffic, reduced weekend business, and favored vendors over independent retailers operating on Hayes and Octavia, while leaseholders were left contending with the fallout.
Ahead of the January hearing, we sent a letter to ISCOTT:
🔗 Read our letter
SFMTA acknowledged that 145 letters of opposition were submitted and just 31 in support. No Hayes Valley merchant spoke in support at the hearing. Several testified against the closure, citing economic harm and disruption to the neighborhood. The sole exception? Lloyd Silverstein, a vocal backer of the Hayes Street closure and longtime advocate for HVNA/HVMA. Silverstein operates a retail shop on Linden Street — not Hayes — and directly benefits from the closures.
This moment became our first major red flag of Mahmood’s term.
What we now know:
Mahmood had not yet met with any impacted businesses. He had not responded to community outreach. He had only been in office two weeks. Yet insiders like Silverstein were already lobbying on behalf of the closure and painting those opposed as a fringe.
We didn’t realize until now just how quickly things turned.
Minutes after the hearing ended, Silverstein emailed Mahmood, dismissing opponents as a “very small but vocal minority” and warned that we might try to “lobby [him] and the Mayor.”
Mahmood replied: “Yep, we’re on it.”
This wasn’t democracy. It was damage control, in real time.
From Lloyd Silverstein to Supervisor Mahmood
Timestamp: January 23, 2025, 11:16 a.m. — minutes after the SFMTA ISCOTT hearing ended
Subject: Hayes Valley – Head West and the “vocal minority”
The deeper issue:
- Lloyd does not operate on Hayes. His business is on Linden Street, a side alley. He accused others of being “outside the boundaries.”
- At the 2025 ISCOTT hearing, and every hearing since, he’s claimed to speak only for himself. Yet he continues to be treated as a proxy for the entire neighborhood.
- He knows exactly who opposes Head West and why. Dismissing that history is dishonest.
Instead of investigating those concerns or asking broader questions, Mahmood doubled down. He gave private assurances to insiders while ignoring the public record.
This is how public process breaks down. And in Hayes Valley, it keeps happening.
Fast forward to 2026:
Just this month, ISCOTT approved four more Head West events. No community members spoke in support, except Lloyd Silverstein. Opposition was again dismissed, and approval did not stem from consensus or transparency. In the words of ISCOTT Chair Bryant Woo::
“Policy direction came from the Supervisor’s office.”
That Supervisor is Bilal Mahmood. And this time, SFMTA staff openly admitted coordination with the Mayor’s Office. When decisions are driven by political insiders instead of public input, the result isn’t civic leadership. It’s entrenchment and control.
See all our documented history on Head West here.
Just last week, Mahmood introduced a sweeping amendment to the City Charter to impose term limits on Supervisors, claiming it would restore trust in democracy. But here in Hayes Valley, we’ve experienced the opposite: a first-year Supervisor, untouched by community consensus, who has spent his tenure rewarding insiders and retaliating against critics.
The contrast could not be more stark. One year ago, Mahmood privately assured a lobbyist of support. One year later, he pressured City staff to approve contested permits — over the voices of residents, merchants, and the public record.
That’s not the future of San Francisco. That’s a warning shot. Every neighborhood should be paying attention.