Restore Hayes Street to Public Use.

Issues with New Garbage Bins at Patricia’s Green

Unfortunately in less than a week’s time the new garbage bins at Patricia’s Green have busted locks, doors exposed and ongoing trash and debris overflow. It’s not a pretty sight and many of you have been inquiring. We’ve been in communication with SFPW and they too are dismayed by the current conditions. They’ve explained that they have reached out to … Read post

HVSafe Letter to Board of Supervisors, RE: Proposed Vacancy Tax

We’re sharing our recent correspondence to the Board of Supevisors Planning Department and some of our positions on this matter. We recognize taking a position is often fraught with apprehension, but we believe it’s critical for the health of civic dialogue, advocacy and the right to redress. Dear Board Members. We are writing in support of the proposed vacancy tax … Read post

We Did Not Form a Coup

The year leading up to the 2020 HVNA (Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association) Election was a doozy in large part because past President (Gail Baugh) was still calling the shots while the new president (Craig Hamburg) stepped into the role.  2019 also marked the year of the District 5 supervisor campaign. The following contentious issues arose during the 2019 board year: … Read post

Shared Street Closure Permit Renewal – 300 Block of Hayes

It is increasingly evident that justification for the Shared Street Closure on Hayes Street has run its course. The program, hastily enacted under emergency policy, has not been subject to community review since its initial roll out in August of 2020. This lack of process has allowed the permittee, HVNA (Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association), to control the closure without input … Read post

Hayes Valley Street Closure Traffic Gridlock

Hayes Valley Shared Streets Closure causes Chaos on Hayes and Octavia Is this the best we can do to achieve environmental justice. What about noise & air pollution?

Repercussions of Chain Stores Not Holding Regular Business Hours Impacting Small Business Operators Store Security

We have a number of chain stores on our business corridor who are currently not holding regular store hours, no visible store hours posted, or staff regularly on site -these stores are now experiencing breakins – putting small independent business operators on edge and concerned about their store security. We reached out to Northern Station SFPD to inquire about any … Read post

Thank You and Cheers to a New Year

As we close out this calendar year we want to take a moment to reflect on the many efforts by our community members and volunteers. As we enter our 2nd year at HVSafe, we can attest to having started a new organization as being a rewarding and inspiring endeavor. We are driven to go to bat for neighbors and small … Read post

The Genesis of HVSafe

Once we decided to roll out this series we knew we had to kick things off with a brief reflection on the time and circumstances of when HVSafe officially began its efforts.  Let’s set the stage shall we. Albeit the existing neighborhood organization (HVNA, Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association) has had a long standing presence in the neighborhood, many neighbors/small businesses … Read post

Founder Ejected from HVNA Meeting, Again

We’re still reeling from the last reprimand by the HVNA and then last night Richard was ejected from the HVNA T&P meeting. Unreal. This time it’s even more brazen! Here’s the exchange that occurred on Zoom once Richard raised his Zoom hand to get in line to speak….and the result was: he was kicked out of the meeting. Following that … Read post

Founder Reprimanded by Jen Laska HVNA President

As luck would have it while we’re beginning our series ‘behind the scenes‘ …one of our founders received the following email last week from the Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association’s (HVNA) president Jen Laska. A bit of context here: earlier this month he attended one meeting and was censored heavily when asking particulars. Consequently at a later meeting on the same … Read post