What the ‘Hayes Promenade’ petition doesn’t tell you Since September 2023, the petition to keep Hayes Street closed has evolved. In its first phase it was all about “Car-Free Hayes.” Then, last year, the narrative shifted: suddenly it became the “Hayes Promenade.” But let’s be clear: there is no official Hayes Promenade. It’s a concept pushed by a narrow group … Read post
How San Francisco’s “Activation” Agenda Is Gutting the Neighborhood Economy Again Hayes Valley once set the bar for protecting small business. Its 2004 formula retail ban was designed to block chain stores and preserve a local-serving economy. But over the years, City Hall has quietly chipped away at those protections first by making exceptions, then by ignoring them outright. Now, … Read post
In the past, San Francisco mayors made space for constituents and neighborhood groups through the Office of Neighborhood Services. That office was closed under Mayor London Breed, and with it, a key conduit to City Hall disappeared. There was once a relationship however imperfect between residents and the people elected to serve them. Today, that relationship has all but vanished. … Read post
It starts small. A closed street here. A community board there. An event permit that seems innocuous on its face. But step by step, a pattern emerges and if you’re not paying attention, you might miss how fast the foundation shifts beneath your neighborhood. Over the past five years, we’ve engaged in what should have been straightforward advocacy: asking for … Read post
Grove Street Traffic from Fillmore to Gough Streetat 12 noon.Hayes was open … so this proposed overflow street is already over swamped … can’t handle normal traffic and to close Hayes Street permanently would make Grove St traffic problematic.
How HVNA Skirts Democracy to Push Its AgendaThe Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association (HVNA) has been around for over 30 years. But today, what once billed itself as a neighborhood voice now acts more like a gatekeeping institution…one that leverages its nonprofit status and cozy ties to City Hall to push policies most residents never agreed to. Locals have a nickname … Read post
The Hayes Valley Entertainment Zone: The Story is Unraveling San Franciscans deserve transparent governance, not a backroom deal disguised as community policy. To those of you who have stood with us – thank you. Please keep sharing this with neighbors, small business owners, and public safety and good governance advocates. Over the past several weeks, we have uncovered internal emails, … Read post
Since news broke about the proposed “Entertainment Zone” in Hayes Valley aka the Booze Zone we’ve been fielding a lot of questions. So here’s a straight-up explanation of what’s going on, and who’s behind it. This didn’t come from the neighborhood. It came from HVNA leadership and a first-term Supervisor who seems more interested in celebrating with the street closure … Read post
How a locked bulletin board reveals a long-standing pattern of exclusion in Hayes Valley. It was billed as a public resource: a new bulletin board installed on Parcel K in the heart of Hayes Valley, just steps from the now-controversial 400 block street closure. But like many recent “community” initiatives in the neighborhood, what was framed as public and inclusive … Read post
