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Hayes Closure

Agency Correspondence – Vendor Activity and Permit Enforcement in Hayes Valley

In August 2025, HVSafe began raising concerns with City agencies regarding ongoing vendor activity operating within the Hayes Street closure area without visible permits or compliance with Shared Spaces requirements. Follow-up correspondence was sent in September 2025 and again on January 13, 2026, documenting continued violations and requesting clarification on enforcement. On March 9, 2026, a formal follow-up was sent. … Read post

When Enforcement Disappears, Fairness Disappears

Under Shared Spaces Permit No. 1316522, the permittee is responsible for ensuring: These are not optional guidelines. They are enforceable conditions of operation. Over the past year, we have documented repeated violations of these terms, including: When residents have attempted to inquire about permits in the past, operators responded with verbal hostility. As a result, neighbors now document from a … Read post

After 60 Weeks, the Hayes Street Closure Is No Longer Defensible

For more than 60 consecutive weeks, residents and small businesses have documented permit violations on the 400 block of Hayes Street and submitted them to SFMTA. Over that same period, conditions have not improved. They have persisted, and impacts have escalated rather than been resolved. Repeated concerns about economic harm to neighborhood retail and increased traffic congestion on surrounding streets … Read post

What Recent Discovery Reveals About the Hayes Street “Public Life Study”

A transparency update from Hayes Valley Safe Over the past year, residents and small businesses in Hayes Valley have repeatedly asked basic, good-faith questions about the future of Hayes Street — including whether the current temporary closure was being evaluated neutrally, and whether public funds were being used to advance a predetermined outcome. Those questions went largely unanswered. In January … Read post

HVNA Sound Permit 400 Block of Hayes St

December 16, 2025 Dear Members of the Entertainment Commission, We oppose approval of the Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association’s application for a year-long, weekly amplified-sound permit for the 400 block of Hayes Street. As proposed, the application seeks authorization for every Friday and every Saturday, for up to six hours per day, over the course of an entire year. This represents … Read post

Hayes Street Closure Permit Analysis

What Changed in the New Hayes Street Permit — and Why It Matters (New permit takes effect this Friday) Over the past few days we’ve taken a close look at SFMTA’s newly issued 2025–26 permit for the Hayes Street weekend closure. The rules differ dramatically from last year. Contrary to the perception that “nothing has changed,” the new permit introduces … Read post