Opinion Archives - Hayes Valley San Francisco

Experiment or Exploitation? When temporary policy becomes permanent politics on Hayes Street.

January 11, 2026November 3, 2025

The 400 block of Hayes Street is closed off on Fridays and Saturdays to project an Instagram version of urban joy. Little music setups sprout up, chalk boxes appear, tango lessons unfold, and bubbles drift through the air between Octavia and Gough; meanwhile, playgrounds, parks, living alleys, and public parcels within blocks in each direction sit underused. But that’s apparently fine, because a feel-good vibe is where governance lives these days. A short-term pandemic experiment has become a permanent political …

An Open Letter Re: Public Safety

June 8, 2025August 21, 2024

image credit: 49miles.com Yesterday evening I sat on a table bench at 4505 Burgers & BBQ on Divisadero with my dog while my husband stood in line to place our order. My back was up against the gate (arrow on photo=location). Suddenly a loud voice behind me screamed obscenities and I was punched in the back. The gate behind me rattled. My heart stopped. I looked to the right and saw a half naked man with his pants falling with …

The Podcast

April 9, 2026April 19, 2022

Welcome to our round table chat. We explore the issues around us and the challenges impacting civic engagement in San Francisco. NEW! Episode 37 In this episode we catch up with Adam and hear about the state of SOMA, politics, his take on the current drug crisis, the passing of Steven, and why you can’t give up on advocacy. Recorded 3/2/2026. Episode 36 In this episode, we dig into the state of San Francisco’s drug crisis, share our unfiltered take …

Why Neighborhood Advocates Play a Key Role

July 14, 2022March 18, 2022

While City and Neighborhood politics seem to be in a clash of sorts these days making it even more challenging for neighbors to often obtain answers and insights on issues impacting their neighborhood, it’s good to revisit the critical role of Neighborhood Advocacy. We recently stumbled on this great read by Michigan State and believe it encapsulates many key points worth sharing. You can read the post in its entirety here. Local community activists have the respect of the communities …

An Open Letter Re: Encampment Fire on Octavia

January 3, 2025June 7, 2021

Dear San Francisco Agencies: RE: Encampment Sets Fire on Octavia We’re bypassing the step of sending in another email or letter to describe our outrage; it’s apparent that emails don’t yield any response or action these days. Worth noting, our Co-Founder Richard Johnson sent this text regarding the fire: Supervisor Preston, Captain Yep & Kyle this fire happened today around 4pm today on Octavia Blvd between Hickory & Fell on east side of blvd. In looking at the scene Ana, …

San Francisco’s Approach to Addiction Recovery is Unequipped

November 9, 2021June 3, 2021

Our friend and top addiction recovery advocate Tom Wolf hit the nail on the head with his recent post in Hope Street Coalition. Please take a read and pass along. The more attention and advocacy we get on this subject the better. San Francisco is trying to address its addiction crisis with more street outreach, safe sleeping sites, and street-crisis response. However, these efforts often result in addicts remaining on the streets because volunteers and outreach workers have nowhere to …

The Only Way to House ALL People Living on the Street

November 9, 2021April 15, 2021

(Today, Tomorrow, & Forever) Opinion by George P. Denny Editor’s Note: The views expressed in this commentary are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of HVSafe. You’ll meet all kinds of people if you live in San Francisco long enough, but it may take a lifetime to find someone who actually supports our strategy to lift the local homeless population out of untenable circumstances. It will certainly require some effort to find a …

A Take on Recent Merchant Breakins in Hayes Valley

February 1, 2026March 16, 2021

A recent post in Public Comment SF about merchants being hit hard with breakins made our eyes roll a tad due to the outspokenness of a few chairmen of the Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association (HVNA). Side note, we think it’s unfortunate the piece did not carry the view of small businesses on the corridor, but we recognize timing isn’t always on one’s side when stories are compiled. The following comments stand out in this piece: “With no tourist cars to …

Formula Retail Chain Trader Joe’s in Hayes Valley?

November 9, 2021March 11, 2021

The impact of bringing Formula Retail Chain Trader Joe’s to Hayes Valley is not being taken lightly by many long term businesses in the neighborhood, many of whom have shaped the character of the merchant corridor. Even more relevant to this topic is many of them have not been included in any of the discussions regarding Trader Joe’s. Here are just a few thoughts as we head in to Tuesday’s Pre Application Meeting. There is a consensus that there is …

Just Questions, To Begin

November 9, 2021February 12, 2021

Opinion by George P. Denny Editor’s Note: The views expressed in this commentary are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of HVSafe. Dear Neighbors, So, how does it feel to love San Francisco? Take this question in any direction you want, over whatever general period of time you have felt this way. What is it like to pay the costs to live here, what unique perks do you enjoy, and in what direction …