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SFMTA Correspondence: On-Site Operator Visibility & Engagement Concerns – Shared Spaces Permit 1316522

December 2025- March 2026This thread documents follow-up communications with SFMTA regarding practical challenges in community documentation of public street conditions during the Hayes Street closure. The focus is on clear identification of the on-site representative to support neutral, safe oversight. December 2, 2025 – Initial Email to SFTMA Shared Spaces Team We are writing to raise an operational concern regarding … Read post

Bilal in January 2025: Abdicating the Role of Representative

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 … Read post

What We Learned From Engaging SFMTA on Pay or Permit Parking

Over the past two years, Hayes Valley has been used as the first large-scale test case for the City’s Pay or Permit Parking (PPP) program. The idea is simple: residents with permits can park for free, while visitors must pay at meters instead of following two-hour time limits. In theory, PPP is meant to increase parking availability, reduce circling, and … Read post

A 20 Year Hayes Valley Merchant Forced Out

This month, Hayes Valley will lose one of its most cherished small businesses. After 20 years at the corner of Hayes and Octavia, Miette is relocating to the Fillmore. While their story continues elsewhere, Hayes Valley is losing a piece of its heart. For many, Miette was more than a candy shop — it was a place of celebration, of … Read post

49 Reasons the Hayes Street Closure Needs to End

The Hayes Street closure was supposed to be temporary. Instead, it’s become a politicized experiment with no accountability one that hurts small businesses, fuels division, and defies logic. Here’s why it’s time to reopen Hayes: 1. It was never meant to be permanent.The closure began as a short-term pandemic response. Those conditions no longer exist. 2. Use of the space … Read post

The “Abbot-Kinnification” of Hayes Valley — A Neighborhood Takeover in Real Time

There’s been a quiet but calculated effort underway to turn Hayes Valley into the next Abbot Kinney. If that reference doesn’t land immediately, it should because the pattern is already unfolding in real time. Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice Beach was once a quirky, eclectic strip filled with independent shops, creatives, and community culture. But over time thanks to a … Read post

EZ Is the New Formula Retail

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