A Neighborhood at a Crossroads
It’s been a busy fall, winter, and spring. With summer upon us, we thought it best to take a pause and share some updates, especially as we’ve been fielding many questions in our ongoing conversations with neighbors.
Had you asked us in 2020 what our community work would look like five years down the road, we might have called today’s landscape unpredictable – or would we? As we reflect on current events, there’s a clear thread of history weaving its way back into the conversation. To us, that’s a sign that people are starting to see the patterns for what they are and are willing to enter the dialogue. It also suggests we’re doing a decent job communicating what’s at stake for Hayes Valley and beyond.
Seasons of Escalation
When we published last summer’s roundup, we hoped 2025 might bring a return to balance in Hayes Valley, a chance to undo pandemic-era experiments and restore our neighborhood’s vitality. Instead, this year showed just how far City Hall is willing to go to entrench a policy framework that privileges the country club and its political allies over residents and small businesses.
The permanent closure of Hayes Street and its expansion into a 20+ block Entertainment Zone moved forward at breathtaking speed. Mayor Lurie signed the ordinance quietly in late June, cementing Hayes Valley as the first residential neighborhood subjected to this destination-driven model. For many, it felt less like community planning and more like a political vanity project one that sidelines those most impacted.
Yet this spring was also a season of resolve. Neighbors and merchants stood together, filing formal complaints, exposing behind-the-scenes coordination, and calling out the exclusionary processes that have come to define Hayes Valley’s recent trajectory.
Our Work This Past Few Seasons
Head West: The Strain of Preferential Permitting
The problems with the Head West market in Hayes Valley remain persistent. We recently shared updates on this ongoing issue and believe our latest letter to SFMTA captures the situation well. Frankly, this has been a drain on our time and resources, and it’s deeply frustrating to see SFMTA continue this scheme. This event has benefited from preferential permitting from SFMTA and ISCOTT, with little regard for economic impact or neighborhood input. Despite repeated outreach, City agencies have failed to address the inequitable use of public streets allowing an event that pays no rent in Hayes Valley to disrupt the corridor’s commerce vitality and undermine the businesses whose leases sustain it.
Hayes Street Closure: From Temporary to Entrenched
It’s been five years since the 400 block of Hayes was first closed under a “temporary” Shared Spaces permit. In that time, the so-called “Hayes Promenade” has evolved from a pandemic experiment into an unofficial rebranding of a vital commercial corridor. Last month, the closure was further entrenched as part of the Hayes Valley Entertainment Zone despite documented economic harm and overwhelming opposition from neighbors and merchants.
We’ve spent countless hours documenting violations, submitting evidence, and engaging in good faith with SFMTA leadership. Yet the agency’s response has been defined by inaction, deflection, and a refusal to enforce their own standards; it’s become clear that SFMTA is more interested in preserving a failed experiment than in upholding the integrity of its own permitting processes. We continue to call for the closure to end and for the corridor to be restored to its rightful use: a walkable, vibrant street that serves residents and supports small businesses.
With the permit up for renewal this fall, we’ve launched a citywide awareness campaign to restore Hayes Street. We hope you’ll join us and share this effort with other San Franciscans.
The Deteriorating Relationship with Supervisor Bilal Mahmood
When Supervisor Bilal Mahmood took office, he promised transparency and community engagement. But over the past six months, our experience has been the opposite. Records we obtained show his office coordinating privately and exclusively with HVNA and HVMC to advance the Entertainment Zone legislation and to quietly pursue a permanent closure of Hayes Street all while ignoring critical feedback from small businesses and residents directly impacted by these policies.while ignoring critical feedback from small businesses and residents directly impacted by these policies. Our attempts to engage in good faith have been met with deflection and, frankly, a deeply degrading experience. Considering what continues to play out on Hayes Street, we are gravely concerned about the integrity of governance in San Francisco. More on this to come.
Looking Ahead
We’re staying the course because we’ve discovered how much neighbors and now San Franciscans citywide appreciate our work and the information we share. In our fifth year, it’s clear we’re filling a critical void: we’re not paid, we’re not promoting our names or titles we’re simply drilling down on the policies and initiatives shaping our neighborhood.
Since cementing a voice in this conversation, we’ve consistently called out the country club dynamics in Hayes Valley. And now, with a supervisor beholden to that same circle, it’s clear to all what is going on here. And now, with a supervisor beholden to that same circle, we see full well what is going on here. We’re sharing this to put people on notice: what has happened since Bilal Mahmood took office is an absolute disgrace when it comes to representation. More and more neighbors are asking how we hold leaders accountable when they refuse to represent us. We’re proud of the work we’ve done and we won’t stop until Hayes Valley is a place where decisions are made with, not for, the people who call it home.
I would gladly support a recall of Bilal. He’s another Joel Engardio. Completely ignores his constituents. He thinks he knows better. Always going on about how he grew up in the Tenderloin but somehow has no idea what to do about the drug addicts plaguing our streets. Bilal needs to go!
Thank you for staying in it. Having spoken to a few neighbors about the dynamics with the HVNA and Bilal I’m not holding my breath that things will improve. Observing what goes on at the closure is akin to highschool turf dynamics with A____w and a few HVNA members acting like this is their playground. It’s sad when you see how the open spaces are not being used to their fullest and the great lengths some of our long term businesses have taken to be heard and understood. I would not be surprised if the closure is made permanent that Bilal will be facing a recall. It’s absurdity at its finest to shut Hayes St down permanently. Keep up the updates! Many of us are grateful for the depths of your diligence on policy that is effecting us here in the neighborhood.