What breaks our heart isn’t just the policy failures. It’s the way real people have been dismissed, week after week, through the Hayes Street closure. Take Viktor. For years, he’s poured everything into his Hayes Valley shop, Cotton Sheep, one of those rare places that gives a neighborhood its soul. When he spoke up in the early days about how … Read post
August 6, 2025 Attention SFMTA:See street conditions for this past weekend:Friday August 1, 2025Saturday August 2, 2025 This marks the 34th consecutive week of documented noncompliance under Permit No. 1091787. As with previous weeks, the street was barren and lackluster, with nothing justifying the continued disruption to the corridor.We want to direct your attention to the traffic cluster at Hayes & … Read post
There’s been a quiet but calculated effort underway to turn Hayes Valley into the next Abbot Kinney. If that reference doesn’t hit right away, let us explain. 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 toxic mix of real estate speculation, political … Read post
July 21, 2025 SFMTA: Here are the block conditions and violations for this past weekend:Friday, July 18, 2025Saturday, July 19, 2025 | see video of rideshare pickups and deliveries clogging the 500 block This past weekend marked the 32nd consecutive week of documented noncompliance under Permit No. 1091787. While a carnival was active on Parcel K Saturday afternoon, the adjacent closure … Read post
July 7, 2025 Attention SFMTA: Here are the block conditions and violations for this past weekend:Friday July 4, 2025Saturday July 5, 2025See all Hayes Street Closure Activity here. This past weekend marked the 30th consecutive week of documented noncompliance under Permit No. 1091787 for the closure of the 400 block of Hayes Street. As with prior weeks, the permit holder … 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
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
May 30, 2025 Dear Members of the Rules Committee, We write to raise serious concerns about the legislative maneuvering underway to codify Hayes Street as part of a permanent “Entertainment Zone.” What is being framed as a citywide policy is, in practice, a means of entrenching a deeply contested weekend street closure that has harmed small businesses, lacked public process, … Read post
A reflection on advocacy, frustration, and the failed policy behind the Hayes Street closure. We never imagined we’d have to fight this hard for fairness. Like many others, we simply cared about our neighborhood-its businesses, its streets, and the people who live and work here every day. But once the aim evolved to keeping the street closed, and the impacts … Read post
