May 7, 2025
Good morning SFMTA & ISCOTT:
We thank Nick and Bryant for their ongoing help navigating through the issues concerning the Head West event in Hayes Valley.
Top reasons why Head West should be denied a permit for 2 additional dates this year:
- This event disproportionately affects our independent small businesses on Hayes Street, Octavia and Laguna. This event creates a competitive landscape and caters to an incompatible clientele. Simply put, it’s costing $100,000’s of lost revenue collectively for our leaseholders while Head West is pocketing big money each time it sets its event up here in Hayes Valley. (The rate Head West charges for its event in Hayes Valley is the highest compared to its other venues. According to our estimates, Head West is raking in about 50k per day in Hayes Valley.)
- Due to the ongoing street closure issues occurring on Fridays and Saturdays, we are asking SFMTA to relocate this event to another venue. At this point, any additional street vendor events are subjecting our small businesses to further financial losses and putting them at risk of closing. We are advocating to minimize business operational risks.
- SFMTA ISCOTT admits it cannot adjudicate the aforementioned concerns because it is beyond their purview and scope; thanks to Nick and Bryant we understand that the department’s role is strictly focused on addressing a checklist of procedural items (none are related to small business needs, concerns, or policy representation). This fact has created a loophole that Head West is able to exploit at our neighborhood’s expense (which needs to stop).
- The ongoing lack of participation in the local business community — from the Mayor’s Office, to the Supervisor’s Office, to SFMTA leadership — is staggering. The lack of answers or engagement is dumbfounding on this matter, yet the permit for Head West keeps being rubber stamped. Enough is enough; we’re tired of repeating our positions. This is now a case of the SFMTA being anti-small business by means of its own admission that it cannot do anything beyond marking the checklist for a temporary permit to close down a street. Jimmy (owner of Head West) already was granted 2 days this year …that’s more than plenty. He does not need 2 more days to pocket money at our expense. On the contrary, denying Jimmy would mean giving 2 Sundays back to our small businesses!
We hope you do the right thing and deny this permit tomorrow.
Thank you.
HVSafe