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

Why the Entertainment Zone fight in Hayes Valley reveals a deeper failure in San Francisco politics

In the past, San Francisco mayors made space for constituents and neighborhood groups through the Office of Neighborhood Services. That office was closed under Mayor London Breed, and with it, a key conduit to City Hall disappeared. There was once a relationship however imperfect between residents and the people elected to serve them. Today, that relationship has all but vanished. … Read post

Our Statement

The Hayes Valley Entertainment Zone: The Story is Unraveling San Franciscans deserve transparent governance, not a backroom deal disguised as community policy. To those of you who have stood with us – thank you. Please keep sharing this with neighbors, small business owners, and public safety and good governance advocates. Over the past several weeks, we have uncovered internal emails, … Read post

Stop the Hayes Valley Entertainment Zone Backroom Deal

Update: Thursday July 3, 2025 5:35 pmThis week, we wrote again to the Mayor’s Office following the quiet signing of the Hayes Valley Entertainment Zone ordinance. We made it clear: Hayes Valley will no longer sit quietly while the consequences of failed policies continue to compound. We are insisting on a full review of this fiasco (with Sunshine and Ethics … Read post