January 26, 2026
Attention SFMTA:
See closure conditions for this past weekend:
Friday January 23, 2026
Saturday January 24, 2026
This marks Week 59 of documented noncompliance on the 400 block of Hayes Street. Conditions observed this weekend were not merely unchanged, they were further entrenched. Compounding these ongoing violations, baseline conditions imposed under the renewed permit term are not being implemented in practice. Required elements including No Parking signage, maintained emergency access, on-site management, and lawful public notice identifying permit authority and conditions remain absent. These are not discretionary features; they are minimum conditions for lawful operation under the renewed permit. Their continued non-implementation raises serious questions about whether this permit is being administered at all.
Observed repeat violations this weekend included:
- Continued operation of the unpermitted Signature-branded commercial tent
- Planter boxes and fixed obstructions occupying the public right-of-way
- No maintained emergency access lane
- Private vehicles parked within the closure area
- No posted closure signage or lawful public notice
- Expanded HVNA-branded advertising affixed to barricades, further commercializing a public street
This closure occupies a public right-of-way yet is being administered as a privately controlled, commercially promoted space, complete with branded barricades and advertising. That condition has now been allowed not only to persist, but to expand, under City authorization.
Accordingly, the public and the taxpayer are entitled to a clear explanation as to:
- Why Permit No. 1316522 has not been revoked
- Why repeated violations continue without enforcement
- Why private entities are being permitted to further entrench their presence absent lawful administration
Prolonged agency inaction has produced real downstream consequences. Residents and small businesses documenting permit violations are increasingly exposed to conflict and retaliation for undertaking functions that properly belong to the City. This is not civic engagement gone wrong. It is a breakdown in governance, created when oversight responsibilities are displaced onto private individuals while enforcement authority remains dormant. We again urge SFMTA to revoke Permit No. 1316522 immediately and restore Hayes Street to its intended, lawful use. An acknowledgment at this juncture, now long overdue, would be appropriate.
This correspondence has been edited for clarity and conciseness. Routine greetings and contact details have been omitted; the substance of the communication remains unchanged.