March 28, 2026
Attention SFMTA:
Closure Conditions Observed – Weekend of March 20–21, 2026
Friday March 20, 2026
Saturday March 21, 2026
For more than 67 weeks, community members have systematically documented ongoing compliance failures associated with the Hayes Street closure. These records demonstrate a clear, consistent, and unaddressed pattern of violations.
Observations from this past weekend reflect the same persistent issues:
- Continued unpermitted vendor activity
- Ongoing commercial use of the public right-of-way without visible authorization
- Persistent lack of enforcement and oversight by the permit holder and the City
These are not new or isolated incidents. They represent the continuation of problems that have been repeatedly raised with SFMTA and remain unaddressed. If SFMTA had consistently enforced the permit conditions as required, this pattern of noncompliance would have been addressed and the permit likely revoked long ago. Instead, SFMTA’s sustained inaction has enabled the permit holder to operate with a sense of impunity. This prolonged tolerance has emboldened the HVNA to respond to legitimate community documentation with legal action rather than corrective action or compliance.
Treating public observation of a permitted public space as grounds for legal action highlights a deeper breakdown in permit administration, enforcement, and agency oversight. SFMTA’s continued tolerance of these violations has contributed directly to this dynamic, fostering an environment in which the permit holder views itself as above oversight rather than a steward of public space.
For years, we have engaged in good faith, providing detailed documentation and requesting arbitration and corrective measures. Yet no meaningful response or enforcement has occurred. In our view, SFMTA’s inaction has made the agency an enabler of this activity.
At this stage, the appropriate course of action is clear. The sustained and well-documented noncompliance, combined with the absence of effective oversight, indicates that factors outside the permit itself are influencing outcomes. SFMTA has both the authority and the responsibility to uphold its own standards consistently.
Accordingly, and consistent with our prior correspondence, we again call on the SFMTA Board to revoke PermitNo. 1316522 without further delay and restore the 400 block of Hayes Street to its intended public use.
-HVS
This correspondence has been edited for clarity and conciseness. Routine greetings and contact details have been omitted; the substance of the communication remains unchanged.