Under Shared Spaces Permit No. 1316522, the permittee is responsible for ensuring:
- Vendor compliance with California Seller’s Permit requirements
- City business registration where business activity occurs
- Adherence to vehicle restrictions within the closed roadway
These are not optional guidelines. They are enforceable conditions of operation.
Over the past year, we have documented repeated violations of these terms, including:
- Ongoing commercial vending without visible proof of required permits or registration
- A large commercial van parked within the designated car-free zone
- Ongoing written correspondence spanning nearly two years requesting clarification and enforcement action
When residents have attempted to inquire about permits in the past, operators responded with verbal hostility. As a result, neighbors now document from a distance to avoid escalation. This is not how a properly administered public right-of-way should function.
Meanwhile, brick-and-mortar leaseholders in Hayes Valley operate under strict requirements — paying rent, taxes, insurance, licensing fees, and complying with zoning, fire, labor, and public health regulations. Those requirements are enforced. The standards should not be different in the public right-of-way. There is no option to operate “pending enforcement.”
When unauthorized commercial activity is allowed to continue in the public right-of-way without visible compliance or corrective action, it creates an uneven and unfair business environment.
A permit that is not administered or enforced in practice ceases to function as a regulatory framework. It becomes selective. Selective enforcement in a shared public space undermines both public trust and economic fairness.
These documented violations along with the lack of agency response, are among the reasons we are formally petitioning for revocation of the current permit.
Supporting Documentation:
–Redacted correspondence with City Agencies (August 2025- January 2026)
–Weekly compliance reports and photographic records
–Petition to revoke Shared Spaces Permit No. 1316522