AN INDEPENDENT
VOICE FOR
HAYES VALLEY
CommunitY-ROOTED
Hayes Street
The Series
The prolonged closure of the 400 block of Hayes Street may seem like a hyperlocal decision but it’s become one of San Francisco’s most quietly consequential public space policies. This isn’t just a story about a street. It’s a window into what happens when small business voices are sidelined, when public process breaks down, and when public space is repurposed without public consensus. It’s about who benefits, who’s excluded, and what that says about the future of our neighborhoods.
top reads
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Hayes Street Closure Post SFMTA Board Hearing Statement
Bad news: the SFMTA Board approved another year of the Hayes Street closure (under its current Friday/Saturday programming). Good news: Sundays were not added to the permit. While this outcome was not unexpected, it confirmed what many in our community have understood for years: the process surrounding this permit is not being run in good…
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SFMTA Hearing Materials Debrief: What the Public Is Not Being Told
posted at 11 am Our team has reviewed SFMTA’s staff report and slide deck released ahead of next week’s SFMTA Board hearing. What is being shown publicly and what is being left out raises serious concerns about transparency, data integrity, and decision-making during one of the worst financial crises in the agency’s history. SFMTA now…
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Experiment or Exploitation? When temporary policy becomes permanent politics on Hayes Street.
The 400 block of Hayes Street is closed off on Fridays and Saturdays to project an Instagram version of urban joy. Little music setups sprout up, chalk boxes appear, tango lessons unfold, and bubbles drift through the air between Octavia and Gough; meanwhile, playgrounds, parks, living alleys, and public parcels within blocks in each direction…
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Our Statement Post SFMTA ISCOTT Hearing • Hayes St Closure
LAST UPDATE: November 12th
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Statement RE: How a “Temporary” Street Closure Became a Permanent Political Project
San Francisco’s Shared Spaces program was meant to help businesses recover. Instead, it’s been used to keep Hayes Street closed for nearly five years. What began as a temporary Shared Spaces closure on Hayes Street in 2020 should have ended years ago. By late 2023, SFMTA staff were prepared not to renew the permit —…
recent
Hayes Street Closure Permit Analysis
When Retweets Become ‘Incidents’: What the Permit Holder Reported to City Hall
How SFMTA Manipulated Sales Tax Data on Hayes Street
Closed Hayes Street, SFMTA, Small Business
400 Block of Hayes Closure Permit Updates
February 2025 HVNA Briefing: Early Plans for Permanent Hayes Street Closure
Activation or Appropriation? How Hayes Street Became a Stage Set
The Hayes Street Reset: What We Want to See Happen
When Politics Crosses the Line: Why San Francisco Set Boundaries for Its Supervisors
What We Learned From Engaging SFMTA on Pay or Permit Parking
We Are Not a PAC
The HVNA Myth: Why They Don’t Speak for Hayes Valley
What SFMTA Has and Hasn’t Done — A Case Study in Failure for Hayes Valley
Closed Hayes Street, SFMTA, Small Business
Hayes Street Closure Activity
Entertainment Sound Permits on 400 Hayes
The City Promised Balance. Closures Delivered the Opposite.
Neighborhood Bulletin, Small Business
A 20 Year Hayes Valley Merchant Forced Out
The Human Cost of Divisiveness Created by the Hayes Street Closure
Why an “Impact/Feasibility Study” on Hayes Street Can’t Be Trusted
Neighborhood Bulletin, Public Safety
The Truth About the “New” Police Ambassador Program
Hayes Street Closure Series, Small Business
The “Abbot-Kinnification” of Hayes Valley — A Neighborhood Takeover in Real Time
Spring Roundup 2025
“Make Hayes Promenade Permanent”? Let’s Get Real.
Hayes Street Closure Series, Small Business
EZ Is the New Formula Retail
Why the Entertainment Zone fight in Hayes Valley reveals a deeper failure in San Francisco politics
Entertainment Zone Updates
Hayes Street Closure Series, Small Business
Who Gets to Speak for Hayes Valley?
Who Does a Supervisor Really Serve? Hayes Valley Deserves an Answer
Why You Should Care About What’s Happening on Hayes Street
Hayes Street Closure Permit Noncompliance
Neighborhood Bulletin, News, Public Safety