URGENT CITYWIDE SUPPORT NEEDED
We are in a full scale battle over a 1 block closure with a push underway to make it 24/7 and permanent.
We urge every San Franciscan who believes in a fair and equitable process for SFMTA initiatives/policies that impact Neighborhood Small Business and Residents to show support.
Help us fend off a permanent street closure. If process can go amiss here it can go amiss in your neighborhood. Please support by signing and sharing with your neighbors.
Why this petition matters
The survival of San Francisco’s small businesses remains on the line as economic pressures mount and their representation in policymaking continues to diminish. Businesses have reported operational disruption, declining revenue, and a dramatic disconnect between policy and economic reality. We’ve witnessed firsthand how independent operators have been sidelined while a narrow faction continues to impose ideology over fairness, transparency, and real-world outcomes.
The Hayes Street closure is a case in point. What began as a temporary emergency measure during COVID has quietly morphed into a push for a permanent pedestrianized “entertainment zone” without broad consensus, compliance, or proper evaluation of harm.
To suggest that closing one block of a major commercial corridor is a net positive while ignoring urgent traffic, transit, and safety needs in Hayes Valley defies logic. Claims that this closure addresses a lack of open space are equally unfounded: this stretch of Hayes sits directly adjacent to Patricia’s Green, Proxy, Parcel K, and other underused public assets.
Even more alarming, the current permit holder has repeatedly failed to comply with permit conditions yet continues to be rewarded with more access, more control, and more influence over a prominent San Francisco business corridor. This raises serious concerns about selective enforcement, governance, and who gets to control access to a public street – one that was never intended to be repurposed or reclassified.
We believe this is a misuse of SFMTA resources and a failure of leadership.
We support balanced transportation planning for all modes with unobstructed access to Hayes Street for residents, workers, and small businesses who rely on it every day.
Hayes Valley has been caught in the crosshairs of political opportunism. A short-lived, city-led process initiated by Mayor London Breed’s office in 2023 sought to bring all stakeholders to the table…but it was quickly derailed. Then-Supervisor Dean Preston, working in alignment with the permit holder, abandoned that inclusive approach and instead backed a unilateral petition campaign that sidelined the broader community.
To date, Supervisor Bilal Mahmood has failed to meaningfully engage the full spectrum of stakeholders affected by this closure particularly small business owners. Instead, his recent participation in events organized solely by the permit holder signals tacit endorsement of a process that has excluded many. This one-sided approach not only deepens community division, but also undermines the very promise of public service: to listen, represent, and lead with equity. The role of a supervisor is not to amplify one narrative rather it is to ensure that all voices are heard, especially those who’ve borne the brunt of policy decisions made without them.
This is not the time to double down on a permanent closure that has caused division, displaced commerce, and failed to meet even the most basic permit requirements. The claim of broad public support is not only unverified, it’s misleading.
That’s why we’re reaching out to San Franciscans citywide. Because how this plays out affects more than just Hayes Valley…it sets the precedent for how streets are managed, how businesses are treated, and how public process is upheld in San Francisco.
We stand for fairness, inclusion, and accountability. Reopen Hayes Street. Restore balance. Stop the slow-motion privatization of our public corridors.
Share the QR code below with interested businesses and neighbors.
