Email Communication Sent to Supervisors 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, and 11

The following request was sent to Supervisor: Catherine Stefani, Joel Engardio, Matt Dorsey, Myrna Melgar, Rafael Mandelman and Ahsha Safai on Monday. We spoke to aides from all 6 supervisor offices over the course of the last couple of days and are awaiting a response.

5 supervisor signatures are needed to file the appeal. We are currently conducting followups.

Re: Support for Request for Appeal

Monday December 4, 2023

Attention Supervisor:

We are reaching out to your office for support for an appeal for a SFMTA Board decision which was adopted on November 7th 2023 for the Hayes Valley Street Closure.

This closure which was was rolled out during the pandemic under the terms of a temporary program has undergone a series of permit renewals which included programming modifications (initially the closure was on 3 blocks, then 2 and now 1, etc.); these changes were the result of 3 years of advocacy by the Hayes Valley Small Business Association (HVSBA) and Hayes Valley Safe (HVS). After working with the Mayor’s Office, SFMTA and the Office of Small Business during this recent phase for the latest renewal we supported SFMTA’s recommendation to scale the weekend closure down from 3 days to 1 day.  In the end this resolution was passed and adopted which includes 2 weekend days and the following stipulation: “RESOLVED, The SFMTA Board of Directors directs staff to study a potential permanent street closure of Hayes Street and report back to the Board within six months.”

Our ask:
We are appealing to have the study for a permanent street closure severed from this resolution.

Reasons:

  • As participants of the renewal process for a weekend closure programming reset, the addition of this stipulation is an overreach by the SFMTA. A permit renewal for a weekend street closure should not be combined with a goal for a 24/7 closure; these counter objectives under this SFMTA decision are problematic in our view.
  • The Hayes Valley Community has experienced enough controversy and divisiveness due to this experimental project while the narrative and focus for the justification of this closure continues to change. (Focus has shifted from: an emergency measure → to “open space” plan → to a “car free” initiative)
  • In a time when “street improvements” are resulting in negative financial impacts for small business this is not the right time to double down on an initiative that has been fraught with apprehension by Hayes Valley independent business operators. Reference: CBS NEWS
  • The looming potential of a permanent street closure creates multiple layers of uncertainty for our merchant corridor and nearby residents. Real estate markets could turbocharge displacement pressure.
  • District 5 Supervisor Dean Preston was heavy handed in the business of the SFMTA Agency; Dean pressured the commission to override the policy of its own department. This is a dangerous precedent for initiatives that impact small business in our City. Also worth noting: he co-opted and continues to promote a citywide petition for a 24/7 permanent closure in Hayes Valley thereby reducing the value of the voice of our small business community which in turn inflicts irreparable harm to their representation.

{You can read a detailed account of the closure here.}

Small business in San Francisco has enough challenges as is. We need your help to fend off efforts for a study for a permanent street closure. Please sign our request for a review. Thank you.