For me, walking through Ocean Beach never involves a direct stroll to a destination. There are too many cool distractions that catch my eye, too many things that make me ponder, too much sensory input …
January 15, 2026
Ocean Beach News & Stories
Ocean Beach News & Stories
Gonzo Report: Mosh and magnanimity at Metalli-Meet
What makes the light in San Diego different?
The Reader has started this series of its best stories from the past 52 years — 2600 cover stories and some remarkable interior features — to help make up for the loss of its physical …
Doah's Daydream dreams big
She started out busking on the streets in OB; now Doah Lee now fronts the genre-breaking island grunge band Doah’s Daydream. Born in Seoul, raised in Hawaii, and now rooted in San Diego, she moved …
October 9, 2025
Reggae metaphysics with Rafael Pondé
Rafael Pondé moved from Brazil to Ocean Beach to play reggae in 2022. He spent a year living — and meditating — in a minivan. His music — meditational reggae, heavy on the metaphysics — …
September 25, 2025
Gonzo Report: Ready Set Survive thrives at The Holding Company
“See?” says my wife Shelley, “you can pee here too!” She’s not talking to me; she's talking to her friend Chrissy’s Shih Tzu puppy, while watching a large yellow dog pause his stroll along Newport …
July 17, 2025
San Diego Uber and Lyft drivers hit rough patch
In recent months, San Diego Uber and Lyft drivers have been attacked. Some gig drivers were allegedly assaulted by a pink-haired woman, a road rager, and a McDonald’s patron. Another rideshare driver was kidnapped. These …
Pooches & politics at 45th Annual OB Street Fair & Chili Cook-Off
As I drove into last Saturday's Ocean Beach Street Fair & Chili Cook-Off, there was a crowd protesting against the United States bombing of Iran and Israel’s military involvement in Gaza. Cars were honking in …
July 2, 2025
The end of San Diego's sandy beaches?
San Diego’s coastal resiliency master plan, a major pilot project that favors nature over armor to protect beaches from flooding and erosion, is entering phase two, with many details still to work out. But one …
San Diego's animals buffetted by flooding, pollution, construction
Over the past year, San Diego County has become an unlikely backdrop for a series of unsettling animal displacements.On May 22, the Murphy Canyon plane crash claimed six lives—all passengers aboard the aircraft. While no …
June 17, 2025
Tom Arnold's Old Places: Pacific Shores Cocktail Lounge
The idea of writing about old places in San Diego County has been something I’ve been mulling around for years – but I kept putting it off because coming up with the parameters was a …
May 7, 2025
San Diego restaurants wising up to dine-and-dashers
Dine-and-dashers are striking in droves, according to restaurant and bar workers in San Diego County. Photos and videos of these hungry thieves are frequently posted online by frustrated business owners and managers hoping someone will …
April 7, 2025
Bad drones trouble firemen, paraglider in La Jolla
In January, San Diego County’s skies turned into a stage for some high-flying hijinks as drone pilots found themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. Whether it was interfering with a fire department’s …
February 18, 2025
Punk Rock Rodeo to unfold across five OB venues
Gainesville, Florida has The Fest. Birmingham, Alabama lays claim to Furnace Fest. Vegas holds down Punk Rock Bowling. Now, with the Punk Rock Rodeo, San Diego is getting its own larger-scale punk rock festival. Although …
February 6, 2025
New Year's Eve itself was quiet at San Diego hot spots
On New Year’s Eve in San Diego County, the night brought a grim start to 2025 with two boys shot in Escondido, while across the border in Tijuana, a family of four was reportedly shot …
January 20, 2025
San Diego car vandals – getting bolder?
When Jacob T. came outside from his Kensington home on October 16, ready to go to work, he found his truck smeared with what appeared to be mud. After a closer look, it became clear …
November 11, 2024
Crystal Pier can take the hits
Given the setbacks that have befallen the Ocean Beach and Oceanside piers — because of storms and fire, respectively — it is perhaps not surprising that the partial shutdown at the historic Crystal Pier in …
November 7, 2024
San Diego pickleball fans growing, but who pays for their courts?
Some San Diegans are taking their pickleball game to the next level. This October, local pickleball enthusiasts are booking trips on the Royal Caribbean Cruise ship to play, while others are enjoying Dinks and Drinks …
October 14, 2024
Ocean Beach historic cottage district thwarts apartment project
Ocean Beach hasn't built much multifamily housing in recent years, and now an apartment planned at the southwest corner of Point Loma Ave. and Ebers Street is on hold.The San Diego Planning Commission last week …
September 3, 2024
Front-yard chalkboard charms OB passersby
There’s a house on my block with the most delightfully weird front yard. The house itself is a nondescript gray box of a place, but the small space between it and the sidewalk is almost …
July 10, 2024
The vulnerability of San Diego's fire hydrants
San Diego fire hydrants have been reportedly getting hit or stolen in the last few weeks.On June 18, a semi-truck driver hit a fire hydrant just east of the UTC Mall, and more than a …