Category: Ocean Beach

By Michael Angelo Hernandez

“You can’t go home again” is an expression that comes from the famous 1940 novel of the same name, from American author and social commentator Thomas Wolfe.

At its core, the phrase simply means one cannot return to a previous time or place. Even if one did, they would find both themselves and the world around them have changed since, as change is a fundamental law of the universe.

Back in July, I wrote about some changes coming to Ocean Beach by way of five commercial properties listed up for sale. Since then, there have been some updates to the status of these properties, as well as the addition of more properties being put on the market. Here’s a look at three more properties up for sale in Ocean Beach.

4649 Voltaire Street – The Twin Cypress Apartments

The first property up for sale is the Twin Cypress Apartments at 4649 Voltaire Street. The 18-Unit Apartment building is priced at almost $430,000 per unit, for a grand total of $7.7 million.

Corey Bruins, the former president of the OB Town Council, who drove the long-time favorite OB organization into the drink — forcing it to re-organize itself under a new name and leadership, and then who was charged with embezzling thousands of dollars from the group — has now had his apparent stalling tactics brought to an end, hopefully. Bruins was originally charged more than 18 months ago.

Bruins is charged with nine felonies, including embezzlement as an aggravated white collar crime, grand theft, and six counts of identity theft. He pleaded not-guilty, and was released from custody shortly after his arrest without posting bail.

Bruins’ and his lawyers have repeatedly delayed his preliminary hearing, at which prosecutors will submit evidence and testimony about Bruins’ alleged embezzlement and identity theft.

Most recently, a judge agreed to delay the preliminary hearing after Bruins parted ways with his private-practice attorney, Earl Pott. The public defender’s office then assumed Bruin’s case, and his preliminary hearing was rescheduled for later this year, to give that attorney time to familiarize themselves with the evidence.

Changing Demographics in OB and Now More Competition in Night Clubs Forces Changes

George Varga at the U-T is reporting that Winstons, the historic live-music club in Ocean Beach, will be closing this upcoming weekend — only to rebrand under new ownership and then re-open sometime in the near future.

There will be a “Last Call” party, open to the public and all past and current employees of Winstons, this Saturday, Sept. 26. Winstons has been around for nearly 40 years on Bacon Street in OB. But it will reopen the next day for business as usual, Slaga said.

“It’s a misconception that we’re closing,” he stressed. “We’re going to keep the good stuff from Winstons and enhance it.”

Winstons’ co-owner Scott Slaga told the U-T:

“The live-music world in general is just a struggle now, and that’s kind of the impetus behind the changes.”

Varga reported:

OB Rag Staff Report

The controversial Midway Rising project will move one step closer to being a done deal on Tuesday, September 22, when the City Council receives a closed session briefing “regarding the price and payment terms for potential long-term ground leases.”

As the Union-Tribune reported August 20, “Although not formally docketed, the proposed real estate deal between the city and the development team is expected to be taken up by San Diego’s Land Use & Housing Committee on Oct. 8, Councilmember Kent Lee, who chairs the committee, told the [newspaper].”

City Hall wants to fast-track the project, but the public must still be heard. Tuesday’s closed session agenda notes that “public testimony … will be taken during the 10:00 a.m. Council meeting.”

For San Diegans who fear that the Midway project will result in overcrowding, traffic congestion, air pollution, loss of naturally occurring affordable housing, and flood risks from a rising water table,

by Christine Smith / Times of San Diego / Sept. 20, 2026

Midway Rising goes before the city’s Land Use and Housing Committee in October and the City Council later this fall. It’s billed as a major affordable housing win for San Diego with 4,254 homes, including 2,000 deed-restricted ones for households at or below 80% of area median income.

But the developer’s pledge to build those affordable units is not enough. The city must require an enforceable contract that guarantees the affordable units are built within a specified timeframe, to ensure the project complies with state housing incentives.

As presented to the Planning Commission in September 2025, the proposed agreement includes a waiver letting the developer delay the affordable units, if subsidy funding cannot be secured. Without a firm deadline and meaningful consequences, nothing ensures the affordable units will be built. Because the project relies on California’s Surplus Land Act and Density Bonus Law, the city must hold the developer — not San Diego taxpayers — responsible for constructing them.

Battle for the Paddle
Friday, September 25: 6:00 – 10:00pm

FREE for Spectators
-Great food and drinks
-Exciting competition
-OB-style community fun!

32 Player Bracket, Co-Ed Competition.
Stay tuned for more details and player sign-up info.

A 23-year-old man died at the hospital after his motorcycle crashed into an SUV in the Sunset Cliffs area of Point Loma Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 16.

Shortly after noon, the unidentified young man was riding a 2003 Harley motorcycle northbound on 1000 Catalina Blvd. toward the intersection with Varona Street, San Diego police said.

However, at the same time, a 58-year-old man driving a 2016 Jeep Patriot drove into his path as he headed east on Varona Street toward Catalina Boulevard.

This apparent fatal error caused the motorcyclist to slam into the SUV. It was the motorcycle rider’s right of way, and the SUV was attempting to cross Catalina Boulevard.

From SOHO

EACH YEAR, SAVE OUR HERITAGE ORGANISATION honors the people, organizations, public agencies, and homeowners whose vision and dedication ensure that San Diego County’s historic places continue to enrich our communities. The People In Preservation Awards celebrate those whose work reminds us that while preservation is about protecting our historic places and buildings it is also about stewarding the places that tell our collective story.

The 2026 People In Preservation Award recipients exemplify preservation in its fullest sense. This year’s honorees include individuals whose decades of leadership have shaped the preservation movement, homeowners who embraced the responsibility of caring for significant historic residences, skilled professionals who restored architectural landmarks with outstanding craftsmanship, and public agencies that invested in the long-term future of some of San Diego’s most treasured civic buildings.

OB Historical Society Presents

Did you know that Shelter Island, which we are all familiar with, started out as a sandbar and a shifting shoal that was considered to be a navigational hazard? The Island was nearly dredged out of existence before it was ever connected to Point Loma

By Debbie L. Sklar / Special to the OB Rag

Today, it is difficult to imagine that the Point Loma waterfront once contained a federal medical complex whose job was to help keep contagious diseases from entering San Diego.

But for decades, a quarantine station operated at La Playa, on the Point Loma waterfront.

The location had a long history before the federal government arrived. La Playa was the site of the Mexican-era hide houses and one of the earliest commercial areas around San Diego Bay. By the late 19th century, however, the federal government had another concern: ships arriving in San Diego could bring contagious diseases with them.

The Quarantine Station at La Playa was established in 1888, according to the San Diego History Center’s History of San Diego, 1542-1908. Work on its buildings began in 1891, and the Marine Hospital associated with the station occupied nearly the site of the old hide houses.

The federal quarantine system was becoming increasingly important as San Diego’s maritime connections expanded.

The National Archives records describe the Point Loma station as a federal quarantine facility responsible for San Diego Bay. When ships arrived, inspectors boarded them and reviewed the voyage and the health of passengers and crew.

OB Community Development Corporation Launches “Better OB Contest,” Calling on Residents to Share Vision for the Neighborhood

Winner to be announced October 23 at the “Get to Know the OBCDC Event” – Idea submissions due by September 30, 2026

The Ocean Beach Community Development Corporation (OBCDC) has launched their Better OB Contest, a new community ideas competition inviting residents, business owners, and neighborhood groups to submit proposals for projects that would make Ocean Beach an even better place to live, work, and visit.

The contest was introduced by Scott Therkalsen, a long-time OB resident who joined the OBCDC Board of Directors in 2024.

As he explained:

“The OBCDC has been making Ocean Beach better for more than 30 years, we’ve done everything from planting the palms lining Sunset Cliffs and funding the entryway plaza, to helping fund the expansion of softball fields at Robb Field. We recently launched a grant program that has helped fund improvements at OBE and along Newport avenue and more but we really wanted to find a way to get individual community members from OB involved.