By Ralph Teyssier, S.E.
I wanted to respond to Geoff Page’s November 19 Rag article about bringing the city’s neglect of our Ocean Beach Fishing Pier to the forefront.
What should concern all of us is that this iconic public treasure — our beloved OB Pier — has effectively become a forgotten park resource under the Todd Gloria administration. What began as a promising effort in May 2021, when Mayor Gloria, less than six months into his first term, expressed strong enthusiasm for jump-starting a new pier, has now seemingly stalled.
For context, it’s important to remember that the initial momentum, via community urging, arrived when Mayor Todd Gloria, with help from Senate President pro Tem Toni Atkins, secured an $8.4 million state grant to begin design work. Details of that effort can be found on the city’s OB Pier Renewal Project page, including the recently posted Task Force White Paper:
This document — made public only after multiple requests — makes it clear that real progress is slipping away. The contrast between the 1½-year construction timeline in the September 2024 White Paper and the protracted 3½-year timeline currently shown on the city’s website speaks volumes about the administration’s waning interest. And just as the project loses momentum, the pier itself is literally disappearing, piece by piece. I doubt this level of prolonged neglect of a historically recognized coastal icon sits well with the California Coastal Commission.
Geoff’s reporting makes the demolition-by-neglect painfully obvious: copper and iron piping stolen, gates breached, lighting stripped, and the structure left unsecured and unlit — all predictable outcomes of treating a landmark as an abandoned asset rather than a park facility in transition. When a closed public structure is left dark, unguarded, and ignored for years, theft, decay, and even a recent nearby murder are not surprises — they are the direct consequences of municipal inaction.
As quoted in Dave Schwab’s October 2 Peninsula Beacon article:
“The loss of the OB Pier continues to be a significant loss for Ocean Beach and the greater region. It was both a treasured public resource and a vital economic driver.”
Along with other community members, I have repeatedly asked this administration to produce the long-promised comprehensive economic impact analysis — a document explicitly included in the $8.4 million scope and requested many times during Task Force meetings. The public deserves to understand not only what the original pier contributed to the regional economy, but what a new pier could return in tourism, coastal access, and community value.
This OB Pier Renewal Project is a heavy lift; and we are constantly told that “funding is tight,” yet billions continue to be poured into poorly conceived or mismanaged projects — bike lanes that remove needed parking and disrupt small business districts, or the state’s bullet train that devours taxpayer dollars while delivering virtually nothing. If government can repeatedly find money for projects that are overbuilt, underused, or perpetually delayed, why can it not prioritize one of the most treasured coastal landmarks in San Diego?
No one underestimates the complexity of the pier renewal. It is a heavy lift. But that is precisely why we need real leadership — not stalled timelines and vague reassurances.
San Diego needs a win. The Ocean Beach Pier Renewal Project is exactly the kind of generational investment this city deserves, with real state and federal funding opportunities waiting to be pursued.
Mr. Mayor, will you return to this effort and help secure the support this community deserves?
Ralph Teyssier, S.E. is a former Task Force Member, Ocean Beach Pier Project
City should repair the pier as is. New pier is never going to happen.
If anyone seriously thinks that that pier will be rebuilt, I have a bridge I’d like to sell you. The benign neglect shown by the city tells us that they want this problem to simply go away. We see the neglect every day and see the city doing and saying nothing while the Bullet Train to Nowhere marches on. Perhaps if we offer to fund our politicians next campaign along with some special perks for them, we will see some action.
Just another example of how Todd Gloria and his idiot gang of city council sycophants are destroying San Diego, with multiple stupid decisions and policies, all at the same time. Welcome to “America’s Finest Shitty”. Hope all you folks who voted to reelect Toddles last year are happy.
Concur, although I prefer “America’s Fiscal Pity”.
Maybe use the Get It Done app. It’s humor, bc of an abandoned broken down car in our neighborhood with expired tags can’t be dealt with other than with a broken down minimally responsive app system. The police phone number refers you to the app.
This is how it has been for awhile. Buildings just fall into neglect. Look what happened to the California theater, or the Pernicano’s nonscence. Scores of other buildings all around town just sit vacant, for years, until they become unsightly and ruin neighborhoods. Meanwhile we build and build.
I am very sad to see the iconic Ocean Beach pier decaying. The pier always drew thousands of tourists and San Diego locals, who have enjoyed its beauty and wonder for so many years.
Ever since I relocated to California in 1980, I have loved photographing, eating at the cafe and walking this amazing edifice.
Demolished by neglect, with an assist from the local junkies!
This pier was built in 1967, funded by the local Ocean Beach businesses to bring tourism and local visitors. For more than 50 years, it was an important highly recognizable landmark that exemplified San Diego’s fusion of beach culture, love of the ocean, community spirit, and welcoming of visitors. It’s a shame that the city has allowed it to visibly decay due to inaction. The city needs to move along with the project and manage the funds carefully.