Matthew Wood

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has written 73 articles for the OB Rag!

Point Loma Residents Protest Structure in Violation of 30-Foot Height Limit

June 26, 2016 by Matthew Wood

Point Lomans Rally in front of Eyesore Building at Emerson and Evergreen

Nearly 100 Point Lomans gathered Saturday morning, June 25th, to protest the development of a pair of duplexes they say violates the area’s 30-foot building limit.

The building in question, at the corner of Emerson and Evergreen streets in the Roseville neighborhood, measure upwards of 41 feet.

Opponents of the structure say the developer, Pacific Enterprise General Contractor, is skirting the zoning rules by filling in space between the garage and the end of the property with dirt, then measuring height from that spot.

“The goal is to get a stop order, which can be done,” said Jon Linney, chair of the Point Loma Planning Board and an outspoken opponent of the building.

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A Fresh Start for Gilmore Jewelers after Ocean Beach Icon Moves to Liberty Station

February 4, 2016 by Matthew Wood

By Matthew Wood

Fear not, fans of Gilmore Jewelers. The iconic shop is still in business. It’s just a bit tougher to find, and that’s just the way Gary Gilmore likes it.

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Ocean Beach Therapist Opens Her “Office” at the Beach

January 28, 2016 by Matthew Wood

Beachfront Therapist is Ready to Listen

By Matthew Wood

It’s Thursday afternoon, which means Gina Smith is at her normal post by the beach … waiting to talk.

The licensed therapist has made the grassy area at Veteran’s Plaza her office hours of sorts, bringing two chairs and a sign that says the “Listener Is In.”

“It’s a play on the Lucy, Peanuts thing,” she said. “I thought it was cool and fitting.”

Listening is exactly what Smith, 66, wants to do. She moved to OB in September of 2014 after coming to visit her son and newborn grandchild.

“I came to OB and was like, ‘Wait, did I step in a time warp?’” she said. “I love the community and the people.”

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“Santa Paws” is Coming to OB

December 10, 2015 by Matthew Wood

Local Pet Store Throws Holiday Benefit for Cat Rescue Shelter

By Matthew Wood

We all know the good little boys and girls of Ocean Beach will get a visit from Santa Claus in a few weeks.

But did you know that all the good little pets will also get their chance to visit the big guy this weekend?

They do – and it’s all part of Bone Appetit’s annual fundraiser for the store’s cat rescue shelter.

For a $5 donation, owners can bring their pets in this Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. for a picture with “Santa Paws” at the store’s Sunset Cliffs/Narragansett location. The store will also offer specials on pet supplies and 15 percent off all holiday items.

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How OB’s Gretchen Newsom Decided to Run for Mayor — and Where She’ll Go From Here

October 28, 2015 by Matthew Wood

By Matthew Wood

Gretchen Newsom insists her announcement to run in the San Diego Mayoral election at the San Diego County Democratic Convention on Saturday night was anything but scripted.

“I’ve been having many conversations over many months with many people to find someone to run for mayor who would stand up for the voices of the people that need them,”

– the current Ocean Beach Town Council President and neighborhood leader said.

“I was very disappointed with what I heard.”

Call it an epiphany. A moment of clarity. Or even just an inspiration to do what she does best. She calls the decision her time to step up and lead a bigger constituency.

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OB Elementary Parents and Students Protest Loss of Two Teachers

October 5, 2015 by Matthew Wood

By Matthew Wood

Dozens of teachers, students and parents braved the rain this morning – Monday, Oct. 5th – to protest the loss of two teachers at Ocean Beach Elementary School.

Kindergarten teachers Amie Frank and Katy Amberg will be reassigned to different schools in the San Diego Unified School District.

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Pizza Port OB Brings Home Two Medals from Great American Beer Festival

October 1, 2015 by Matthew Wood

By Matthew Wood

Pizza Port Ocean Beach took home a pair of medals at the Great American Beer Festival over the weekend in Colorado.

The Bacon & Eggs – a Breakfast Coffee Imperial Porter took bronze in the Coffee Beer category and the Guillaume Belgian Blonde took brought home another bronze in the Session Beer category. It’s the second year both beers have taken home medals. The Bacon & Eggs previously won a gold medal in the coffee category.

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OB Firefighters Celebrate 100th Anniversary with Shirts – Hodad’s Picks Up the Tab

August 5, 2015 by Matthew Wood

By Matthew Wood

Crews at the Ocean Beach Fire Station – Firehouse No. 15 – are celebrating the house’s 100th anniversary this year by making t-shirts to mark the occasion.

They won’t be reaching into their own pockets to pay for them, as another local institution stepped in and offered to foot the bill in the spirit of a local legend.

Hodad’s general manager Jeremy Diem offered to take care of the cost of the 100 or so shirts, saying it was a no-brainer to pick up the tab.

“Anything for the firefighters,” he said. “It’s in the name of Bossman (the nickname of former Hodad’s owner Mike Hardin, who passed away earlier this year). We’re gonna do this even though he’s gone.”

Todd Barry, a firefighter in the OB station’s C Division, said the whole gesture came out of a simple community meeting.

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OB Noodle House Owner Gives Back to Ocean Beach Elementary

July 17, 2015 by Matthew Wood

Bar 1502’s Steve Yeng Donates ‘Barmageddon’ Winnings to OB Elementary

By Matthew Wood
OB Noodle House owner Steve Yeng further cemented his status as a reality television star with his recent appearance on the TruTV show “Barmageddon.”

He also showed off his love for the community when he donated his winnings from the show – $10,000 – to the Ocean Beach Elementary School.

“I love that school and I owe a lot to it,” he said. “I just have my fondest memories from there. It’s where I learned to speak English. It’s where I met my wife. Such a great place.”

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OB Hostel Gets New Name and Improvements

June 30, 2015 by Matthew Wood

By Matthew Wood

Say goodbye to the Ocean Beach International Hostel and hello to USA Hostels Ocean Beach.

That’s the new name of the iconic housing building for those passing through our magical beach community, which was bought last year by USA Hostels.

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Union-Tribune Ad Circulars Up for Debate at Wednesday’s Ocean Beach Town Council Meeting

May 27, 2015 by Matthew Wood

By Matthew Wood

A healthy debate is expected at tonight’s Ocean Beach Town Council meeting regarding the San Diego Union-Tribune’s practice of distributing their “Local Community Values” advertising circulars.

“I’ve been picking these things up from in front of my house and getting annoyed about it for a long time,” said OB resident Mary Tolena, who will present a case to the council to have the Union-Tribune end its practice of tossing out hundreds of the plastic-wrapped circulars in the neighborhood each week.

She says the advertisements are supposed to be targeted to subscribers, but instead they are sent out willy nilly and end up sitting on neighborhood sidewalks and in yards, creating a nuisance.

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New Thrift Shop on Newport Avenue Is All About the Animals

May 19, 2015 by Matthew Wood

By Matthew Wood

When local lawyer and activist Bryan Pease opened up his Newport Avenue thrift store earlier this year, it could be confused with a number of other thrift shops in the neighborhood. But this store, like his original store in Clairemont, is all about the animals.

Call it a co-op for a cause. A four-legged five-and-dime. A no-flea market?

Whatever you want to call it, the store isn’t in it to make money, just to further Pease’s pro-animal causes.

He started the Animal Protection and Rescue League back in 2003. Since then he has been a champion of a number of animals rights issues in the news, such as protecting the seals in La Jolla, fighting against puppy mills ,,,

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Slightly Stoopid Makes the Rounds in Ocean Beach

May 15, 2015 by Matthew Wood

By Matthew Wood

This week has been a whirlwind neighborhood tour for Ocean Beach’s favorite band, Slightly Stoopid.

The local boys played an invitation-only show at OB Noodle House Bar 1502 on Wednesday night, then made an appearance this morning with 91X at Nico’s Restaurant.

“You can’t beat being home,” said Kyle McDonald, one of the band’s founders. “It suits us nice to live in the place you want to be.”

The show at Noodle House celebrated the restaurant’s first anniversary. It also helped raise funds for the OB Fireworks Show on Fourth of July.

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OB Rec Center Make-Over Allows Everyone to Be a Kid

April 7, 2015 by Matthew Wood

Spring Renovations Include Re-Surfaced Gym Floor

By Matthew Wood

This isn’t your grandfather’s Ocean Beach Recreation Center.

Oh sure, it’s the same building that has been on Santa Monica Avenue for the past 60-plus years. But recent renovations have sharpened up the place that gives kids of all ages a chance to, well, be a kid again.

The first thing you’ll notice is a brand-new paint job on the walls, …

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Checking In on the Agreement CVS Made With Ocean Beach Town Council

April 6, 2015 by Matthew Wood

Report on Progress with OB Community Agreement

By Matthew Wood

When CVS moved into the old Appletree Market building at Santa Monica Avenue and Bacon Street, it was with great fanfare – and an equal amount of worry around the community as to whether the store would be a positive for Ocean Beach.

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OB Hostel Termite Tent Merely Precautionary

February 27, 2015 by Matthew Wood

Those who walk by the OB Hostel this week and think the place is either wrought with bugs or hosting a perverse carnival need not worry. The owners are tenting the place as a precautionary measure to protect against termites.

“Who doesn’t have termites in San Diego?” said Maria Argyropoulos-Minos, Chief Operating Officer of USA Hostels.

“That’s pretty much the way it works. Anytime you have a house, you tent it.”

The tent has been on the iconic building for much of the week, but should be down by mid-morning on Friday.

“We just want to make sure it’s safe and secure from the little buggers and this seemed like a good time,” she said.

Argyropoulos-Minos said it is part of a number of upgrades the company is making to the place since purchasing it late last year.

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It’s an Ocean Beach Family Affair for Owners of Little Lion Cafe

February 5, 2015 by Matthew Wood

By Matthew Wood

When the Coulon sisters looked to open a restaurant, there was no doubt where it would be.

“I would tell people I want to open a restaurant in OB,” said Jacqueline Coulon, general manager of Little Lion Cafe. “They would say, ‘Oh, you want to open a restaurant.’ And I would say, ‘No, I want to open a restaurant in OB.'”

The emphasis is all hers. And the result is a charming little restaurant the three sisters opened in the old Point Loma Beach Cafe location on Sunset Cliffs late last year.

It’s a lifelong dream for the three sisters. They follow in the footsteps of their grandparents, who owned The Belgian Lion Cafe in OB for years.

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Where to Watch the Super Bowl in Ocean Beach

January 30, 2015 by Matthew Wood

By Matthew Wood

As OBceans decide who they’ll root for in Sunday’s decidedly non-SoCal Super Bowl, the bars of OB are fast at work coming up with specials to entice spectators.

Most bars in the neighborhood remain neutral between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks. That’s not the case for Wonderland Ocean Pub, which supports Boston’s finest (if not classiest) fans.

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Community Discussion: Common Sense, Communication Are Keys to Staying Safe

January 22, 2015 by Matthew Wood

Ocean Beach Residents Discuss Recent Burglaries and Other Issues

By Matthew Wood

‘Lock your doors. Secure your windows.’

That was the underlying theme from Wednesday night’s Ocean Beach community discussion, which mostly surrounded the spate of break-ins in the neighborhood. About 60 people gathered at Teeter on Niagara Avenue to talk about littering, vandalism and other topics. But the conversation invariably came back to the eight reported burglaries in the neighborhood …

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Historical Society Takes Trip Through Time With New OB Book

December 19, 2014 by Matthew Wood

By Matthew Wood

Take a beach stroll through time in our fine neighborhood with a new book from the Ocean Beach Historical Society.

The publication, part of the “Images of America” series, shows rare photos from the beginnings of OB, following through its growth into a destination spot as it finally settles in as the sleepy beach community we know and love.

Knowing that it is part of a number of publications highlighting neighborhoods throughout the country gives the book a bit of a cookie-cutter feel. But you can’t argue with the content, which is mostly photographs with sparse but descriptive captions that give bits of history along with explaining what you’re seeing.

Most of the focus is on the first half of the 20th century, but it manages to give a glimpse into the future that will be with a smattering of updated pictures to show a contrast between past and present.

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OB Cat Adoption Center Looking for a Few Good Owners

December 12, 2014 by Matthew Wood

By Matthew Wood

Bone Appetit Ocean Beach Pet Supply owner Kelly Patri is looking for a few good cat owners. But be warned: She won’t give up her rescue kitties to just anyone.

“We have an application process,” Patri says about her cat adoption center in the back of the store on Sunset Cliffs Boulevard. “We’ve definitely turned people away.”

The adoption center is approved by San Diego County, meaning it has passed their requirements as an “approved adoption facility.”

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New OB Hostel Owners’ Upgrades May Include Covering Exterior “OB-esque Hippie Floral Design”

November 18, 2014 by Matthew Wood

By Matthew Wood

When the Ocean Beach International Hostel was sold last month, OB residents couldn’t help but be a little worried about the future of the neighborhood relic.

Fortunately, the business is in the hands of USA Hostels – a company that started in San Diego with a hostel in the Gaslamp District and seems to have the best intentions of the relic on the heart of Newport Avenue in mind.

Here’s USA Hostels president David Reuter response to those worries:

“We’re in it for the long haul. We’re the owners and operators. It’s going to be a hands-on approach. We’re interested in becoming members of the community.”

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OB Goes Big For San Diego Beer Week

November 7, 2014 by Matthew Wood

By Matthew Wood

As San Diego Beer Week kicks off tonight, Ocean Beach is quickly becoming a central hub for some of the best events. Places like OB Noodle House – which has been a part of the event for years – save some of their best brews for the upcoming week.

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Culture Brewing Co. Set to Open Tasting Room in Ocean Beach

October 30, 2014 by Matthew Wood

Newport Ave Storefront to Be Similar to Solana Beach Brewery

By Matthew Wood

The Ocean Beach craft beer scene is about to get a bit sudsier, as Solana Beach’s Culture Brewing Co. builds a new tasting room on Newport Avenue.

Construction is already under way on the storefront, which is just west of OB Warehouse. Co-owner Steve Ragan said he hopes to have the place open by November 8, in time for San Diego Beer Week.

He said the place will be similar to the Solana Beach brewery, except all the beer will be brought in from there and none made at the OB location.

It will be a rather bare-bones operation: No food, no TVs, no other booze. Just 20 or so taps serving nothing but their beer.

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A Tour of the OB Oktoberfest

October 13, 2014 by Matthew Wood

By Matthew Wood

Ocean Beach got its “oom-pah” on this weekend at the 10th annual OB Oktoberfest. Festivities included the 5K Brat Trot on the beach, a stein holding contest, music on two stages and – of course – a whole lot of beer.

Here’s a look at the “partei” in some pics from the event.

The Rey Vinole Oktoberfest Band performed all day on the side stage by the seawall, playing traditional German polkas and other favorites. … Fans start to crowd the main stage as night falls on the fest. A dozen bands in all played the festival over the two days. …

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Cash Stash Takes Over OB on Eve of Oktoberfest

October 10, 2014 by Matthew Wood

By Matthew Wood

Why were a bunch of dudes wandering around the corner of Bacon and Newport this morning? They were looking for some cold, hard cash.

It’s part of the festivities for this weekend’s OB Oktoberfest. The contest is called “Find the Schnitzengruben.” Organizers are leaving 10 envelopes full of $10 bills around OB, then tweeting out clues as to where they are.

Whoever finds it keeps the money, up to $150.

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Santa Monica Ave. School Crosswalk Officially Sanctioned

October 2, 2014 by Matthew Wood

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Officially “Opens” the OB Elementary Crosswalk

By Matthew Wood

The crosswalk outside of Ocean Beach Elementary School that has been a decade in the making finally got a proper introduction on Wednesday.

City Councilman Ed Harris was on hand for a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony with OB Elementary Principal Marco Drapeau and parents of the school’s students. They used the opportunity to tout next week’s National Walk to School Day with a pre-class assembly.

“We’re trying to promote walking and biking to school,” Harris said. “In order to do that you gotta have safe routes. All these things have been lacking for years.”

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Take Back OB at Second Annual Raglan Beach Cleanup

September 5, 2014 by Matthew Wood

Raglan Teams Up With Cleaner Streets Initiatives, San Diego Coastkeeper and South Coast Surf Shop for “End of Summer OB Beach Cleanup”

By Matthew Wood

Summer’s over, the tourists are gone and it’s time to take back our beach.

That’s the thinking behind Raglan Public House’s second annual End of Summer OB Beach Cleanup on Saturday, September 6.

“It’s a nice thing we can do,” said Raglan manager Mike Zouroudis.

“It’s just nice to have this beach back and a little slower. It’s a great way to get our town back for the next six or seven months.”

Raglan is partnering with the Cleaner Streets Initiatives, San Diego Coastkeeper and South Coast Surf Shop to put on the event, which runs from 9 to 11 a.m. …

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Niagara-Bacon Area Quickly Becoming OB’s New Hot Spot

August 22, 2014 by Matthew Wood

By Matthew Wood

Move over, Newport Avenue. There’s a new hot spot in Ocean Beach.

OK, nothing’s taking over for OB’s main drag in terms of businesses and foot traffic. But if you walk just a block south on Bacon Avenue, you might be surprised at the renaissance of business and shopping.

The long-perceived notion that the only businesses that can survive have to be on Newport is quickly diminishing. That’s evident with the addition of Bar 1502 – the new incarnate of the immensely popular OB Noodle House just eight or so blocks down – at the southeast corner of Bacon and Niagara. It now gives a solid restaurant option at each corner of that intersection, providing ample opportunities for businesses on the block to attract traffic.

“It’s awesome to see,” said Bar 1502 owner Steven Yeng, who passed up offers to open up shop on Newport. For him, the location is a personal dream come true, as it is just steps from his boyhood house.

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Longtime OB Barber Passes the Scissors and the Business to Haircut Heir

July 16, 2014 by Matthew Wood

By Matthew Wood

Ron Pilcher has been cutting hair for 40 years at Sunset Clipps in Ocean Beach. That all changes this week when he passes the torch to the next generation.

“I’m 70 now,” he said. “My wife is getting ready to retire. It’s time to hang up the scissors.”

It’s a veritable changing of the clipper guard, so to speak.

It was a long journey to find who would take over the shop at the corner of Santa Monica and Sunset Cliffs. Enter Jason Bullard, 45, a trained stylist and longtime OBcean with big plans for the place. He says taking over the shop is a dream come true.

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