Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

The siren song of Sunset Cliffs, our beach gangs – O.B. Rats, Tuna Boys, P.B. Vermin

Ocean Beach hits a low, the summer girls of La Jolla, the last 79 vacant lots along the San Diego beachfront

Three months ago, a twenty-year-old sailor fell thirty feet to his death from the gritty cliff surface near the intersection of Froude Street and Sunset Cliffs Boulevard.  - Image by Glenn Steiner
Three months ago, a twenty-year-old sailor fell thirty feet to his death from the gritty cliff surface near the intersection of Froude Street and Sunset Cliffs Boulevard.

The Deadly View from Sunset Cliffs

“We used to average about a hundred calls a year,” he says, “but in 1986 it was down to sixty-nine, and in 1987, there were only forty-three.” These figures include all cliff rescue calls on city beaches, of which accidents on Sunset Cliffs account for roughly one-fifth. Karns attributes the decrease to signs posted along the cliffs: Unstable Cliffs — Stay Back, Frequent Cave-ins, Sheer Drop-off, and False Trail, which were installed about four years ago.”

By Carol Bowers, May 19, 1988 | Read full article

One Tuna Boy rammed a car driven by a guy wearing a University of San Diego High School letterman’s jacket; when the high schooler got out of his car, the Tuna Boy beat him up.

Surf and Turf

What they like to do: Fight. Nonlocals and skateboarders, particularly members of the O.B. Rats, are popular targets. A few weeks ago, one Tuna Boy rammed a car driven by a guy wearing a University of San Diego High School letterman’s jacket; when the high schooler got out of his car, the Tuna Boy beat him up. They also like to crash parties.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Hangouts: The parking lot outside Stump’s Market on Voltaire Street.

By Thomas K. Arnold, Aug. 1, 1991 | Read full article

July, 1969 San Diego Union: “Anyone who has been to the west end of Newport Avenue will share the concern of the people of Ocean Beach and Point Loma over the incipient human blight there."

Low Tide at OB

Today, although drug traffic is still heavy, the overall crime rate for serious offenses – including rape and other sex crimes, assault, burglary, robbery, grand theft, auto theft, and petty theft – in Ocean Beach is almost one-third that of Mission Beach (the latest police records, for May and June of this year, show that there were fifty-four serious crimes per census tract in Ocean Beach as opposed to 157 per census tract in Mission Beach).

By Thomas K. Arnold, Aug. 13, 1981 | Read full article

Calumet Avenue at Sea Ridge Drive, Pacific Beach. These lots are a headache to neighbors, a pleasure to beach users, and a plum to real estate agents.

The Last 79

Madeline Wisner owns another lot on Sunset Cliffs, assessed at $36,000. She has no plans for it for now; in fact, she intends to leave it to her daughters. She bought it to protect her house from what she called the "junk" being built on other nearby lots. "This is a beautiful property." she said, "and you shouldn't put a shack on it. Besides, they look nice empty, don't you think?"

By Stephen Simpson, Jan. 21, 1982 | Read full article

For teenagers, La Jolla Shores’ parking lot, set next to the emerald green grass of Kellogg Park, is almost as important a social arena as the beach.

The Girls of Summer

Even though most people from Ashley and Rebecca’s school go to the beach at south Mission — and Ashley and Rebecca sometimes go there, too — the two girls also drive over to La Jolla Shores several times each week. Tall, slender Rebecca’s two-piece aqua suit revealed her long, narrow waistline. Her features hinted at the Eurasian good looks of Forties movie stars Jennifer Jones and Myrna Loy. Her manner was that of a great and elegant lady.

By Judith Moore, Aug. 28, 1986 | Read full article

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Woodpeckers are stocking away acorns, Amorous tarantulas

Stunning sycamores, Mars rising
Three months ago, a twenty-year-old sailor fell thirty feet to his death from the gritty cliff surface near the intersection of Froude Street and Sunset Cliffs Boulevard.  - Image by Glenn Steiner
Three months ago, a twenty-year-old sailor fell thirty feet to his death from the gritty cliff surface near the intersection of Froude Street and Sunset Cliffs Boulevard.

The Deadly View from Sunset Cliffs

“We used to average about a hundred calls a year,” he says, “but in 1986 it was down to sixty-nine, and in 1987, there were only forty-three.” These figures include all cliff rescue calls on city beaches, of which accidents on Sunset Cliffs account for roughly one-fifth. Karns attributes the decrease to signs posted along the cliffs: Unstable Cliffs — Stay Back, Frequent Cave-ins, Sheer Drop-off, and False Trail, which were installed about four years ago.”

By Carol Bowers, May 19, 1988 | Read full article

One Tuna Boy rammed a car driven by a guy wearing a University of San Diego High School letterman’s jacket; when the high schooler got out of his car, the Tuna Boy beat him up.

Surf and Turf

What they like to do: Fight. Nonlocals and skateboarders, particularly members of the O.B. Rats, are popular targets. A few weeks ago, one Tuna Boy rammed a car driven by a guy wearing a University of San Diego High School letterman’s jacket; when the high schooler got out of his car, the Tuna Boy beat him up. They also like to crash parties.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Hangouts: The parking lot outside Stump’s Market on Voltaire Street.

By Thomas K. Arnold, Aug. 1, 1991 | Read full article

July, 1969 San Diego Union: “Anyone who has been to the west end of Newport Avenue will share the concern of the people of Ocean Beach and Point Loma over the incipient human blight there."

Low Tide at OB

Today, although drug traffic is still heavy, the overall crime rate for serious offenses – including rape and other sex crimes, assault, burglary, robbery, grand theft, auto theft, and petty theft – in Ocean Beach is almost one-third that of Mission Beach (the latest police records, for May and June of this year, show that there were fifty-four serious crimes per census tract in Ocean Beach as opposed to 157 per census tract in Mission Beach).

By Thomas K. Arnold, Aug. 13, 1981 | Read full article

Calumet Avenue at Sea Ridge Drive, Pacific Beach. These lots are a headache to neighbors, a pleasure to beach users, and a plum to real estate agents.

The Last 79

Madeline Wisner owns another lot on Sunset Cliffs, assessed at $36,000. She has no plans for it for now; in fact, she intends to leave it to her daughters. She bought it to protect her house from what she called the "junk" being built on other nearby lots. "This is a beautiful property." she said, "and you shouldn't put a shack on it. Besides, they look nice empty, don't you think?"

By Stephen Simpson, Jan. 21, 1982 | Read full article

For teenagers, La Jolla Shores’ parking lot, set next to the emerald green grass of Kellogg Park, is almost as important a social arena as the beach.

The Girls of Summer

Even though most people from Ashley and Rebecca’s school go to the beach at south Mission — and Ashley and Rebecca sometimes go there, too — the two girls also drive over to La Jolla Shores several times each week. Tall, slender Rebecca’s two-piece aqua suit revealed her long, narrow waistline. Her features hinted at the Eurasian good looks of Forties movie stars Jennifer Jones and Myrna Loy. Her manner was that of a great and elegant lady.

By Judith Moore, Aug. 28, 1986 | Read full article

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Birding & Brews: Breakfast Edition, ZZ Ward, Doggie Street Festival & Pet Adopt-A-Thon

Events November 21-November 23, 2024
Next Article

NORTH COUNTY’S BEST PERSONAL TRAINER: NICOLE HANSULT HELPING YOU FEEL STRONG, CONFIDENT, AND VIBRANT AT ANY AGE

Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader