Is San Diego a bad option!?

Hey there! Looking for a place to land for a few months to work. Conveniently I’m in a van so the options are pretty much limitless. That being said there are a few things I’m looking for and it seems like San Diego has it all. (Skateboarding, Surfing, Climbing, Temperate Weather, and an abundance of breweries to find a job at!) my main concern is living in a city. 

What is the van friendliness like? I’ve heard a some stuff about height and length restrictions to make it a bit more difficult to dirtbag there. I have a decently normal looking van and am under 9ft.

Is there a high property crime rate? I know it’s a big city so obviously that comes with a bit of crime but I guess I’m wondering if it’s comparable to Seattle or Portland right now?

Thanks! 

It’s terrible, San Francisco is much safer 

Mission Bay

Portland and Seattle are high crime cities?  

San Diego is a great option. I don't know the first thing about living in a van but know one of my homies did it around here.

I leave my gear in my trunk occasionally and it hasn't been stolen yet. Parked on a busy street and everything. However my roommate's catalytic converter got jacked. He smoked all my landlord's weed and exploited covid unemployment bonuses so just gonna chalk that up to bad karma.

I recommend you paint " [your name here] surfboard repair service " on your van and no one will ask questions. San Diegans are relatively chilled out!

I currently live in an apartment in Ocean Beach and have been around SD since 2017.

It’s technically illegal to live in your car on public property in San Diego, but the police have not been enforcing it (evidenced by the large number of vans I see in my neighborhood). There are usually a lot of vans in the beach communities, so I assume you’re least likely to get bothered there and most likely to get bothered in the suburbs like Mira Mesa/Clairemont and certainly La Jolla.

Property crime is surely much lower than Portland or Seattle, but not non-negligible, especially in certain areas closer to downtown (Bankers Hill, East village, Sports Arena, etc). A handful of my friends have had their cars broken into.

You should be able to make something work if you're only staying in SD for a few months. Maybe get a climbing gym membership for showers and also a place to park if needed. I see homeless swing it all the time so you should be fine for a few months.

Sam Bagged wrote:

Hey there! Looking for a place to land for a few months to work. Conveniently I’m in a van so the options are pretty much limitless. That being said there are a few things I’m looking for and it seems like San Diego has it all. (Skateboarding, Surfing, Climbing, Temperate Weather, and an abundance of breweries to find a job at!) my main concern is living in a city. 

What is the van friendliness like? I’ve heard a some stuff about height and length restrictions to make it a bit more difficult to dirtbag there. I have a decently normal looking van and am under 9ft.

Is there a high property crime rate? I know it’s a big city so obviously that comes with a bit of crime but I guess I’m wondering if it’s comparable to Seattle or Portland right now?

Thanks! 

Lived around here for years in Prius. Best part about being homeless is you get to pick your neighborhood. You want high end but not too high end such that the Karen Patrol is constantly out and about and not low end such that the meth heads are on the prowl. 

There's alot of climbing but it's not world class by any means within an hour of SD. JT is 3hr, Tahquitz is 2hr, that's a bit of gas $.

I think I can hook you up with a "home base" and a little work, text me 951-527-7959.

That's a generous offer, Tradiban. Did not peg you for the car-living type! ALSO, you shouldn't post your phone number online! That is a security risk bro, lots that a techno-savvy criminal could learn about you from your digits.

Just to give the OP another option. There has been a giant raggedy RV parked at the baseball field next to I-5 on the east side of UCSD campus for weeks now. Have not seen it move so they seem to feel right at home. There is only one parking attendant over here and in my experience, they get even lazier over the summertime. Like no tickets for months lazy, don't ask me how I know :) 

Plus you could catch a ball game very easily -- van life, some peanuts, and the great American pasttime ........ doesn't get better!

You can ignore pugnacious, newgard, Tradiban and Joe. San Diego has a high homeless population, a large amount of people in poverty, a high RV living, van living, vehicle and tent living population. We are full. "The Karen Patrol aka Troll patrol" is everyone who has a job or doesn't want to see another person who came to Cali to be homeless with new clothes or a new van begging for drug and booze money. And the huge amount of trash they leave. Plenty of drunks, druggies and mentally disturbed people are roaming 24/7/365. We who work are not generous to beggars. Ocean Beach - OB renters and owners (locals) hate the aggressive crazies/drunks that travel to infest the beaches there. The streets near beaches are full with no room to park. Residents alert the city to people who stay on the same street for more then a day. The police will quickly move you along. That includes beaches and parks where overnight parking/camping will get a $200 ticket. Gas is sky high. So is everything else. You'll need to gross $40,000 a year to afford to rent a room, electricity and cost of living. If you are vehicle living or homeless in San Diego do it many miles away from the coast. That does not include any beach, bay or near to downtown areas. Do not come to San Diego without money, a job and/a building with a roof to stay long term (other the homeless shelter which are all full).   

Not Sure wrote:

You'll need to gross $40,000 a year to afford to rent a room, electricity and cost of living.

I always chuckle when I see people make these kind of claims

Not Sure wrote:

We are full. 

I recently moved away from SD county. Sam, you can take my spot.

Pugnacious Slab wrote:

I always chuckle when I see people make these kind of claims

Obviously you don't pay to live in the city of san diego. 

Not Sure wrote:

You can ignore pugnacious, newgard, Tradiban and Joe. San Diego has a high homeless population, a large amount of people in poverty, a high RV living, van living, vehicle and tent living population. We are full. "The Karen Patrol aka Troll patrol" is everyone who has a job or doesn't want to see another person who came to Cali to be homeless with new clothes or a new van begging for drug and booze money. And the huge amount of trash they leave. Plenty of drunks, druggies and mentally disturbed people are roaming 24/7/365. We who work are not generous to beggars. Ocean Beach - OB renters and owners (locals) hate the aggressive crazies/drunks that travel to infest the beaches there. The streets near beaches are full with no room to park. Residents alert the city to people who stay on the same street for more then a day. The police will quickly move you along. That includes beaches and parks where overnight parking/camping will get a $200 ticket. Gas is sky high. So is everything else. You'll need to gross $40,000 a year to afford to rent a room, electricity and cost of living. If you are vehicle living or homeless in San Diego do it many miles away from the coast. That does not include any beach, bay or near to downtown areas. Do not come to San Diego without money, a job and/a building with a roof to stay long term (other the homeless shelter which are all full).   

Braji, was that you who broke into my tent yesterday?

Not Sure wrote:

You can ignore pugnacious, newgard, Tradiban and Joe. San Diego has a high homeless population, a large amount of people in poverty, a high RV living, van living, vehicle and tent living population. We are full. "The Karen Patrol aka Troll patrol" is everyone who has a job or doesn't want to see another person who came to Cali to be homeless with new clothes or a new van begging for drug and booze money. And the huge amount of trash they leave. Plenty of drunks, druggies and mentally disturbed people are roaming 24/7/365. We who work are not generous to beggars. Ocean Beach - OB renters and owners (locals) hate the aggressive crazies/drunks that travel to infest the beaches there. The streets near beaches are full with no room to park. Residents alert the city to people who stay on the same street for more then a day. The police will quickly move you along. That includes beaches and parks where overnight parking/camping will get a $200 ticket. Gas is sky high. So is everything else. You'll need to gross $40,000 a year to afford to rent a room, electricity and cost of living. If you are vehicle living or homeless in San Diego do it many miles away from the coast. That does not include any beach, bay or near to downtown areas. Do not come to San Diego without money, a job and/a building with a roof to stay long term (other the homeless shelter which are all full).   

I've been in Ocean Beach for a few years, and there are hundreds of vans spread out all over the city. Some of them are like my friend Ben, discreet chill and a responsible citizen. I love Ben, we need more Ben's, even though he is taking my street parking spots (I blame the developers for not putting in parking on that one).

There are also significantly more cretins and grifters, throwing out piss bottles, harassing women, enjoying drug-addled psychosis around families at the beach and generally being pieces of shit living off of stolen bikes and pan handling. 

If you are more like the former, I think you could have a lot of success here and it could be a good fit - but looking for an affordable room (LOL GOOD LUCK) would be a thing a responsible citizen would at least try to do first.

(dispose of piss bottles accordingly)

bryans wrote:

Keep your ugly, gold-bricking ass out of my beach community! (I hope we all know this movie)

Fascist!

The van is not the issue here, dude. It's about drawing a line in the sand. Across this line, YOU DO NOT -- PARK!

Also, van lifer is not the preferred nomenclature. Temporarily Homeless American, please.

The end of the torrey pines gliderport parking lot is allowing van parking since the panny started. The best views of the best beaches in the safest and wealthiest part of the county. 10 minutes from all the breweries in miramar/ sorrento. Just don’t tell the rest of ur dirty hippy buds and if you do, at least bring a spikeball kit.

Not Sure wrote:

You can ignore pugnacious, newgard, Tradiban and Joe. San Diego has a high homeless population, a large amount of people in poverty, a high RV living, van living, vehicle and tent living population. We are full. "The Karen Patrol aka Troll patrol" is everyone who has a job or doesn't want to see another person who came to Cali to be homeless with new clothes or a new van begging for drug and booze money. And the huge amount of trash they leave. Plenty of drunks, druggies and mentally disturbed people are roaming 24/7/365. We who work are not generous to beggars. Ocean Beach - OB renters and owners (locals) hate the aggressive crazies/drunks that travel to infest the beaches there. The streets near beaches are full with no room to park. Residents alert the city to people who stay on the same street for more then a day. The police will quickly move you along. That includes beaches and parks where overnight parking/camping will get a $200 ticket. Gas is sky high. So is everything else. You'll need to gross $40,000 a year to afford to rent a room, electricity and cost of living. If you are vehicle living or homeless in San Diego do it many miles away from the coast. That does not include any beach, bay or near to downtown areas. Do not come to San Diego without money, a job and/a building with a roof to stay long term (other the homeless shelter which are all full).   

I can't help responding to your post, "Not My Name', just because it is so hyperbolic. That seems like such a dystopian vision of our fair city! I went down to Ocean Beach yesterday and had such a nice day! Easy parking, stroll down the pier, followed by fancy vanilla bean lattes at a European-esque street cafe. Like I envisioned the characters do in "The Sun Also Rises". I DID NOT see anyone doing drugs. Does it change at night maybe??

I don't think you need $40,000 a year to afford a room here. I wrote my own rental contract when I arrived here four years ago and pay $700/month "in perpetuity" to my landlord. I basically watch his house (in Clairemont) since he travels a lot. I consider myself very lucky to have met a kind compassionate homeowner when I arrived here, since I know prices have skyrocketed in recent years. The UCSD student housing options are an absolute travesty. They have built a lot of new housing but the rents for a room run more than 1/2 of our grad student stipend (~$2500/month). Their suggestion? Share closet sized rooms with each other. No thanks. The moral of the story here is to never trust property companies, large institutions, or investment groups buying up all the houses and renting them for more than a mortgage. Why U think millenials are all living in vans and pooping on your door step?

I'm trying to figure out if Not My Name is more Walter Sobchak or the Malibu Chief of Police. The frat bros partying at the beach are the nihilists for sure. I see myself more as a Donny, happy to hang with my awesome crew here in SD and savoring the small victories ........ either a timely strike out on the lanes or a day at the beach!

JT, you don’t share the experience or opinion of other san diegans. Cheap OR reasonable rent is very hard to find. $40,000 gross is at best $30,000 net, do the math on what that covers. We have the highest utility prices and near highest gasoline, food, sales, property taxes, etc prices in the continental USA. Beach residents who pay to live there , particularly in ocean beach, are upset with with the rampant substance abusers and aggressive mentally ill. It’s not one respectful , sane and mostly sober van lifer. It’s all of Newport Ave and the whole beachfront from tide pools to lifeguard station. The motto of OBceans is don’t feed the hobos-bums. It’s a horde of people migrating here daily to be unemployed , drunk, crazy, begging and homeless. It’s scattered trash, never moving vehicles taking up all street and lot parking, people passed out blocking access to public beaches and parks. LA and other parts of Cali like in the Bay Area are hellscapes. Hundreds of blocks of unstable people in tents. Who moved there from elsewhere. We , the long time locals are trying to keep that from happening to SD. Thats the mainstream opinion. The torrey pines glider port isn’t a residential neighborhood. Hopefully there’s a portopotty that's serviced daily! Nothing like human feces to harsh your mellow!

jt newgard wrote:

I can't help responding to your post, "Not My Name', just because it is so hyperbolic. That seems like such a dystopian vision of our fair city! I went down to Ocean Beach yesterday and had such a nice day! Easy parking, stroll down the pier, followed by fancy vanilla bean lattes at a European-esque street cafe. Like I envisioned the characters do in "The Sun Also Rises". I DID NOT see anyone doing drugs. Does it change at night maybe??

I don't think you need $40,000 a year to afford a room here. I wrote my own rental contract when I arrived here four years ago and pay $700/month "in perpetuity" to my landlord. I basically watch his house (in Clairemont) since he travels a lot. I consider myself very lucky to have met a kind compassionate homeowner when I arrived here, since I know prices have skyrocketed in recent years. The UCSD student housing options are an absolute travesty. They have built a lot of new housing but the rents for a room run more than 1/2 of our grad student stipend (~$2500/month). Their suggestion? Share closet sized rooms with each other. No thanks. The moral of the story here is to never trust property companies, large institutions, or investment groups buying up all the houses and renting them for more than a mortgage. Why U think millenials are all living in vans and pooping on your door step?

I'm trying to figure out if Not My Name is more Walter Sobchak or the Malibu Chief of Police. The frat bros partying at the beach are the nihilists for sure. I see myself more as a Donny, happy to hang with my awesome crew here in SD and savoring the small victories ........ either a timely strike out on the lanes or a day at the beach!

You know that you guys met at the New Worrol Order meeting, right?