The Brief

Access to a storied surfing spot in Southern California has been almost entirely cut off after the roadway leading into the famed San Onofre Surf Beach was washed away during this month's powerful atmospheric storms.

"There is one way in and one way out to Surf Beach — where Old Man's is — and it's a dirt road that drops in from a bluff up above," said David Matuszak, author of the book, San Onofre: Memories of a Legendary Surfing Beach.

The recently destroyed path led to the dirt parking lot that sits directly on the sand of Old Man's. It wasn't uncommon to find cars lining up to wait for the iconic beach to open in the morning, or for a coveted parking spot on good surf days. The lot itself is as legendary as the break's world famous and mellow waves — the place for tailgates and barbecues for the tight-knit surfing community.

For Matuszak, Surf Beach has looked and felt the same ever since a friend took him there more than four decades ago.

"[The surf] was flat that day. We never got out of the truck, but I was just very impressed with the atmosphere — the dirt road, the flora, the fauna, everything was pretty much natural as you would see in the California coast a hundred years before," he said. "The primitive coastline of San Onofre was just very rare even in those days — and it's even more rare today."

The parking lot of Old Man's in San Onofre

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David Matuszak

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David Matuszak

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A snapshot of San Onofre

Along the miles-long stretch of coastlines that make up San Onofre are multiple surfing breaks, said Matuszak: Trestles, Church, The Point, Four Doors, and the like.

"And then of course Old Man's, which is where it all began back in the 1930s," he said.

That was when the earliest documented instance of surfing took place in San Onofre — in an area that would eventually become better known by its nickname.

"Old Man's is famous for being what we call a slow roller, almost like a Waikiki type of wave," Matuszak said.

A 'wild singles scene' grows up

Despite the moniker, the crowd it first drew were surfers in their teens and 20s. "It was sex, drug, and rock and roll," he said. "A wild singles scene."

After World War II, many of them returned to San Onofre to surf and start families. As this first generation of surfers began to age, the culture changed along with it. Matuszak said that's probably how the beach got the nickname, as these young guns matured into, well, old men.

"On any given day in the summer at San Onofre, you will see three generations of surfers in the same family out in the water," he said. "You'll see grandpa, you'll see dad, and you'll see a son or a daughter in the water. That sort of culture in surfing is rare."

"The other thing that is very unique about San Onofre is what we call the 'Aloha Spirit,'" Matuszak continued. "That same 1960s aloha, that brotherhood of surfing, a place where it's unusual for somebody to drop in on you on a wave."

When a new young surfer would show what Matuszak termed "bad manners" in the water, the old men at San Onofre would "educate them, shall we say" — just as it was done to him when he was new and young and didn't know better.

San Onofre State Beach

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Brian Baer

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California State Parks

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A disappearing beach

But like so many beaches up and down the state, San Onofre is at risk of disappearing from the effects of high tides, rising sea levels, and monster storms.

"We've lost 70 feet of coastline in the 40 some years that I've been at San Onofre," said Matsuzak, adding that an estimated 40 feet of it were lost in the last decade alone.

While erosion has been eating away at the beach for quite some time, what weakened the roadway to the parking lot was a broken drainage system that was installed in the bluffs above it. Earlier this month, the record-breaking rainfall finished the job.

"[It was] a very severe, high-level rainstorm with winds, and it was just a lot more than that particular area is accustomed to getting in a small amount of time," said Kevin Pearsall, state park superintendent for the Orange Coast District that oversees San Onofre.

"It kind of caught everything off guard," he said, "and a lot of the dynamics of infrastructure for parks, in particular vulnerable areas like San Onofre, are made for 100-year storms, not 100-year storms in two days."

What it takes to get there today

For now, Old Man's is still reachable, but requires diehards to park elsewhere and either walk or e-bike their boards to the water.

"A lot less people are surfing now, and some of us guys are getting a little older, you know, it gets a little more difficult to jump through all the hoops to get down there, but it's still worth it," said Craig Ephraim, a longtime San Clemente resident and a member of the San Onofre Surfing Club who's been surfing at the spot for decades.

What's next

Pearsall said the state's parks department is working with the stakeholders to repair the roadway and hopefully to fix it once and for all. That includes the Navy, because the beach is on military property and is being leased to the state.

"We don't have an exact timeline because it's all coming in agreement of who's doing what," said Pearsall, adding that he knows the local surfing community can't wait to regain access to Old Man's.

Ultimately, many surfers said there's a bigger issue at play.

"I think we're going to have to try to figure out how to save the beaches, and San Onofre will be one of them," said Scott Cuda, president of the San Onofre Surfing Club. "I would like to think that it would be a priority because it's a gem for the state and it means a lot to a lot of people."

Cuda has been surfing San Onofre for more than two decades. His father-in-law was an original member of the famous surf club, and helped install the volleyball courts at the beach. But the family connections don't stop there.

"It's where my kids have grown up. It's where my family hangs out. It's our special place. There's nothing down the coast like it," Cuda said.

L.A. County health officials Wednesday confirmed the county's seventh measles case this year — a traveler who passed through Hollywood Burbank Airport on the morning of June 17.

They're warning people who may have come in contact with the person of possible exposure to the highly contagious virus.

What you should know: Public health officials say the infected traveler arrived on Southwest Airlines Flight 4245 Gate A4 on June 17 at the Hollywood Burbank Airport. Anyone who was at that gate between 8:45 to 9:45 a.m. may have been exposed.

Officials also noted that people who were at the Thrifty Rental Car Service on June 17 from 9:20 to 10:20 a.m. and on June 18 from 10:25 to 11:25 a.m. may have been exposed. That's located at 2627 N. Hollywood Way in Burbank.

What if I was on the flight? Public health officials say passengers sitting next to the traveler will be notified by local health departments and should monitor for symptoms. Keep in mind those symptoms could appear up to three weeks after you were exposed.

Symptoms to look out for: Common symptoms include runny nose, fever cough, or a rash. It's also important if you develop these symptoms, don't just walk into a health care center without calling ahead first.

For people exposed on June 17, the last day to monitor for symptoms is July 8. For those exposed on June 18, the last day to monitor for symptoms is July 19.

How can I protect myself?: It's important to check if you are vaccinated against the measles. As health officials noted in the news release reporting the latest case: "The most effective way to protect yourself and your family is with the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine."

The Los Angeles Unified Board voted unanimously to appoint Andres Chait, a longtime district administrator, as superintendent days after his predecessor resigned.

 “This board's decision reflects the confidence in Mr. Chait's leadership, his decades of service to Los Angeles Unified, and his demonstrated ability to guide the district during this period of transition,” said board President Scott Schmerelson.

The board met privately to discuss the district’s top job three days after Alberto Carvalho resigned. Carvalho wrote in a letter that he was leaving “because I believe our schools must remain focused on students and learning without distraction.”

The board placed Carvalho on paid administrative leave following FBI searches of his home and district office in February and appointed Chait acting superintendent. Carvalho has not been charged with a crime and has maintained his innocence.

Who is Andres Chait?

Chait rose through the ranks from teacher to administrator at LAUSD over nearly three decades. The responsibilities of his most recent role, chief of school operations, included overseeing school safety, athletics and the district’s office of emergency management.

Chait thanked the board, the community and his family after the announcement Wednesday and reflected on his first day as a kindergarten teacher 30 years ago. “ I was probably more nervous than the kids were, but I knew then that this was a place where I could make a positive difference in the lives of students and families,” Chait said. “I've always known that there is no greater accelerator of change and opportunity than the schoolhouse, and that is still true today.”

What is the superintendent responsible for?

LAUSD is the country’s second-largest school district, employs 83,000 people and enrolls more than 400,000 students across more than 1,000 schools. Despite recent gains in student test scores, the majority of students are not proficient in reading and math skills for their grade level. The district also faces looming financial challenges from declining enrollment — which is tied to state funding — and federal investigations into programs designed to help underserved students succeed.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

A former state parks superintendent who oversaw Orange County beaches was charged Wednesday with secretly filming naked male lifeguards and other workers inside the locker room at Bolsa Chica State Beach. The former superintendent, Kevin Pearsall, is also accused of sending some of the images to two other men.

What charges does he face?

Pearsall, 59, of Long Beach, faces five felony counts of eavesdropping, 23 misdemeanor counts of secretly filming another and three misdemeanor counts of unlawful dissemination of private recordings. If convicted on all charges, he faces a maximum sentence of 18 years and eight months behind bars.

Scott C. Thomas, a defense attorney representing Pearsall, declined to comment in the wake of the charges being announced by the Orange County District Attorney's office. Pearsall is scheduled to be arraigned Aug. 6 and could enter a plea at that time.

Details of the investigation

In July 2025, a California State Parks officer discovered a USB stick with a hidden camera in the men's locker room at Bolsa Chica State Beach Lifeguard Headquarters. The officer contacted California Highway Patrol, which launched an investigation.

The investigation found Pearsall allegedly had recorded numerous secret videos in the locker room over an 11-month period beginning in August 2024, according to the DA's announcement. Pearsall retired from his job shortly after CHP served search warrants in the case. He turned himself in earlier this week.

State Parks reaction

Marty Greenstein, a spokesperson for California State Parks, told LAist the agency “takes these charges very seriously and has fully cooperated with law enforcement through every step of the investigation.” Greenstein declined to comment further, citing the active criminal investigation.

Making your way through South Coast Plaza — the sleek consumer cathedral in Costa Mesa, a sort of mall of malls — past Uniqlo window displays and Pop Mart blind boxes, there's a good chance you'll eventually land at Tiny's, the new casual restaurant from Chef Sang Yoon.

The burger shack-meets-Asian convenience store is the latest from Yoon, best known for Father's Office, the Los Angeles institution where he's spent two decades running one of the city's most uncompromising kitchens — no substitutions, no exceptions.

Tiny’s marks Yoon’s first venture into Orange County — a deliberately accessible entry point for a chef who has spent decades at the top of L.A.'s gastropub scene.

The concept

Tiny's is the place Yoon wanted to exist as a kid.

Inside, you're greeted by shelves stocked in the style of a konbini, the beloved Japanese convenience corner store, with cilantro-flavored Doritos from China, elote-flavored Turtle Chips from Korea and, for the purists, the requisite Japanese Kit-Kats and Pocky too.

At the counter, a friendly employee greets you beneath a letterboard menu anchored by Yoon’s signature 30-day dry-aged beef burger. Starting at $9 for a plain burger, up to $12 for the Tokyo Dog dressed in bonito flakes and furikake, there's also salt and vinegar tots, french fries, miso mac 'n' cheese and soft serve that runs from Straus vanilla to Pineapple Dole Whip, available as a swirl, cup, cone or float. That's the menu, streamlined by design.

Chef Sang Yoon's cheeseburger and Tokyo Dog at Tiny's, his new fast-casual concept inside South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa

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Grid Vongpiansuksa

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Courtesy Tiny's Burger

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For Yoon, the son of Korean immigrants who grew up between two worlds, the idea of opening a burger stand with a konbini was about tapping into the happy place of his memories: after school with friends, trying out the latest snacks to hit the market to Friday nights with the entire family celebrating after a long week of grinding it out with burgers and chili fries.

"The corner burger stand is where life happened. ... What if those two of my favorite things were under one roof?" said Yoon.

Tiny the dog

Inspiration for the name Tiny’s came from a somewhat unlikely place: Yoon’s beloved Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Yoon describes her as appearing extremely cute and friendly, but in reality, she was actually sassy and judgmental. Illustrations bearing Tiny’s "don't mess with me" vibe can be seen throughout the restaurant.

“People would rather hear this from a sassy, cute dog than me. So I decided that we should channel Tiny. And let this belong to her," Yoon said.

The food

The cheeseburger itself is simple: a thin patty topped with melted American cheese and Tiny's signature sauce — a blend of Kewpie mayo, caramelized gochujang, ssamjang and tomato — finished with pickle chips and a bed of lettuce.

What sets it apart is what you can’t see, the same 30-day dry-aged chuck Yoon has used at Father’s Office for over 25 years.

“I still don’t think there’s any product superior to that for the purpose of a hamburger,” he said.

The spread at Tiny's includes the cheeseburger, miso mac 'n' cheese, chicken nuggets, tater tots, fries and a jammy egg sando — a konbini staple in Japan.

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Grid Vongpiansuksa

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Courtesy Tiny's Burger

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The nuggets ($10) had a crispy, craggy exterior finished with visible seasoning crystals, a small but deliberate touch, and came with a fresh herbaceous dipping sauce. As for the chili fries ($8), the chili itself was sufficient as an L.A.-style chili (think Tommy's), but since Lao Gan Ma chili crisp was promised in the name, I was expecting that distinctive, crunchy, fermented kick — but left wanting more of it. It felt more like a whisper than a statement.

The miso mac 'n' cheese ($6) was a highlight of the meal, especially for someone who doesn't usually order mac 'n' cheese. Fresh ridged elbow pasta with a proper chew in each bite, and salty morsels of miso folded into a tight cheese sauce had me picking up forkfuls until it was mostly gone. Consider my position reconsidered.

Encouraged, I went back and ordered a Dole Whip ($7). The electric, tangy flavor, paired with the soft creaminess, served as a suitable exclamation point for my lunch that day.

With Tiny's, Yoon has built his most personal restaurant — accessible in price, but uncompromising in intention.

Could mall food now be on a new trajectory? Perhaps we've finally transcended corn dogs at Hot Dog on a Stick and cinnamon rolls at Cinnabon.

After dining at Tiny’s, all signs point to yes.