A massive fire broke out at a vacant restaurant at the end of the Oceanside Pier in North County San Diego on Thursday afternoon, the Oceanside Fire Department confirmed. 

The nearly 2,000-foot-long wooden pier was built in 1888, and is a focal point of the beachside Southern California city not far from Camp Pendleton. 

“The Oceanside Fire Department is currently engaged in fighting a fire on the Oceanside Pier,” the department wrote on social media Thursday.

“We are asking all citizens to please stay away from the immediate area.” 

Video of the fire showed smoke billowing up over the pier, which could be seen from as far as Vista, 10 miles east, and Del Mar, 20 miles south, according to FOX 5 San Diego. 

The fire also appeared to have spread to Brine Box, a fish shack at the end of the pier.

The restaurant posted an update on social media, writing, “What’s happening on the pier is sad and scary. We want you to know that our team is safe.”

“From what we have heard the fire started under the pier, and everyone made it off ok. We will keep you updated as we learn more. Thank you for all of your kind words of support. We appreciate you all so much.” 

The US Coast Guard battled the blaze from the water while helicopter drops were made by the Diego County Sheriff’s Department and San Diego Gas & Electric, the station reported. 

There has been no official word on potential injuries or what may have sparked the blaze. 

A Los Angeles County judge found that charter cities aren’t subject to Senate Bill 9, the 2021 “duplex” law that allows up to four homes to be built on a lot in single-family neighborhoods.

The law fails to accomplish its stated purpose of creating more affordable housing, and therefore, doesn’t meet the high bar of overriding local control over zoning, Superior Court Judge Curtis Kin said in a ruling released Wednesday, April 24.

SB 9 “is neither reasonably related to its stated concern of ensuring access to affordable housing nor narrowly tailored to avoid interference with local government,” Kin wrote.

The ruling applies only to the state’s 121 charter cities, not to more than 400 “general law” cities and counties operating without their own charters.

See also: 4 LA County cities, including Redondo Beach, Whittier, file legal challenge against state housing bill

Seen as an effective end to single-family zoning in California, the law allows lot splits in suburban neighborhoods, with one home and one “accessory dwelling unit” (or granny flat) on each new lot — replacing one home with up to four.

The law sought to address soaring housing costs by giving renters and working families greater access to neighborhoods they couldn’t otherwise afford.

The state Legislature also found that SB 9 should apply to charter cities, which enjoy greater autonomy, because affordable housing is a “matter of statewide concern.”

But five Southern California cities — Redondo Beach, Torrance, Carson, Whittier and Del Mar — sued to block the law, arguing it violated the state constitution that gives the state’s “home rule” cities the right to govern their own “municipal affairs.”

Kin wrote that Attorney General Rob Bonta and the state housing department failed to prove that SB 9 would increase the number of homes affordable to low income families — “especially in economically prosperous cities,” he wrote.

See also: California is suing Huntington Beach for limiting housing developments

Asked if the state plans to appeal the ruling, the Attorney General’s Office issued a terse statement: “We are reviewing the decision and will consider all options in defense of SB 9.”

All California cities and counties operate under California “general law.” But charter cities effectively operate under their own constitutions that supersede state laws on local affairs, such as planning and zoning.

The legislature, can override city charters, however, in matters of statewide concern, such the lack of affordable housing.

“The Legislature finds and declares that ensuring access to affordable housing is a matter of statewide concern and not a municipal affair,” SB 9 states. “Therefore, … (this law applies) to all cities, including charter cities.”

See also: Housing developers win first ‘builders remedy’ battles in fight to bypass local zoning

But the law does nothing to guarantee more affordable housing, Kin wrote. At the same time, he rejected the state’s argument that SB 9 promotes housing affordability at lower income levels by increasing the overall housing supply.

” ‘Affordable’ refers to below market-rate housing,” Kin wrote. The state gave “no evidence to support the assertion that the upzoning permitted by SB 9 would result in any increase in the supply of below market-rate housing.”

Redondo Beach City Attorney Michael Webb hailed Kin’s ruling, saying SB 9 amounts to a “kind of trickle-down economics applied to zoning.”

“It was a massive upzoning that would have just led to more market-rate housing, more million-dollar townhomes,” Webb said. “In Redondo, we support affordable housing, but we don’t support one size fits all, top-down laws that disrupt communities and don’t … lead to more affordable housing.”

With Eli Russell Linnetz, the designer consistently refines his appetite for portraying life’s moments and his undying love for California. This past January, the designer’s eponymous label, ERL, looked at high school memories for FW24 – defined by sports-inspired attire, layered looks and alluring fabrications that all carried the state’s easygoing persona. Now the designer is digging deeper into the Golden State with his new “Made in California” collection.

Like the name suggests, Eli Russell Linnetz took a more deliberate approach to build his world in California, not just on the design side, but on the production front as well. For example, key shearling pieces came from sheared sheep that roam around the ERL studio alongside shearling waste from local farmers. In tandem with the California-made production, the collection leans into quintessential Americana styles – whether it be through denim or something as simple as plaid boxer shorts.

The entire wardrobe is laden with jackets, knitwear, flared bottoms, shin-length shorts, plaid shirts, heavyweight zip-ups with matching sweatpants, pocket tees and accessories. But the clear standout of the collection are the canary yellow shearling pieces that extend to an oversized jacket, bags and standout $28,000 USD chaps. But even with its American-influenced aesthetic, the collection still channels the calmly sexy sentiments the brand is also known for.

Check out ERL’s latest in the gallery above. The “Made in California” collection is available now online.