Dozens of remote workers organized a mass work-from-the-beach meet up on social media last month.
The city of San Diego says they can’t do it again — unless they get permits.
Last month’s Remote Work Meetup was a hit. Workers wearing collared shirts and board shorts gathered at Law Street in Pacific Beach. They dragged their home desks down there, or built makeshift office spaces with surfboards.
It was spearheaded by Scott Muirhead, a local social media personality who has gone viral for taking remote work to the extreme, like when he joined a Zoom meeting from the skies above Torrey Pines Gliderport – camera off, of course.
“I would bring my desk to the beach and a lot of people would comment, saying ‘Hey, tell me when you’re going out. I want to work with you,’” Muirhead said. “So I got it in my head that we should do something where multiple people could come out.
He made it happen on Friday, March 13, with the organized work session ending at noon.
It’s what happened after that made the city wary of a repeat.
“People hung out the rest of the day,” Muirhead said. “More people showed up, they brought and left alcohol on the beach. A couple of guys went into the alleys of PB just picking up random chairs and tables, then left them at the beach. I think that struck a nerve.”
He says those people weren’t part of his event, and that he did not see a single can or bottle of alcohol before leaving at noon. Refreshments were limited to office-appropriate Pop Up Bagels and coffee.
To Muirhead, the drunk and disorderly conduct was typical of what would happen in Pacific Beach on a regular sunny Friday.
Regardless, city officials say any future gathering needs special event permits.
“Organized events at Parks and Recreation facilities with more than 49 participants require a permit,” said Benny Cartwright, a city spokesperson.
“The permitting process includes payment of fees, and adherence to requirements that vary based on the type of event, including insurance coverage, security and more,” he said.
Muirhead had planned for a second event last Friday at La Jolla Shores and anticipated pushback. He canceled the meet up, but The Cardiff Office bar hosted a make-up “return to office” event in the late afternoon.
He now has a meeting with the city Tuesday to discuss the permitting process. He hopes the city “doesn’t give us hell like the yoga guy.”
Indeed, this is the third in a series of similar enforcement actions by the city.
The city in 2024 banned beach yoga classes, before losing a lengthy legal battle when a federal appeals court ruled teaching yoga is protected speech. Last year, the city shut down pop-up DJ events in Golden Hill and Pacific Beach parks, saying they needed permits, security, bathrooms and insurance.
But Muirhead said he is pressing on. He said remote workers looking to get together should expect a large gathering on May 27.
