A local artist recently shared a pastel painting of the spot, and it's a reminder of just how stunning this tiny stretch of sand actually is. Nestled below million-dollar homes and framed by Monterey cypress, China Beach is the kind of place that makes you forget you live in a city where a studio apartment costs $2,800 a month.

Here's the thing about China Beach that fiscal hawks can appreciate: it's one of the few SF parks that largely takes care of itself. No massive capital improvement boondoggles, no $1.7 million toilet installations, no elaborate "activation plans" cooked up by a committee of 40. Just a beach, some stairs, and the Pacific Ocean doing what it does best. Sometimes the best government service is the one that stays out of the way.