Off leash dogs?

I live in the carmel valley area. Why do so many people have their dogs off leash here?? Is this normal everywhere in San Diego?

I have a large, leash-reactive dog. He is sweet off-leash, but he gets frustrated if he sees another dog on a walk. We've been working on it and he's improved a ton. But if an off leash dogs approaches us while he's leashed (which happens like once a week here) he goes insane.

There’s so many people who do this (I see 2-3/day) that I’m wondering if I’m insane and this is a me issue, but it seems crazy to me to have a dog off leash who will approach other dogs with zero recall.

Is this that common everywhere? Am I right in thinking this is rude and potentially dangerous? How and where am I supposed to exercise my dog to ensure everyone’s safety??