
Help Heal the Bay “take out the trash” at beaches all along the Westside
You never know what you might pick up at Coastal Cleanup Day — a waterlogged wedding dress, Santeria offerings wrapped in velvet, or a briefcase stuffed with graham crackers — but you can almost certainly bet that doing so will help the environment.
Last year more 13,000 volunteers removed nearly 60,000 pounds of trash and debris from Los Angeles County beaches and watershed areas on Coastal Cleanup Day, according to sponsor Heal the Bay, and e-scooters became the latest addition to the nonprofit organization’s list of unusual finds.
Yes, mankind keeps coming up with creative ways to irresponsibly dispose of its wares, but Coastal Cleanup Day is one way to fight back. On Saturday (Sept. 21), celebrate 30 years of Coastal Cleanup Day and volunteer with Heal the Bay at one of more than 70 locations — many of them at local beaches and points along Ballona Creek.
Scoop up trash by the Ballona Creek Bike Path or mosey around Mother’s Beach looking for buried trash treasure. You can even dive for debris at the Santa Monica Pier, or help restore precious habitat at the LAX Dunes. The cleanup happens from 9 a.m. to noon, but be sure to register and sign a safety waiver ahead of time at healthebay.org/ccd. To reduce waste, volunteers are encouraged to bring their own buckets, gloves and refillable water bottles as well as sunscreen, but every site will have cleanup supplies.
— Christina Campodonico
Santa Monica
Santa Monica North Beach Playground, 810 Pacific Coast Hwy.
mmccarthy@healthebay.org
Santa Monica Pier/Tower 1550, 1600 Appian Way
beth@ecodivecenter.com (scuba)
asalter508@aol.com (sand) Santa Monica Beach at Tower 20, 103 Bay St.
tower_alexandra@smc.edu
Santa Monica Beach at Tower 27, 2600 Barnard Way
tford@santamonicabay.org
Venice
Venice Beach at Rose Avenue, 300 Ocean Front Walk
addisondavis21@k12.xrds.org
Venice Pier, 3100 Ocean
Front Walk
ghamilton@la.surfrider.org (north of pier)
lavallys@gmail.com
(south of pier)
Marina del Rey Mother’s Beach, 14031 Palawan Way
rogerlwaiters@yahoo.com
Playa del Rey Toes Beach at Tower 40, 6200 Pacific Ave.
kruzysmom@aol.com
Ballona Wetlands Restoration Site, 303 Culver Blvd.
patrick@ballonafriends.org
LAX Dunes Restoration Site
Across from Trask Triangle Park, 301 Waterview St.
mgrubbs@santamonicabay.org
Dockweiler State Beach at Point 77, 12000 Vista Del Mar
terumi.yoyoshima@gmail.com
Dockweiler State Beach at Tower 58, 12501 Vista Del Mar
mithsy@lawaterkeeper.org
Dockweiler Youth Center, 12505 Vista Del Mar
sespinosa@bh.lacounty.gov
Culver City
Ballona Creek Bike Path at 5000 Sepulveda Blvd.
ballonacreek.cleanup@culvercity.org
Ballona Creek Bike Path at 4990 Overland Ave.
catherine.vargas@culvercity.org
Ballona Creek Bike Path at 4339 Duquesne Ave.
ballonacreek.cleanup@culvercity.org
Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook Base, Jefferson Blvd. at Hetzler Rd.
ballonacreek.cleanup@culvercity.org
Ballona Creek Bike Path at Syd Kronenthal Park, 3451 McManus Ave.
ballonacreek.cleanup@culvercity.org