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Appreciating 33 Years of Amazing Volunteers

03.29.2023 |

CaliforniaEventosEventsNewsTake Action

Heal the Bay thrives because of our amazing volunteers. We are only able to celebrate those achievements because of the time, dedication, and support that our volunteers so graciously donate. 

Each and every volunteer is instrumental to the success of our organization whether educating the public, reaching out to communities, aiding in aquarium care, or picking up plastic at the beach.  Volunteer passion for the environment through selfless dedication is the ture heart and soul of Heal the Bay and drive our accomplishments toward achieving the mission to protect coastal waters and watersheds of Southern California. On March 23, 2023, we took time to celebrate our volunteers at Heal the Bay’s 33rd Annual Volunteer Appreciation Party and Award Ceremony.  

Sharing our 2022 Volunteer Success: 

  • Aquarium volunteers contributed 4,005 hours to the Heal the Bay Aquarium, supported field trips, assisted in caring for our animals, and guided visitors through the experience of our touch tanks.
  • MPA Watch volunteers conducted 489 surveys in 2022 to monitor human activity in the Palos Verdes and Malibu Marine Protected Area sites.
  • Thousands of volunteers picked up trash from the greater L.A.’s shorelines and neighborhoods last year. On Coastal Cleanup Day, 4,583 volunteers removed more than 11,298 lbs. of trash and 313 lbs. of recyclables from our waterways and neighborhoods.

Our Key Stone Award Winners 

The Jean Howell Award and the Bob Hertz Award are Heal the Bay’s lifetime achievement awards. This years  award winners, like any keystone, have become central to the success of many Heal the Bay programs. A special thank you to our 2023 awardees.  

Tim Cheung – Jean Howell Award 

Tim began volunteering with Heal the Bay in 2017. Through the years, Tim has been instrumental to the Beach Captains team for Nothin’ But Sand and Heal the Bay public cleanup programs. In the past, Tim represented Heal the Bay at tabling events in the community and helped spread our virtual Knowledge Drop education series at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Tim brings a strong sense of community to each cleanup and ensuring all team members feel informed and involved along the way, commanding the attention of our cleanup volunteers at Nothin’ But Sand every month, ensuring a safe cleanup. At the end of the cleanup, Tim leads the charge, weighing the trash and transporting large items to the dumpster, often by himself. There is no task Tim isn’t willing to do. 

John Wells – Jean Howell Award 

Since joining Heal the Bay’s MPA Watch Program in February 2020, John has conducted more than 385 MPA Watch surveys. His surveys alone account for more than 25% of the submitted surveys on behalf of Heal the Bay’s MPA Watch program.  John’s increased resolution in our data came during an exceptional need to record unprecedented changes in human recreational and consumptive behavior in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic. John was awarded the MPA Watch Super Healer award in 2020 and his dedication to Heal the Bay has only grown stronger, serving as an active volunteer, a Beach Captain at monthly NBS beach clean-ups, Suits on the Sand events, and at Heal the Bay’s Coastal Cleanup Day in 2022. John’s contributions are invaluable 

John Reyes – Bob Hertz Award 

John Reyes attends every Heal the Bay volunteer opportunity. There isn’t a cleanup program or Heal the Bay event that John is not involved. Since 2018,  John has captained Coastal Cleanup Day sites in Dockweiler State Beach and even organized his own Adopt-A-Beach team, “the Beach Reacher’s”, to clean up would-be marine debris from L.A.’s inland watershed. John is always one of the first volunteers to sign up to support special Heal the Bay events such as the Trash Bowl and Golf Open. Even during the rainy seasons John joins our Storm Response cleanup efforts. His leadership at Nothin But Sand Cleanups are instrumental and he has volunteered at over 100 Suits on the Sand cleanups. The current Beach Programs team wishes to express the greatest gratitude for John’s dedication and outstanding support. 

Celebrating our Super Healers 

All Heal the Bay volunteers are wavemakers, but some go above and beyond. We are especially proud to recognize the following outstanding individuals with the 2022 Super Healer Awards: 

Sharon Lawrence – Development Super Healer 

Actress, philanthropist, and leader Sharon Lawrence is known to most as the multiple Primetime Emmy-nominated and SAG Award-winning actress from hit shows like NYPD Blue, Grey’s Anatomy, Monk, Law and Order: SVU, Rizzoli & Isles, and Curb Your Enthusiasm (among many others). She has also been a change-maker at Heal the Bay for more than a decade, working tirelessly wherever she is needed, serving most recently as Chair of the Heal the Bay Board of Directors. Always the advocate for Heal the Bay, Sharon uses her voice and passionate influence to raise unquantifiable amounts of support and donations that have helped fund some of our most important science, policy, and outreach programs. A wavemaker like Sharon is truly one in a million. 

 Amalfi Estates (Anthony Marguleas) – Corporate Super Healer 

Anthony Marguleas of Amalfi Estates often notes: “we are a philanthropic company that excels at selling real estate. Alongside our commitment to our clients stands our commitment to our community.” Every year the Amalfi team donates 10% of their commissions to Heal the Bay among six L.A. charities. Their mighty team of 10 works enthusiastically to support local nonprofits donating more than $2 million since 2015.In just the past two years, nearly $35,000 has benefited Heal the Bay. When it comes to corporate responsibility, Amalfi Estates leads by example, setting the standard for what organizational-wide philanthropy can look like in the 21st century. 

Andrea Martina Isenchmid – Communications Super Healer 

Andrea is an actress, filmmaker, and artist, but we all know and love her as one of our most dedicated Beach Captains and Speakers. She has been a Heal the Bay volunteer for many years, inspiring countless attendees at our Nothin’ But Sand Beach Cleanups with her energizing educational safety talks. Rain or shine Andrea is always ready to help setup at the beach and a reliable amplifier promoting Heal the Bay’s messaging and advocacy through social media often serving as  impromptu social media photographer for the Communications team.  This year, Andrea furthered  her passion for Heal the Bay’s mission   with the completion on  “Marina the Mermaid”. the single-use plastic recycle. This 6-foot-tall recycled mannequin is adorned with pounds of items collected during Nothin’ But Sand Cleanups and her own self-cleanups. Her artwork will be on display during the entirety of Earth Month this April at the Heal the Bay Aquarium to raise environmental awareness. 

 Celina Banuelos – Public Programs Super Healer 

Celina is a real Ocean Hero, dedicating extensive time and effort to interpreting marine life for the public at the Heal the Bay Aquarium. She has helped countless visitors interact with ocean creatures for the first time at the Aquarium while exercising unwavering advocacy for the animals that live in Santa Monica Bay. Celina inspires people to connect with the ocean. We are so grateful to you, Celina, for all that you have done! 

Hannah Benharash – Public Programs Super Healer 

Hannah is a Heal the Bay regular and is always open to new experiences. Whether breaking down birthday parties or interpreting at the touch tanks on busy weekends, Hannah has made our aquarium programs unforgettable. Hannah is not only enthusiastic and dedicated but also extremely well-known for their unmatched button-making skills! We are grateful to Hannah for always coming to our rescue at the Heal the Bay Aquarium when it is needed the most.   

 Sophia Sorady – Public Programs Super Healer 

Sophia is a Wave Maker who has inspired her peers to take action in support of environmentalism. An amazing advocacy teacher for all our new public programs volunteers, Sophia dedicated time to the Aquarium by ensuring guests responsibly interacting with our animals. . Sophia is a kindhearted leader with compassion for the ocean, and we are proud to have her on our team. 

Ren Capati – Public Programs Super Healer 

Ren is a stellar Public Programs volunteer. Extremely knowledgeable, dependable, and always curious, Ron has been volunteering with the Public Programs team for more years than some senior staff members!  We love talking with Ren about discoveries in marine science, and are grateful for Ren’s infectious passion as part of the Heal the Bay team! 

 Jim Mckenzie – Aquarist Super Healer 

Jim has been volunteering with the Aquarium Operations department for the past two years and is an invaluable member of our team. Jim’s curiosity and dedication to protecting our environment shines through in all the work he does with Heal the Bay. From helping keep exhibits squeaky clean to spending time out on the sand supporting a beach cleanup, Jim has done it all. He is easily our best and most reliable first mate on Dorothy for kelp collections and overall incredible support to have at the Heal the Bay Aquarium. We’re so honored to have Jim be part of our team! 

 Russell Blakely – Super Healer 

Russell first volunteered with Heal the Bay in 2021, as a Beach Captain to help clean coastal areas. Russell is a tireless hero of our Nothin’ But Sand cleanups; always working and giving his all. Recently, Russell has developed into one of our leading Corporate Outreach volunteers, helping at Suits on the Sand cleanups, and on more than one occasion assisting at TWO cleanups in ONE day. Russell is our Suits on the Sand superstar.  

 Brant Kim – Super Healer 

Brant started as a Beach Captain in 2022 and has exhibited multitalented capabilities of leading any station. Exceptionally helpful with uplifting all our new digital initiatives at our cleanups, such as the electronic check-in, waiver check, and DEI survey, Brant’s commitment to community outreach  streamlines Heal the Bay’s Beach Program initiatives. 

Alice Pak – Super Healer 

Alice began volunteering with Heal the Bay in 2022 and has been an excellent addition to the Beach Captains team.  Alice hit the sand running, quickly optimizing our Nothin’ But Sand event procedures, most importantly, our registration booth protocols. With  Alice at the registration desk the Beach Programs volunteer teams are able to check-in 300 attendees in an hour or less.  In addition to serving as  a teacher on the sand for other volunteers, Alice is one of our most dependable Beach Captains. 

David Eddy -Super Healer & Keystone Starfish 

David started volunteering his data analysis skills to Heal the Bay in 2020. In the past, he helped our water quality scientists assess dissolved oxygen levels in the Channel Islands Harbor, painting an impressive overview of the data through visuals and a results overview video. This year, David has started volunteering his time and expertise to help the Beach Programs team revive the marine debris database, integrating our historic data with current datasets, and helping Heal the Bay bring our historic marine debris database into a modern, accessible format. Thank you for making that dream a reality!  

 Tasha Kolokotrones – Science Super Healer 

Tasha Kolokotrones has been an MPA Watch volunteer with Heal the Bay since 2021. Inspired by a  love of the outdoors, Tasha has conducted more than  50 MPA watch surveys earning honorable mention as one our most active MPA Watch volunteers. In 2022, Tasha submitted more surveys than 90% of our other program volunteers. Thanks to Tasha, our Marine Protected Area in Palos Verdes had consistent MPA Watch monitoring in 2022, an accomplishment all on its own!   

Special thanks to Golden Road Brewing for supplying refreshments and cheer! 

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Commit to Conservation Part 3: Solutions to California’s Water Supply – It’s All About Infrastructure

03.24.2023 |

CaliforniaCalifornia DroughtNews

California’s major infrastructure was built in the 20th century, but neither our laws nor conveyance systems were designed to address the challenges faced by climate change in the 21st century. Here’s everything you need to know about that infrastructure from the Heal the Bay Climate Action Team in Part 3 of our 3-part series, Commit to Conservation.

In past blogs, we’ve broken down the drivers behind the California drought and types of actions that make a real difference as we work to close the large and growing gap between the water we use and the water made available by nature. Even with the recent deluge of snow, torrential rains, and resulting flooding, precipitation was insufficient in permanently reversing the drought. The good news is that we have the technology we need for reliable drinking water and Heal the Bay is actively championing projects that will move us toward a more resilient and equitable future.

BACKGROUND

Water systems in California were designed based on historic patterns of precipitation that are being altered by climate change, but the primary cause of water scarcity in our region is not climate – it’s governance. Rights to our State’s water supply go all the way back to the 19th century, and our major infrastructure was built in the 20th century, and neither our laws nor conveyance systems were designed to address the challenges faced by climate change in the 21st century. The good news is that the potential for bolstering local water sources and supply in Southern California is enormous, and there are already plans and policies underway to make Los Angeles more resilient! And we believe in the idea of a “One Water” approach, which prioritizes investments in demand management and new supplies based on reliability, affordability, equity, public health, and environmental impacts.

ACHIEVING WATER RESILIENCY THROUGH CONSERVATION AND EFFICIENCY

Conservation and efficiency are two important tools when considering water use in a time of drought.

Conservation involves the conscious choice to change an action, like watering your lawn only one day a week instead of every day. While efficiency means taking the same actions as before but using less water (usually with the help of technology), for example, adding water-efficient showerheads to your bathrooms.

We talk a lot about water conservation and efficiency as strategies that the people of Los Angeles can take to help ensure that every on California can have access to safe clean water as that need increases. Reducing demand is often the cheapest and fastest way to close the large and growing gap between supply and demand. Saving water also helps save energy. In fact, a study by UC Davis revealed that during the 2015 drought, Californians saved more energy through water savings than all the energy efficiency programs combined. And when individuals actively choose to use less water, it makes a remarkable difference in water availability for everyone. Technology already exists that could save up to 1 trillion gallons a year statewide and the greatest potential for water savings exists right here in the South Coast Region, owing in part to the sheer potential of people (9.86 million in LA County alone) who could improve their water efficiency. To help encourage communities to use water more efficiently, the State Water Resources Control Board is working on a rulemaking to establish unique water efficiency budgets for each urban water supplier in California under a broader water resilience framework to “Make Conservation a California Way of Life”.

The greatest potential for water saving and new supply exists in the South Coast Region, which includes Los Angeles County.  From The Untapped Potential of California’s Urban Water Supply: Water Efficiency, Water Reuse, and Stormwater Capture, published by the Pacific Institute in April 2022.

Barriers to increasing water efficiency include:

1)  Water efficiency rebate programs that are often not accessible to low-income households because they require customers to purchase new appliances first and then wait several weeks (or more) for a rebate;

2) Water supplier revenues tied to how much water they sell, so there is a disincentive to invest in programs that reduce sales, and

3) Water suppliers won’t pay nearly as much for saved water as they will for new water.

Heal the Bay and our partners are working with our local water suppliers to implement solutions to these challenges, including:

  • Improving access to water efficiency programs by advocating for state and federal funding for programs that provide direct installation of new plumbing fixtures, appliances, and landscapes for income qualifying customers.
  • Advocating for water agencies to adopt water rates that incentivize improved efficiency while also allowing water suppliers to recover fixed costs, like the budget-based rates used by Irvine Ranch Water District and Western Municipal Water District.
  • Increasing the return on investment by advocating for water agencies to leverage the energy savings embedded in water savings to co-fund rebate programs with energy utilities.

CAPTURING STORMWATER – Waste Not, Want Not

Unlike wastewater, most stormwater in Los Angeles is not treated nor cleaned before it reaches our rivers and ocean. Our current stormwater infrastructure was built to protect against flooding, but when rain comes, the first flush of water from urbanized areas sweeps up trash and other contaminants which flow through our storm drains, dumping polluted water directly into our waterways, beaches, and ocean. Capturing LA’s rainwater offers opportunities to improve water quality in rivers and the ocean and at least triple the amount of stormwater captured for water supply (currently around 33 billion gallons per year).

The architects of the archaic system could not have foreseen the impacts of accommodating large population increases and ensuing development let alone a future of climate change and drought.  They viewed water through a very different lens as something to control because it was a flooding danger rather than an integral resource and the lifeblood of ecosystems. Since 1985, Heal the Bay has seen first-hand the symptoms and impacts of stormwater contamination on our beaches and ocean as our volunteers and staff pick up thousands of pounds of trash each year.  In fact, our Beach Report Card predictably downgrades our beaches after each rainstorm, and therefore, swimmers should consider staying out of coastal waters for at least 3 days after a rain event.

If we utilize natural solutions for stormwater capture, we could get even more benefits like carbon sequestration, cooler temperatures, recreational opportunities, and so much more. Heal the Bay works with the LA Regional Water Quality Control Board to track action under the Regional Stormwater Permit and has also engaged with a local dedicated source of funding as Watershed Coordinators for the Safe, Clean Water Program.  One good example of this is our project at Inell-Woods Park, which will be located in South Los Angeles, in a neighborhood that lacks green space within the Compton Creek Watershed.  The objective is to use native plants to reduce long-term potable water requirements and capture and treat stormwater to irrigate the park.

Stormwater Capture Projects: a) The Oxford Retention Basin Regional Stormwater Capture Project, b) The Ladera Park Stormwater Improvements Project, c) a rain garden in The Elmer Avenue Neighborhood Retrofit Project. Photos by Annelisa Moe/Heal the Bay.

SUSTAINABLE GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT – A Huge Underutilized Opportunity

One element you need for successful stormwater infiltration projects is clean groundwater. Here in the Los Angeles area, groundwater reservoirs offer vast natural water storage potential. And while they are heavily regulated to avoid over-pumping, much of this water is contaminated from historical industrial pollution. So, in recent years, groundwater has only made up about 10% of local water supply. Groundwater remediation, therefore, offers removal of pollution that is currently underlying communities, a boost for subsurface ecosystem health, and an increase in local water supply, as long as these stores are also regularly refilled by other local water sources. Across LA County, there are roughly 5.8 billion gallons of available unused groundwater storage space where we can store recycled wastewater and captured stormwater for future use; and if we do not use this storage space, the ground could compact, actually removing that storage potential.

In addition to some groundwater being polluted, we also have aquifers that are salty. Desalination can be used to clean up salty groundwater, and that process is safer, less expensive, and less energy intensive than ocean water desalination. It also provides multiple benefits by removing salt from our groundwater and providing water supply.

SAFE WASTEWATER RECYCLING – Rinse and Repeat

Treated wastewater (water used indoors that gets cleaned to a high standard at a wastewater treatment facility) has traditionally been discharged to the ocean or rivers, which is a hugely missed opportunity because that water can be used again to reduce our dependence on imported drinking water. We currently reuse some of this water indirectly to recharge groundwater reservoirs, or directly for irrigation through the purple pipe system or recycled water fill stations, but we could be using more. In fact, California is finalizing regulations to allow for direct potable reuse, defined by the EPA as a “water recycling method that involves the treatment and distribution of water without an environmental buffer”.  Although the concept has received some non-scientific skepticism along the way, it is actually very safe and is already in use around the world and even here in Southern California. Orange County’s Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS) is the world’s largest purification system providing treated water to near-distilled quality that is then piped to a location where it naturally seeps into a groundwater basin that provides about 70% of the potable water needs for 2.4 million OC residents.

Skeptical about drinking recycled water?  Fun fact: Half of all water systems that serve more than 10,000 people provide de facto recycled water, or water that includes wastewater that was discharged from an upstream source. Purified recycled water is actually much cleaner than most supplies because of the extensive treatment and purification process that takes place at these advanced treatment facilities.

Many facilities in Southern California are already preparing their facilities to include direct potable reuse as a means to increase the use of recycled wastewater, including the Metropolitan Water District Pure Water Southern California Project, the Las Virgenes-Triunfo Pure Water Project, the City of Ventura Water Pure Project, and the City of LA’s Hyperion 2035 Project. Though it will take time and funding for these facilities to be fully operational, Heal the Bay has already visited some demonstration facilities as we continue to advocate for smart policies that ensure high quality water, as well as environmentally safe and sustainable practices.

The Las Virgenes-Triunfo Demonstration Facility turns wastewater into highly purified water that exceeds federal and state drinking water standards in 3 very high-tech steps: 1) Membrane Filtration, 2) Reverse Osmosis, and 3) Advanced Oxidation. At the end of the Demonstration Facility tour, guests can taste test the final product. Photos by Annelisa Moe/Heal the Bay.

DESALINATION – The Option of Last Resort

We regularly receive questions about the possibility of desalination. Click here to read 5 reasons to be wary of desalination.  The takeaway is that it is extremely expensive, energy intensive, and environmentally harmful and should only be used when all other options have been exhausted.

SECURING LA’S WATER FUTURE

With limited resources to counter the myriad impacts of the climate crisis, we must prioritize cost-effective projects that maximize local water and offer multiple benefits to support thriving communities and ecosystems. With better access to water efficiency programs, a multi-benefit stormwater capture network, sustainable groundwater management, and increased use of safe water recycling, we can reduce our reliance on imported water.

Successful water resiliency work requires bringing together the variety of water agencies and governmental departments to work collaboratively for the shared benefits not only for the future of the Southlands but for California water resilience, as a whole. For two years, Heal the Bay has led this conversation by hosting a “One Water” symposium attended by water agency leaders that serves to drive momentum toward collaborative solutions for these major infrastructure projects.  You can take part in Heal the Bay’s work as we continue to track all of these efforts and advocate for a holistic One Water approach to build a resilient water future for LA.

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Written by the Heal the Bay Science and Policy Department in Collaboration with the Climate Action Team. Leading a dynamic team of scientists, policy experts, outreach specialists, educators, and advocates in pursuit of its clean water mission.

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2022 Wrap-up: California State Legislation Ebbs and Flows

12.15.2022 |

CaliforniaNews

Heal the Bay sails into 2023 celebrating a host of new local legislative policy successes, including LA’s citywide polystyrene ban. But what did Californians gain as a whole in 2022 environmental policy? Take a look back at this year’s wins and losses in California state legislation with Heal the Bay Coastal and Marine Scientist Emily Parker as we embark upon another year of advocacy.

HEAL THE BAY’S Science and Policy team worked tirelessly this year and we are both celebrating some major policy wins and grieving some losses. Let’s take a closer look at what advocates and our representatives have accomplished in the fight for environmental health and justice and where Heal the Bay can eye on continuing our work through determined advocacy next year.

⭐ Highlight Reel

1. PASSED Senate Bill 54 (Allen): The Plastic Pollution Producer Responsibility Act     

Central to Heal the Bay’s mission to make the coastal waters and watersheds of greater LA safe, healthy, and clean is reducing pollution at the source. Among them is single-use plastic. For four years, Heal the Bay and dozens of other advocates have worked tirelessly toward the passage of SB 54 legislation, combing through countless iterations and amendments. Thankfully the bill passed and was signed into law by Governor Newsom earlier this year. With some compromises, this bill makes huge strides in reducing California’s use and disposal of single-use products, particularly plastic. This bill:  

  • Sets a 25% source reduction goal for single-use packaging production by 2032 and by then, 65% of single-use packaging still being produced will need to be truly recyclable or compostable.
  • Establishes a Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) to help California reduce plastic pollution, and creates strong state government enforcement and oversight that will remove power from the PRO should they fall out of compliance.
  • Requires $5 billion of environmental mitigation funding from plastic producers to go toward environmental restoration and cleanup over 10-years.

 2. PASSED Assembly Bill 1857 (C. Garcia): Zero Waste Transition and Incineration 

Trash can take many pathways at the end of its lifecycle, and one of the most problematic and inequitable destinations is an incinerator. Incineration burns trash at extremely high temperatures, polluting the air in surrounding environmental justice communities and contributing to climate change. One of the last two incinerators in the state is located right here in LA County in Long Beach and is old, dirty, expensive, and just unnecessary. AB 1857: 

  • Removes diversion credits for incineration, essentially deeming incineration as equivalent to landfill and disincentivizing the use of incineration as an end-of-life pathway for waste.
  • Funds investments into zero-waste infrastructure and programs in frontline communities most impacted by incinerators. 

3. APPROVED California State Budget: Allocations for the Environment 

Laws aren’t the only way to get things done politically. Our state budget plays a major role in how effectively our decision-makers combat environmental and public health crises. Through multiple pathways, the approved 2022-2023 California state budget set aside essential funding for plastic pollution reduction, climate change mitigation and adaptation, drought resilience, and toxic pollution cleanup. Here is the breakdown: 

  • AB 179 (Ting): Budget Act of 2022 – Allocates $25M in the state budget for refillable beverage bottles.
  • SB 154 (Skinner): Budget Act of 2022 – Allocates $5.6M in the state budget for DDT cleanup near southern California.
  • $54 Billion for Climate – A record-breaking allocation, California has ear-marked this pot of funds for programs such as electric transit, wildfire risk reduction, and a whopping $3 billion for combating California’s worsening aridification. Drought funding will be used for water conservation and drought mitigation efforts, including $75 million set aside to fund turf-replacement programs such as the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s rebate program. 

Other Environmental Wins 

  1. SB 1137 (Gonzalez) – Requires a 3200-foot setback between oil and gas infrastructure and sensitive receptors such as homes and schools. This bill was signed into law in August, however, a referendum has been filed to overturn it, which is currently in the signature-gathering phase. Learn more about how you can fight this. The City of LA also passed an ordinance requiring major oil extraction cessation.
  2. AB 2638 (Bloom) – Requires water bottle refilling stations in schools for new construction or modernization.
  3. AB 1817 (Ting) – Prohibits the manufacturing, distributing, selling, or offering for sale new textile articles that contain regulated per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which are chemicals known to have harmful effects in humans and animals.
  4. AB 1832 (L. Rivas) – Bans seabed mining in state waters.
  5. SB 1157 (Hertzberg) – Increases drought resilience by updating water use efficiency standards.
  6. SB 1046 (Eggman) – Bans pre-checkout single-use produce bags that aren’t recyclable or compostable (think produce bags).

👉 Get caught up: Learn more about AB 2638, AB 1832, and SB 1157 from our previous California legislation blog post: 5 Bills that Need Your Support Before the End of California Legislative Season

Washouts Worthy of Another Tide 

  1. AB 1953 (Maienschein) – Would have required water refill stations in public places. While this bill was lost in assembly appropriations, it kept the ever-important conversation around the importance of reuse going in the legislature.  
  2. SB 1255 (Portantino) – Would have established the Dishwasher Grant Program for Waste Reduction in K–12 Schools to provide grants to schools for the purchase and installation of commercial dishwashers. This bill was passed by the legislature but vetoed by Governor Newsom who deemed it too expensive for the state to enact and felt that dishwashers could be purchased under existing Proposition 98 General Funds of $750M for schools to purchase and upgrade kitchen equipment    
  3. AB 2026 (Friedman) – Would have required e-commerce shippers to reduce the single-use plastic fill used to ship products (think the puffy single-use plastic in the packages you receive). This bill died in senate appropriations following hard opposition from industry.  
  4. AB 1690 (L. Rivas) – This bill was originally intended to ban harmful single-use plastic cigarette filters (butts) to reduce pollution. The language was watered down so much in scope that it was pulled by the author – we are planning another attempt next year! 
  5. SB 1036 (Newman) – Would have established the Ocean Conservation Corps to conduct ocean conservation projects and workforce development. While this bill was passed by the legislature, it was vetoed by Governor Newsom who deemed it too expensive of a program that was not accounted for in the state budget.   
  6. AB 2758 (O’Donnell) – Would have required CalEPA to conduct public meetings on the agency’s efforts to study and mitigate DDT and other chemical waste located off the coast of Los Angeles. This bill was sponsored by Heal the Bay and was lost in senate appropriations. We are exploring options to revitalize these efforts.

Crystal Ball – Looking Ahead 

Heal the Bay is already preparing for a busy and productive legislative season. We are working with Senator Allen, his staff, and CalRecycle on the successful and equitable implementation of SB 54 and hoping to see some major reductions in plastic pollution off our coast. Stay tuned and follow Heal the Bay on all our channels to stay up to date on how you can be an activist and help support all our efforts, both inside and out of the Capitol!  

ACTION LINK(S)

READ OUR PREVIOUS #CALEG UPDATE

LEARN ABOUT SB 54

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Written by Emily Parker. As a Coastal and Marine Scientist for Heal the Bay, Emily works to keep our oceans and marine ecosystems healthy and clean by advocating for strong legislation and enforcement both locally and statewide. She focuses on plastic pollution, marine protected areas, sustainable fisheries, and climate change related issues.

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Equitable Beach Access Depends on Peer-reviewed Science

08.19.2022 |

California CoastMarine Protected Areas

MPA Watch Reflections: Jasmine Islas spent her Spring 2022 MPA Watch Internship with Heal the Bay exploring the rabbit hole of factors impacting skewed representation at Los Angeles beaches. The dead end she arrived at points to important action items for the science community.

LIVING IN CALIFORNIA, I have been spoiled with the beauty and nature that it has. I was lucky that my family wanted to make sure that I relished the different experiences Southern California had to offer. Some of my earliest and fondest memories come from spending my day at the beach. The distance from where we lived to the beach that we frequented was about an hour, so we’d dedicate the entire day to staying there, ending the night with a bonfire. As I grew older, we went to the beach less and less because I was made aware of how far away it was and how much was spent to have a beach day. I felt guilty about how oblivious I was about how much my working-class family was spending so that my sister and I could have fun in the sun.

My visits to the beach led to a passion for marine science, which prompted me to pursue a degree in Biology. Coming from a working-class Hispanic household, I was spoiled and sheltered from what working in marine science would look like. I just assumed that when I would start networking and meeting people in the field I would see more people that looked like me, people with a brown complexion. What I have now come to realize is that the marine science community is dominated by my white counterparts, which caught me off guard. I was perplexed and wondered why that was.

This led me to question my choices in pursuing this field of study. I felt like I wouldn’t fit in or flourish as a scientist. I went down a rabbit hole of questions and research to try and see what the cause of this disconnect was. I ask myself what the root of this issue is.

To determine the reason for the lack of diversity in marine science, I thought it would be helpful to figure out the demographic of people coming to beaches in LA County. I believe that those who have easy access to beaches are more likely to care about coastal issues enough to pursue careers in them. At first glance, this seemed like it would be an easy question to answer with the help of a little research.

To my surprise, there is very little research conducted that focuses on beach access specific to LA County. The exception is a UCLA study called “Access for All; A New Generation’s Challenges on the California Coast” by Jon Christensen and Philip King. In the study, they surveyed 1,146 people that came to SoCal beaches over the summer of 2016. The beaches they focused on were located in Ventura County, Los Angeles County, and Orange County. While the study wasn’t centralized around LA county beaches, their findings were intriguing.

The scientists in this study collected demographic data including the average annual income of beachgoers and how frequently people visited the beach. The beaches with more affordable accommodations had a greater diversity of visitors in comparison to other neighboring beaches in Southern California. Those with a median household incomes greater than $60,000 are likely to come to the beach more frequently than households with an income of less than $40,000 a year.

In 2011, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development determined that an annual household income of $47,850 for 1 person living in Los Angeles County is considered low income. While these low income figures were published in 2011, it’s worth mentioning because that would mean that the people who come to the beach more often are outside that margin. This disproportionately impacts both Latino and African American communities in Los Angeles County.

Going to the beach isn’t affordable for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, people of color) communities. The Access for All study found that they face barriers of cost, lack of parking, and lack of public transportation. This is in addition to the intangible barriers that they face such as fear of judgment and discrimination when coming to the beach.

So, what now?

After seeing the absolute lack of published research into beach access, beach equity, and the barriers therein, I want everyone to know about this serious knowledge gap that needs to be filled to make change. Research into these topics IS science and the following questions CAN be sufficiently answered through rigorous, trustworthy, and peer-reviewed scientific investigation:

  1. What science-based methods remove barriers to beach inclusivity and access?
  2. What societal changes are needed to facilitate BIPOC individual interactions with our coastal ecosystems?
  3. How can marine and ocean work be more accessible to BIPOC communities?

Without tangible evidence from a strong investment in rigorous scientific studies into beach equity, it makes it difficult for better policies to be put in place. It makes it harder for change to occur.

Our oceans face very challenging and complicated global threats that will need diverse minds to mitigate, and diverse support to fund and manage. Our oceans depend on us, and I for one, am eager to see more change makers that look like me, who feel a very real belonging in this role. After all, Dr. Jon Christensen and Dr. Philip King astutely observed during that study, that despite our demographic differences, everyone surveyed essentially had the same basic set of desires.

ACTION LINK(S)

APPLY FOR INTERNSHIPS

READ “ACCESS FOR ALL”

By Jasmine Islas. As a Spring 2022 MPA Watch Intern, Jasmine supported Heal the Bay’s Science, Outreach, and Policy teams in the research and observation of marine protected areas (MPAs) through coastal conservation advocacy and fieldwork.

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5 Bills that Need Your Support Before the End of California Legislative Season

08.17.2022 |

CaliforniaTake Action

💥 Action Alert: We need your calls of support to pass these 5 bills before the end of the California Legislative Season.

UPDATE 09/06/2022: ALL 5 of these bills were passed! Thanks for your support in helping California protect communities and waterways. Now it’s up to Governor Newsom to sign them into law!

IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR: the end of the California Legislative season! Our state Senators and Assemblymembers have some important decisions to make over the next two weeks and we are just a few plays away from passing some innovative new laws that will help California communities battle climate change, pollution, and drought all while protecting our precious water and ocean resources. We have already had some major wins from the year, like Senate Bill 54 (Allen) passing back in June to fight plastic pollution, and losses, like Heal the Bay sponsored Assembly Bill 2758 (O’Donnell), which would have required public meetings on the DDT pollution off our coast but didn’t make it out of Senate Appropriations. However, there are still plenty of bills on the docket that need our urgent attention.

Heal the Bay has been supporting the following five bills over the past 2-year bill cycle and we have until August 31 to ensure that they are passed by the Senate & Assembly and, if they pass, until September 30 for the Governor to sign them into law. A key factor in their decision-making is the opinions of their constituents. That’s right, YOU! Let’s take a look at this year’s top contenders for environmental legislative wins and how you can help get them across the finish line:

1. AB 1832: Seabed Mining Ban (L. Rivas)

The ocean seafloor is a rich and thriving ecosystem, but around the world, that ecosystem is being threatened by seabed mining. A practice that resembles clearcutting a forest, mining the seafloor for minerals destroys habitat and wildlife leaving behind a barren seascape that grows so slowly, it may never recover. Mining also creates enormous toxic sediment plumes and noise, light, and thermal pollution that disrupt marine habitats. Following in Oregon and Washington’s footsteps, AB 1832 would ban seabed mining in California, effectively protecting the entire West Coast of the United States from this dangerous practice.

2. AB 2638: Water Bottle Refill Stations in Schools (Bloom)

Reusable water bottles are an excellent alternative to disposable plastic bottles, but they aren’t a viable solution if there is nowhere to refill them. AB 2638 would require any new construction or modernization project by a school district to include water bottle filling stations. By increasing access to safe drinking water at refill stations in schools, we can contribute to reuse and refill systems across the state, allowing our students to use reusable bottles instead of harmful disposable ones.

3. SB 1036: Ocean Conservation Corps (Newman)

For decades, the California Conservation Corps has served young adults across the state by hiring and training young adults for conservation-based service work on environmental projects. SB 1036 would expand this program and create an Ocean Conservation Corps. This bill would increase workforce development opportunities to thousands of young adults while contributing to ocean conservation projects like those currently happening at the Heal the Bay Aquarium.

4. SB 1157: Drought Resilience through Water Efficiency (Hertzberg)

California is experiencing long-term aridification, which means a hotter and drier climate, and is currently several years into the most severe drought in 1,200 years. We must ensure that California’s urban areas are not wasting water as we adapt to our changing climate. SB 1157 would update water use efficiency standards to reflect our growing need to conserve water based on best available indoor water use trends. Water efficiency is one of the cheapest, fastest, and most efficient ways we can meet long-term water needs and increase resilience in the face of the climate crisis. Saving water also saves energy, so it can help us meet our climate goals while also resulting in cheaper utility bills. That’s a win-win!

5. AB 1857: Anti-Incineration (C. Garcia)

Right now, Californians are sending their waste to incineration facilities to be burned instead of landfilled or recycled. These facilities are disproportionately located in frontline communities already overburdened by multiple pollution sources. Cities that send their waste to these toxic facilities are currently able to claim “diversion credits”, a tactic aimed at reducing waste sent to landfill and classifying incineration inappropriately in the same categories as recycling and source reduction. AB 1857 would redefine incineration as true disposal, and remove these diversion credits while also funding investments in zero-waste communities most impacted by incineration. This is a critical bill for achieving environmental justice in California and moving us away from toxic false solutions to our waste crisis.

Your representative wants to hear from you to help them vote on these bills, and your voice makes a huge difference. So, we need your help.

Here’s how YOU can help us pass these bills.

Call your Representative: Head to this website to find your representatives and their phone numbers. It takes 5 minutes or less to call your reps. Give the numbers a call and read off the script below, and tell your representative to vote YES on these five environmental bills.

Call Script:

Hello, my name is [insert your name here] and I am a constituent of [insert the representative’s name here, e.g. Senator Stern]. I care deeply about the health and wellness of California’s natural ecosystems and am calling to ask the [Senator/Assemblymember] to vote yes on these five environmental bills: AB 1832, AB 1857, AB 2638, SB 1036, and SB 1157.

These bills will help California protect our environment and better prepare for climate change, while protecting our most vulnerable communities. As your constituent, this legislation is important to me and I urge [insert representative name] to vote yes on all of them.

Thank you for your time.

ACTION LINK(S)

CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVE

Written by Emily Parker. As a Coastal and Marine Scientist for Heal the Bay, Emily works to keep our oceans and marine ecosystems healthy and clean by advocating for strong legislation and enforcement both locally and statewide. She focuses on plastic pollution, marine protected areas, sustainable fisheries, and climate change related issues.

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One-Year Anniversary of the Hyperion Plant Spill

07.11.2022 |

Santa Monica BayWater Quality

It’s been a year since the Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant sewage spill. Where are we now?

LATEST UPDATE APRIL 6, 2023

Late last week, the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board announced a tentative fine of $21.7M to the City of LA for the July 2021 sewage spill at the Hyperion Treatment facility. The fine is based on five categories of violations, including 1) the discharge of 12.5 million gallons of raw sewage to the Santa Monica Bay, 2) failure to perform offshore sampling for 14 days, 3) failure to comply with permit requirements for odors for 80 days, 4) failure to comply with monitoring and permit reporting requirements for 108 days, and 5) violations of water quality limits for 217 days (38 serious and 22 non-serious violations). The City of LA has until tomorrow, April 7, to agree to this fine and waive a hearing on the matter or to request a postponement of the hearing to allow for further deliberations. Even if the City agrees, there will be a 30-day window for public comment. If the City does not agree to the settlement or ask for a postponement, there will be a hearing. While the maximum amount for the fine, based on the violations, could have been over $500B (yes, that’s billion!), $21.7M is actually the largest penalty the LA Regional Water Board has ever proposed for permit violations. We don’t yet know how or where the final fine amount will be allocated but we hope that a majority of it will go to Supplemental Environmental Projects (SEPs), which provide environmental and public health benefits to affected areas and communities. The good news is that LA Sanitation & Environment has taken several steps to ensure this doesn’t happen again, but there is still more to be done.Heal the Bay will continue to track this issue and provide updates as we get them as well as opportunities for the public to weigh in.

UPDATED JULY 11, 2022

ONE YEAR AGO TODAY, a catastrophic flood at the Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant (Hyperion) sent 13 million gallons of sewage into the Santa Monica Bay endangering the health and safety of Los Angeles County beachgoers and Hyperion workers. For several weeks after the spill, surrounding communities were blanketed in noxious fumes, and the Plant continued to discharge millions of gallons of undertreated wastewater into the ocean as repairs were made. Public notifications were alarmingly slow and reckless with L.A. County Department of Public Health (LACDPH) taking nearly 24 hours to close beaches and issue sewage spill advisories. This major breakdown in infrastructure and public notification is something we cannot afford to have happen again.

Here, we provide a short recap of the response to the spill as well as the most recent updates. For more information about the spill, check our original blog post.

The Response to the Spill

In the weeks after the spill, Heal the Bay supported motions put forth by the L.A. County Board of Supervisors and the L.A. City Council to investigate the cause of the spill as well as the public notification protocols used by government agencies. These motions resulted in the creation of two reports – one created by L.A. Sanitation (hereafter 30-day Report), and one created by an ad hoc committee (hereafter Ad Hoc Report) of experts that included Heal the Bay’s CEO at the time, Shelley Luce, as well as Heal the Bay’s current CEO, Tracy Quinn, who was with the Natural Resource Defense Council. Around this time, L.A. Sanitation launched a website providing information and data about the recovery status of Hyperion in a bid for transparency. 

30-day Report 

The 30-day Report was released several weeks after the spill, and offered much needed clarity on the events leading up to the spill and an assessment of the damage to Hyperion. This report also provided a minute-by-minute account of the day of the spill. While this report was valuable, it did not identify the cause of the spill as there was not enough time for a thorough investigation.

Ad Hoc Report 

The Ad Hoc Report was released on February 11, 2022 and was more comprehensive than the 30-day Report. The Ad Hoc Report found that a series of missteps led to the sewage spill rather than a single sudden influx of debris that inundated Hyperion’s machinery, which was the original theory. The report recommended improvements and next steps for improving Hyperion’s operations including upgrades to the trash removal equipment; improved alarm functionality; and more staffing and training. 

Enforcement 

This event caused Hyperion to violate both water and air pollution regulations, which means they could be penalized by two government agencies: L.A. Regional Water Quality Control Board (LARWQCB) and the South Coast Air Quality Management (SCAQMD) district. Both agencies state that investigations are ongoing, but we do have some information:

  • The SCAQMD has identified 39 separate air quality violations, but since their investigation is still in progress, there is no information about penalties at this point. The SCAQMD states that air pollutant levels no longer exceed state thresholds.
  • The LARWQCB has not released information about violations publicly, but we do know that there were sewage discharge and water quality monitoring violations. According to the LARWQCB, Hyperion may be fined between up to a maximum of $10 per gallon of sewage spilled depending on how severe the LARWQCB deems the spill. Given that 13 million gallons were discharged into the ocean, potential penalties could be $130 million dollars – with additional monetary penalties for each day they were in violation (up to $10k per day). Unfortunately, the LARWQCB has a poor track record when it comes to enforcement. In 2015, when Hyperion discharged 30 million gallons of sewage into the Santa Monica Bay, they were fined a little over $2 million or 7 cents a gallon. That penalty is well below the $10 per gallon maximum the LARWQCB could enact.  

Latest Updates 

On June 29, 2022, L.A. Sanitation (LASAN) provided the public with updates on the status of the Plant’s operations:

Completed  

  • LASAN worked with LACDPH and other agencies to improve public notification protocols.  
  • Additional staff have been hired at Hyperion. 
  • Alarms are audible and more visible in the Headworks facility; emergency protocols have been updated; and staff have received additional training. 
  • Certain buildings were upgraded to make them less vulnerable to flooding.
  • More effective air filters were installed to address fumes.  

In Progress 

  • Pipes carrying wastewater to the Plant will be inspected and cleared of debris. 
  • The flood control mitigation feature in the Headworks facility will be automatic and will not rely on an employee to activate the feature in case of an emergency.
  • All equipment in the Headworks facility will have the ability to be operated remotely in case conditions in the Headworks facility are too dangerous for workers.
  • Electrical equipment will be updated and protected so it can withstand a flood.
  • New covers will be installed on effluent storage tanks, which will help prevent noxious fumes from seeping into the surrounding neighborhoods. Sensors will also be installed around the facility’s perimeter to measure fume concentrations.  

What Comes Next 

We are glad to see that Hyperion has made so many upgrades to its infrastructure within one year of sustaining catastrophic damage. At face value, the updates to Hyperion’s operations, both completed and in progress, will prevent a similar disaster from happening in the future at the Plant. However, this will not be the end of major sewage spills in Los Angeles County. Until major infrastructure updates are implemented across the County, we can expect to see failures in our sewage system like the December 2021 spill in Carson. We urge decision makers to fund infrastructure updates to keep pollution out of our communities and ecosystems. 

LASAN will also need to work on rebuilding public trust as Hyperion transitions to full wastewater recycling by 2035. This transition means that Hyperion will no longer discharge treated water to the ocean, but will instead recycle 100% of its water to provide for a reliable and local source of water in the face of ongoing drought and climate change impacts. Heal the Bay is a strong supporter of this effort to reduce our reliance on imported water as well as reduce impacts to the ocean – we will be tracking the issue closely to ensure that public health is prioritized along with sustainability.

L.A. Sanitation and LACDPH have stated that they are working together on updated protocols for public notifications in case of a sewage spill, but we have seen little documentation or evidence of this. We urge both agencies to provide us with more information on how they will communicate with each other and the public in case of a sewage spill.  

Once LARWQCB and SCAQMD complete their investigations, they will levy a monetary penalty on Hyperion/L.A. Sanitation. Some of these funds could go towards Supplemental Environmental Projects (SEPs) – which are projects aimed at improving the environment. For example, approximately $1 million of the penalties resulting from the 2015 Hyperion spill went to environmental education programs including Heal the Bay’s and LASAN’s Don’t Flush That campaign. Another $1 million went towards cleanup and abatement costs of the spill. We urge LARWQCB and SCAQMD to enact fines that will adequately remediate the damage caused by this spill and also act as a deterrent for future environmental violations. Check out L.A. Waterkeeper’s blog for more information. 

Heal the Bay will continue to monitor this issue and provide updates. We’d like to thank our local communities for diligently staying informed on this issue. Right after the spill happened, we received countless inquiries from members of the public, and in response we hosted a Live discussion on Instagram to answer your important questions. If you continue to have questions about the spill, please contact us.  

Written by Luke Ginger. As a Heal the Bay Water Quality Scientist, Luke fights for the environment’s rights by advocating for water quality regulation and enforcement. He’s also looking out for the humans who go to the beaches, rivers, and streams by managing the Beach Report Card, River Report Card, and NowCast programs. 

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What the Passage of SB 54 means for California’s Plastic Pollution & Waste Crisis

07.01.2022 |

CaliforniaPlastic Pollution

Watch Tracy Quinn, our CEO on Spectrum News 1 discussing SB 54.

HEAL THE BAY IS ENCOURAGED to share that California has taken a major step forward in addressing the plastic pollution and waste crisis with the passage of Senate Bill 54 (SB 54) in the California State Legislature, followed by Governor Newsom signing it into law on June 30, 2022.

Reducing single-use plastics through comprehensive statewide policy is a priority for Heal the Bay. During Heal the Bay beach cleanups, 80% of the more than 4 million pieces of trash that our volunteers pick up is made from single-use plastics. In our ocean and rivers, plastic waste poses a significant threat to animals, leaching harmful chemicals into their bodies or even blocking their digestive tract, leading to starvation and malnourishment. The plastic pollution can even transfer up the food chain ultimately passing the toxins on to us.

SB 54, authored by Senator Ben Allen, establishes a producer responsibility scheme to hold plastic industries accountable for the waste they produce. We look forward to working with Senator Allen on the implementation of SB 54, and with our environmental justice partners to ensure low-income communities and communities of color don’t bear additional burdens. Pollution from the full lifecycle of plastics, which are derived from fossil fuels, already harms communities of color disproportionately. This pollution can lead to health impacts such as asthma, respiratory illness, headaches, fatigue, nosebleeds, and even cancer.

“Heal the Bay envisions a solution that moves us entirely away from single-use materials, especially plastics, and focuses on reuse and refill instead. Even though recycling is an important part of this process, we cannot recycle our way out — nor can we use dangerous chemical recycling methods that dispose of plastics in our air. We will continue to push hard, alongside other environmental and community-based organizations and advocates, to ensure the producer responsibility program established by SB 54 prioritizes reuse and refill,” said Tracy Quinn, Heal the Bay CEO and President.

The passing of this legislation ultimately means the California Recycling and Plastics Pollution Reduction Act Initiative, which was supposed to be on the November 2022 ballot, will be pulled. While we were thrilled to give California voters the opportunity to make this decision, our California legislature has incorporated many of the requirements and solutions laid out in the plastic ballot measure. The momentum of the plastic ballot measure brought industry to the table to make real commitments, and we are going to hold them to it.

What’s included in SB 54:

  • Sets a 25% source reduction goal for single-use packaging production by 2032. And by then, 65% of single-use packaging still being produced will need to be truly recyclable or compostable
  • Establishes a producer responsibility scheme through the formation of a Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) to help California reduce plastic pollution, and creates strong state government enforcement and oversight that will remove power from the PRO should they fall out of compliance
  • Requires $5 billion of environmental mitigation funding from plastic producers to go toward environmental restoration and cleanup over 10-years

What needs to be improved upon in the legislation:

  • Does not outright ban polystyrene, rather it sets recycling rates of 25% by 2025 with the material being banned if this rate cannot be met
  • Allows for post-consumer recycled content (recycled plastic that is used in a new product) to count toward source reduction goal

Heal the Bay thanks Senator Allen and the bill’s co-authors Senators Becker, Gonzalez, Hertzberg, Kamlager, Skinner, Stern, and Wiener for championing SB 54. A huge thank you to Assemblymember Luz Rivas who advocated for important amendments. With the passage of SB 54, we look forward to experiencing less plastic pollution in our communities and environments and seeing a decrease in public health risks in the years to come.

Stay tuned for a deep dive from us on Senate Bill 54: The Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act.

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El Boletín de Calificaciones de Ríos 2022

06.22.2022 |

Calidad de AguaLos AngelesRiver Report Card

Resumen ejecutivo
Heal the Bay se enorgullece en publicar el cuarto informe anual del boletín River Report Card. Este informe proporciona un resumen de las calificaciones de la calidad del agua en áreas recreacionales del condado de Los Ángeles (L.A.) durante el 2021. Los ríos, arroyos y lagos del condado de L.A. reciben multitudes de visitantes cada año y son vitales para satisfacer las necesidades recreacionales, áreas verdes y prácticas culturales de la comunidad. Desafortunadamente, muchos sitios de recreación en el condado de Los Angeles tienen problemas de contaminación por bacterias indicadoras fecales (FIB), lo que indica la presencia de patógenos que pueden causar infecciones, irritación de la piel, enfermedades respiratorias y gastrointestinales. Nuestro objetivo es resaltar las preocupaciones sobre la calidad del agua, abogar por mejorar este problema y brindar a los miembros de la comunidad información necesaria para mantenerse seguros y saludables cuando disfrutan de sus área recreacionales locales.

  • De los 35 sitios calificados durante el verano de 2021, el 59 % obtuvo luz Verde en su calificaión (lo que indica que no hay riesgos para la salud debido a la calidad del agua); El 17% obtuvo luz Amarilla (riesgo moderado para la salud) y el 24% luz Roja (alto riesgo para la salud).
  • Heal the Bay amplió el informe del boletín River Report Card para incluir seis nuevos sitios de monitoreo en la parte baja del río de L.A. desde Maywood hasta Long Beach. Si bien estos sitios no están oficialmente designados para la recreación, las personas acuden regularmente a esta parte del río. Los datos brindan información para los usuarios y nos dan una perspectiva para futuros esfuerzos de revitalización del río.
  • Siete sitios de monitoreo no excedieron los lilmites permitidos de bacterias patógenas, obteniendo así calificaciones ecológicas del 100 %. La mayoría de estos sitios están ubicados en el sector del Angeles National Forest.
  • Todos los seis sitios de monitoreo de la parte baja del río de L.A. experimentaron una muy baja calidad de agua, lo que los hace acreedores a los peores sitios de la lista. Las concentraciones de bacterias a menudo fueron diez veces mayores a los estándares de calidad de agua.
  • Después de los sitios de la parte baja del L.A. River, Tujunga Wash en Hansen Dam encabezó la lista de los peores sitios recreacionales con un 94 % de calificaciones que obtuvieron luz Roja, porcentaje más alto visto en este sitio desde que se inició el informe del River Report Card.
  • Por cuarto año consecutivo, a la altura de Rattlesnake Park en el río de L.A. esta otro sitio en lista de los peores sitios recreacionales. Este sitio popular recibe un flujo constante de contaminación bacteriana cerca del drenaje pluvial a la altura de la calle Fletcher Ave para quienes pescan, hacen kayak o caminan por sus aguas.
  • Las Virgenes Creek a la altura de la calle Crags Road experimentó un gran aumento en el porcentaje de calificaciones con luz Roja con respecto al año anterior. Este sitio en el Parque Estatal Malibu Creek ocupa la posición nueve en la lista de los peores sitios recreacionales.
  • Las áreas con desarrollo urbano tienden a recibir las peores calificaciones que las áreas naturales, y la mayoría de los peores sitios en la lista se cuentran en los paisajes urbanos. Los sitios en la cuenca del río San Gabriel y la cuenca superior del río de L.A. se encuentran en áreas menos desarrolladas y se ven menos afectados por la escorrentía urbana.

Heal the Bay estuvo conmovido por el gobernador Gavin Newsom quien firmó el Proyecto de Ley de la Asamblea (AB) 1066 en 2021. Este proyecto iniciará un proceso para proteger la salud pública y la calidad del agua en sitios recreacionales como ríos, lagos y arroyos de California. El proyecto de ley, escrito por el asambleísta Bloom y patrocinado por Heal the Bay, asignará al Consejo de Monitoreo de Calidad del Agua de California (California Water Quality Monitoring Council) para hacer recomendaciones a la Junta Estatal de Agua (State Water Board) de un programa uniforme de monitoreo de sitios recreacionales de agua dulce en todo el estado para diciembre de 2023. El programa del Consejo incluirá definiciones propuestas para sitios recreacionales y “sitios prioritarios recreacionales de contacto con el agua” en California. El Proyecto de Ley AB 1066 abordará las disparidades en el monitoreo de la calidad del agua entre sitios recreacionales de agua dulce y playas costeras.

Heal the Bay se compromete a mejorar la calidad del agua en las cuencas hidrográficas del condado de Los Ángeles mediante la creación de áreas verdes. Las áreas verdes, mejoran la calidad del agua local, aumentan la reutilización y el suministro de agua, reducen el carbono y mitigan el efecto aislado de calor urbano. Además de proporcionar áreas de recreación y hábitat para los animales vida Silvestre, pueden también funcionar como soluciones esenciales de múltiples beneficios para las aguas pluviales. Como ejemplo podemos mencionar la creación de Inell Woods Park: un nuevo espacio verde de múltiples beneficios y diseñado por la comunidad que se construirá este año en el sur de Los Ángeles. Heal the Bay construirá el parque de aguas pluviales en colaboración con el concejal de la ciudad de Los Angeles Curren Price Jr. y miembros de la comunidad para capturar, tratar y reutilizar la escorrentía urbana y proporcionar espacios verdes y recreativos a la comunidad. Los proyectos de beneficios múltiples como este son de uso eficiente y efectivo de nuestros contribuyentes que sirven tanto a las necesidades comunitarias como ambientales.

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Meet Our New CEO: Q&A with Tracy Quinn

05.17.2022 |

About UsSanta Monica Bay

Tracy Quinn CEO of Heal the Bay poses for the camera and touches a shark at Heal the Bay Aquarium

Photos by Nicola Buck

What does “Heal the Bay” mean to you?

To me, Heal the Bay is about protecting what you love. I find it inspiring that Dorothy Green chose the name Heal the Bay because it conveys hope. Fighting to change policies that don’t adequately protect people and wildlife is challenging—at times heartbreaking—and I love that this group was founded on the optimistic idea that we can make things better and that this organization has made things better for the Santa Monica Bay over the last three decades. I’m grateful for Dorothy and Heal the Bay every time I feel that cold, crisp water of the Pacific Ocean on my toes, and I am honored to continue her legacy by leading Heal the Bay in its next chapter.

What about Heal the Bay excites you the most?

I grew up in Southern California (Anaheim to be exact) and the beach has always been a special place for me. I look forward to leading Heal the Bay because our mission, “to make our coastal waters and watersheds safe, healthy, and clean – using science, education, community action, and advocacy” inspires me and aligns with the experiences that first interested me in an environmental advocacy career. I have dedicated my professional life to ensuring safe, reliable, and affordable water for Californians. Education is also very important to me and I have volunteered with local groups in LA, tutoring math and science with Educating Young Minds and serving on the board of Wildwoods Foundation. And, in my free time you can often find me at the beach or paddling on the water. I am excited that our organization brings my passions together seamlessly. 

Tell us more about those early experiences that prompted you to get involved in an environmental advocacy career.

My decision to become an environmental advocate is actually pretty similar to Dorothy Green’s. In high school, I started to notice the beach closures after storms and saw my friends and teachers getting sick from surfing in polluted waters. I was horrified that we were allowing this beautiful place, and the marine animals that call our ocean home, to be harmed. I wanted to do something about it, so I went to college to study engineering and immediately moved back to Southern California to join the fight.

At the helm at Heal the Bay, what are some of your top priorities?

As CEO, I am going to continue the incredible legacies of Dorothy Green, Felicia Marcus, Mark Gold, Shelley Luce, and others who have led this organization. The area where I can be most effective is helping Heal the Bay build campaigns and partnerships to address emerging challenges and opportunities facing our region. Heal the Bay’s deep water-quality expertise makes us uniquely suited to drive local and state policy. Working closely with our dedicated Board, staff, and community partners, some of the key areas I’d like to focus on are:

  • Helping Southern California communities combat the impacts of climate change while improving water quality in our rivers and ocean. Given Heal the Bay’s incredible science expertise, we have the opportunity to dive into critical issues like ensuring impacts to surface and coastal water quality are considered when making investments in drinking water reliability, mitigating the impacts of sea level rise, and highlighting the multi-benefits of stormwater projects on climate-related stresses like drought, flood, and heat exposure. And using our advocacy, education, and communication chops to build campaigns and drive policy solutions. 
  • Bringing more attention to our incredible Heal the Bay Aquarium as a top destination in LA for learning and community connection, and shining a light on our amazing Aquarium team who care for the animals and develop educational programming that inspires the next generation of planet protectors.
  • Building on Heal the Bay’s core value of inclusion, our “JEDI” committee work (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion), and our policies to recruit and retain staff that reflect the diverse communities in Greater LA, we are committed to incorporating environmental justice, social justice, and accessibility into our work by collaborating more with local organizations leading on the issues, and implementing a process to evaluate the equity impacts of our programs, projects, and campaigns.

Before you joined Heal the Bay, what were you up to?

I started my career as a scientist and engineer here in Southern California over 20-years ago, working on a variety of projects like modeling the transport of pollutants in groundwater, designing water infrastructure, and working with industrial facilities to prevent pollution from entering our rivers and ocean.

Prior to joining Heal the Bay as CEO, I served as the Director of California Urban Water Policy for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and as the Interim Director of NRDC’s national Urban Water Program. My team at NRDC included lawyers and policy experts and our mission was to ensure safe, reliable, and affordable water for all across the country. In my 11-years at NRDC I led efforts to pass transformational climate adaptation legislation, assisted the state in setting the strictest standards in the country for water-using products, and helped the state develop emergency regulations as we navigated the worst drought in 1200 years. I also worked with NRDC’s incredible team of public health scientists to develop recommendations for the regulation of PFAS “forever chemicals”, which led to the successful adoption of drinking water standards in states across the country.

I also serve on the Board of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD), the largest water utility in the country. On the MWD Board, I’ve had the opportunity to focus more of my time on local water policy and collaborate with community groups, like Heal the Bay, doing exciting work here in the Greater Los Angeles area. Being able to build partnerships within your community and see the positive impact of your collective work on people and neighborhoods is one of the more exciting and fulfilling things I have experienced in my career.

I am overjoyed to bring everything I have learned as an engineer, advocate, utility Board Member, and water enthusiast to Heal the Bay, an organization that is focused on the things I’m most passionate about—protecting our beautiful ocean and rivers and inspiring and educating the next generation of environmental stewards.

When did you know that water was your happy place?

I’ve had a deep connection to water since I was a child. I never feel more at home than when I am on a paddle board or rafting down a river. I fell in love with the ocean the first time I felt the power of the waves off of Newport Beach, California. As a kid, my favorite thing to do at the beach was charge into the water and stand underneath the first breaking wave, and as it curled over me, I would jump, letting the water carry me into a backflip. It was magical and the beach has been my happy place ever since.

You’ve been Heal the Bay CEO for a couple weeks now, what’s a memorable moment so far?

Feeding the baby sharks at Heal the Bay Aquarium. I mean, come on! How fun and meaningful is that?! I’ve also loved getting to know our team–they are so unique, full of energy, and good at what they do. I can’t wait to see what we do together.

 

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The Best Los Angeles Beach for Your Zodiac Sign

05.13.2022 |

Los Angeles

AS THE YEAR CONTINUES on through May, the weather begins to warm, melting away the worries of the winter and bringing us into the joys of the spring! The level of sunshine spikes, encouraging us to go out and play, and what better way to ring in the rising heat than by going to the beach? Los Angeles has many beautiful beaches to visit, so it’s important you pick the one that’s right for you! Read below to see which one aligns most harmoniously with your zodiac sign: 

Aries

Aries, your best beach is the Leo Carrillo Beach on the west side of Malibu. This beautiful beach is connected to a gorgeous state park where there are trails, sea caves, and reefs all available to enjoy. You’ll never get bored!

Taurus

Taurus, you love a lowkey beach where you can just relax and unwind. Your most aligned beach is Long Beach! Not only is this beach’s vibe laid-back and easygoing, it’s surrounded by tons of amazing restaurants. We all know Taurus loves good food.

Gemini

Gemini, the best beach for you is Santa Monica Beach. The Santa Monica Pier is what makes this beach your best bet to visit. Complete with rides and a Ferris wheel, this beach has no shortage of fun activities, which pairs perfectly with Gemini’s need to stay stimulated!

Cancer

Cancer, you love to be in places that are comfortable and sweet. Hermosa Beach is the beach for you. It’s close to LA, so you don’t have to travel too far away from your treasured home to get here. This beautiful shore will have you feeling happy and healed!

Leo

Leo, you have a knack for gathering attention with your looks and aura, so why not show them off the way you deserve? Bring your beautiful self to Venice Beach, where you can enjoy the gorgeous waves and also connect with gorgeous people!

Virgo

Virgo, a trip to the beach can’t have too much fuss or too many people, that’s why your best beach in Los Angeles is the Will Rogers State Beach! With ample parking and space, this beach isn’t as busy as the bigger beaches, and that’s why it fits right in with your vibe.

Libra

Libra, you need a beach that’s beautiful and allows you to be social. Your most aligned beach is Redondo Beach. With a buzzing pier, highly Instagrammable oceanfront restaurants, and even nightlife, you’ll get all the connection your little Libra heart needs at Redondo Beach!

Scorpio

Scorpio, you appreciate a little privacy when you go out, so you prefer places that are more intimate and serene. You’ll find just what you’re looking for at Puerco State Beach! This beach is quiet and low-profile. Make it your next beach day destination.

Sagittarius

Sagittarius, you need a beach that piques your interest, with multiple things to do and sights to see. That’s why your best beach is Escondido Beach, which is also part of a state park. You can lay out on the sand after hiking, climbing, or seeing the Escondido Falls waterfall!

Capricorn

Capricorn, you have an appreciation for the finer things in life, so you deserve a beach that has a bit of luxury. Manhattan Beach is the place for you. It’s beautiful, but not too bustling, with ample luxury shopping and dining. Give it a visit!

Aquarius

Aquarius, you need a beach that’s just as interesting as you are, but still gives you plenty of room to do more than just lay out. Look no further than Torrance Beach! You can surf, swim, bike, walk, or even fly kites at this beach. The versatility will make you feel right at home.

Pisces

Pisces, your big, beautiful beach is none other than Zuma Beach! There is nothing Pisces values more than ease and flow, and Zuma Beach offers both of those in abundance. With plenty of parking, space, nature, and water, Zuma Beach is definitely made for Pisces.

It’s time to have fun, so get out and go play! And remember to do a little cleanup as you catch your rays and admire the waves. All zodiac signs can do their part to protect our planet!

The Best Los Angeles Beach for Your Zodiac Sign

Amber Jay is an astrologer with over 10 years of astrological research under her belt. She utilizes astrology as a practical tool that is enlightening and freeing, focusing on pulling out the inherent wisdom that lies within all of us. You can find her for regular spiritual and astrological guidance at @AmberJayLightsTheWay on Instagram.

Images include altered photographs from Wikimedia Commons. Support public image libraries.

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