LA City Council honors Heal the Bay, declares ‘Heal the Bay Day’

The Los Angeles City Council Friday honored Heal the Bay, and approved a resolution establishing Oct. 20 as “Heal the Bay Day in LA,” in recognition of two programs established 20 years ago.

Councilwoman Traci Park, who represents the 11th District which encompasses LA’s coastal neighborhoods on the Westside, led a presentation honoring environmental nonprofit Heal the Bay for its contributions across the city and the Los Angeles area.

“Since taking office, I’ve had the privilege of working closely with Heal the Bay, most notably during our recent Coastal Cleanup Day. On Sept. 23, 7,200 Heal the Bay volunteers removed more than 15,000 pounds of garbage and 404 pounds of recyclables from 95 miles of beaches, rivers, waterways and trails,” Park said during the presentation. “Well done.”

The council also voted unanimously to pass a resolution declaring Oct. 20 as “Heal the Bay Day in LA.” Park introduced the resolution on Oct. 6, but it had not been considered by the council until Friday.

Park highlighted the 20th anniversary of the organization’s Bay Aquarium and its Angler Outreach Program.

Located at Santa Monica Pier, the Bay Aquarium welcomes 100,000 guests annually and hosts a variety of public programs and events that highlight local environmental issues and solutions.

According to the organization, its Angler Outreach Program is designed to educate LA and Orange counties’ pier and shore anglers about the risks of consuming fish contaminated with toxins.

“Abandoned and improperly disposed fishing lines pose serious threats to wildlife and they can also damage boats off the Venice Pier,” Park said. “We see the impacts of those practices everyday.”

She added, “The angular program has been at the forefront of public health education and advocacy about better practices to help protect our marine wildlife and environment.”

Park announced she would be introducing a motion calling on city departments to assess the feasibility and determine staffing and cost requirements of setting up a fishing line recycling program at Venice Pier in support of the organization’s work.

Council members Katy Yaroslavsky, who represents the 5th District, encompassing portions of West LA, and Tim McOsker, who represents the 15th District, encompassing the San Pedro area and portions of South LA, expressed their gratitude for Heal the Bay’s work throughout the city.

“There is no greater organization doing this work — making sure everybody knows how dirty our water is than Heal the Bay. Part of what makes Heal the Bay so special is that they extend their work beyond your typical beach cleanup, though they do a spectacular beach cleanup,” Yaroslavsky said.

Tracy Quinn, Heal the Bay president and CEO, spoke on the organization’s accomplishments.

“We started with a single focus of healing Santa Monica Bay, but over the years we have built upon a foundation of science, education and advocacy into an organization that is working to protect the people and waterways in greater LA from summit to sea,” Quinn said.

Quinn added, “Water is something that connects us all, especially here in Los Angeles.”

Founded in 1985, Health the Bay is dedicated to making coastal waters and watersheds in greater Los Angeles safe, healthy and clean, according to its website.