CBS LA Cares and Heal The Bay team up for Santa Monica beach clean-up

Volunteers will gather near the Santa Monica Pier to pick up trash and clean up the beach this Saturday.

Apr. 18, 2026 at 4:09pm

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An extremely blurred, impressionistic photograph of a sun-dappled beach scene with people walking, children playing, and waves lapping the shore, all captured in a hazy, dreamlike wash of warm, golden light.Volunteers will gather to clean up the iconic Santa Monica beach, helping to preserve this natural treasure for the local community.Los Angeles Today

Just two days before Earth Day, CBS LA Cares and Heal The Bay are partnering up to clean up one of Southern California's crown jewels - the Santa Monica beach. On Saturday, volunteers will gather near the Santa Monica Pier to pick up trash and clean up the beach between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. as part of Heal The Bay's monthly "Nothin' But Sand" event.

Why it matters

Heal The Bay's mission to make the waters around the Los Angeles coast safe has taken on new meaning since the Palisades Fire last January, which devastated nearby coastal communities like Malibu and the Pacific Palisades. The organization has seen immediate impacts on marine life in the months since the fire.

The details

The "Nothin' But Sand" event is a monthly beach clean-up organized by Heal The Bay, a nonprofit that has aimed to make waters safe around the Los Angeles-area coast since 1985. Volunteers will meet near tower 1550 near the Santa Monica Pier to pick up trash and clean up the beach.

  • The beach clean-up will take place on Saturday, April 19, 2026 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
  • The event is happening just two days before Earth Day.

The players

CBS LA Cares

A community outreach program from CBS Los Angeles that partners with local organizations to give back to the community.

Heal The Bay

A nonprofit organization that has aimed to make the waters around the Los Angeles coast safe since 1985.

Annelisa Moe

The Associate Director of Science and Policy at Heal The Bay.

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What they’re saying

“Seeing the immediate impacts to people, clearly, but also to the marine life in one space ... it's impactful.”

— Annelisa Moe, Associate Director of Science and Policy, Heal The Bay

What’s next

Volunteers can sign up to participate in the beach clean-up on Heal The Bay's website.

The takeaway

This beach clean-up event highlights the ongoing efforts of organizations like Heal The Bay to protect the local coastline and marine ecosystems, especially in the wake of natural disasters like the Palisades Fire that have had significant impacts on these sensitive environments.