Pollution investigation continues near the pier
Heal the Bay’s 2025–2026 Beach Report Card places the beach around the Santa Monica Pier among California’s lowest-rated beaches during dry-weather conditions. The report assesses more than 700 West Coast beaches using bacterial water samples and says the organization is investigating pollution sources near the pier through the Santa Monica Pier Task Force, which includes the City of Santa Monica. Heal the Bay says millions of people visit the pier and its beach each year.
Local officials have previously linked elevated bacteria south of the pier to pigeon droppings, Santa Monica Next reported. The city installed netting beneath the pier in 2023 to discourage roosting and nesting, and the City Council later approved an ordinance prohibiting people from feeding wildlife along the beach and pier, the outlet said.
Those measures accompany the city’s broader water infrastructure work. Santa Monica’s Sustainable Water Infrastructure Project is designed to treat and reuse up to 1,680 acre-feet of water annually, including stormwater and dry-weather urban runoff, while reducing stormwater discharges into Santa Monica Bay, according to the city.
Heal the Bay schedules its annual fundraiser
Official standard for summer water quality
The Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board’s Santa Monica Bay Beaches Bacteria TMDL sets a strict summer dry-weather requirement: no exceedances are permitted at any shoreline monitoring location from April 1 through October 31, according to the regional board’s plan.
What the available records show
The regional board’s standard establishes the threshold for summer dry-weather conditions, but the information cited in this article does not identify an earlier Santa Monica Pier warning or closure or link one to rainfall, sewage or a specific routine-sampling result. City records document several responses to possible bacteria sources, including pier netting installed in 2023, a ban on feeding wildlife along the beach and pier, and a water infrastructure project that includes stormwater and dry-weather urban-runoff treatment and reuse. Those records describe the measures and the project’s scope but do not document a specific water-quality outcome from them.
Heal the Bay’s Bring Back the Beach Gala is scheduled for Thursday, September 24, at the Jonathan Club, 850 Palisades Beach Road, Santa Monica. The sponsor reception begins at 5 p.m., general admission begins at 6 p.m., and individual tickets cost $750, according to the organization’s event listing and announcement.
Heal the Bay expects more than 500 civic leaders, scientists, philanthropists, advocates and cultural figures to attend. The program will include dinner, auctions, cocktails and storytelling. The organization says it hopes to raise more than $1 million for water-quality science, public-health information, environmental education, policy advocacy, habitat protection and community action. This year’s theme is “Every Beach Deserves to Come Back.”
Honorees include Scott, the Coastal Commission and Mokhtari
The Santa Monica Daily Press reported that the gala will honor Drew Scott, the Property Brothers star, entrepreneur and environmental advocate, along with the California Coastal Commission. The paper said Scott is being recognized for promoting more sustainable homes and communities through his work in entertainment, real estate and entrepreneurship. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Environmental Media Association, according to the organization’s board listing.
The Coastal Commission is being honored for five decades of work involving coastline protection, public access and sensitive habitats, the Daily Press reported. Lila Mokhtari, identified by Southbay Magazine as a young social entrepreneur and clean-water advocate, will receive Heal the Bay’s Next Wave Award, according to the magazine’s profile.
Heal the Bay President and CEO Tracy Quinn said in the organization’s announcement that addressing coastal public-health and environmental challenges requires sustained investment in science, advocacy, education and community action. Heal the Bay, which has worked on coastal issues for more than four decades, says its Beach Report Card is intended to help people make safer decisions about entering the water.
The gala is Heal the Bay’s main annual fundraiser. Its May 2023 edition was also held at the Jonathan Club, according to the organization. Proceeds from this year’s event will support the group’s science, education and legal advocacy work.
