{{Short description|US non-profit organization}} {{Infobox organization | name = Heal the Bay | logo = | image = Heal the Bay.jpg | caption = Office in Santa Monica | type = [[501(c)(3)]] | founded = 1985 | founder = | location = [[Santa Monica, California|Santa Monica]], [[California]], U.S. | origins = | key_people = | website = {{URL|https://healthebay.org/}} | focus = Protecting the southern California coastline and the surrounding watersheds. | method = [[Environmentalism|environmental advocacy]], [[Research]] and [[Education]] }}

'''Heal the Bay''' is a U.S. [[Environmentalism|environmental advocacy]] group of activists based in [[Santa Monica, California]]. The focus is protecting coastal waters and watersheds of southern California, and is focused on [[Santa Monica Bay]]. [[Image:Santa Monica Bay Map.jpg|thumb|Map of Santa Monica Bay]]

Heal the Bay is a [[501(c)(3)]] [[non-profit organization]] with full-time paid staff members and [[volunteering|volunteers]].

== History == Heal the Bay was founded in 1985 by a group of citizens led by environmental activist [[Dorothy Green (environmentalist)|Dorothy Green]].<ref name="GreenObit">Elaine Woo, [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-oct-14-me-green14-story.html "Environmentalist began Heal the Bay"], ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', October 14, 2008.</ref> Mark Gold became the president of the organization in 2006 and held the position until 2012.<ref name="Goldstep">Tony Barboza, [https://www.latimes.com/science/la-xpm-2012-jan-10-la-me-gs-mark-gold-step-down-president-heal-the-bay-20120110-story.html "Mark Gold to step down as president of Heal the Bay"], ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', January 10, 2012.</ref> The current president and CEO is Shelley Luce, who took the post in April 2017.<ref>[https://healthebay.org/dr-shelley-luce-appointed-ceo-of-heal-the-bay/ "Dr. Shelley Luce Appointed CEO of Heal the Bay"], ''[https://healthebay.org Heal the Bay]'', April 26, 2017.</ref> The organization has become a prominent advocate for the environment in California,<ref name="Goldstep" /> and is particularly known for its annual report card ratings of the water quality at beaches along the Pacific coast.<ref name="GreenObit" /> It was also active in advocating for [[Phase-out of lightweight plastic bags|restrictions on plastic bags]] in California.<ref>Wendy Koch, [http://content.usatoday.com/communities/greenhouse/post/2010/08/plastic-bag-ban-mockumentary/1#.VSC3t47krF8 "California's plastic bag ban spurs mockumentary"], ''[[USA Today]]'', August 25, 2010.</ref>

==Work== [[File:CaliforniaMorayEel.jpg|thumb|A moray eel at the aquarium]] Heal the Bay supports public health and education [[outreach|outreach programs]] as well as sponsoring beach cleanup programs such as Coastal Cleanup Day,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Leffler |first=Thomas |date=2024-09-20 |title=Beachgoers bring their buckets for Coastal Cleanup Day - Santa Monica Daily Press |url=https://smdp.com/news/beachgoers-bring-their-buckets-for-coastal-cleanup-day/ |access-date=2025-08-24 |language=en-US}}</ref> Adopt-a-Beach and Suits on the Sand in Los Angeles County, California. It operates [[Heal the Bay Aquarium]], which was previously named the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium and formerly known as the Ocean Discovery Center and was operated by [[UCLA]] until 2003.<ref>Mitch James, [http://www.smmirror.com/articles/News/Heal-The-Bays-Santa-Monica-Pier-Aquarium-Turns-10-Years-Old/36907 "Heal The Bay’s Santa Monica Pier Aquarium Turns 10 Years Old"], ''[[Santa Monica Mirror]]'', March 1, 2013.</ref>

In 2003, then-California Assemblywoman [[Fran Pavley]] authored legislation that required the state to develop an environment-based curriculum to be offered to all California public schools. The bill (AB 1548 of 2003) was sponsored by Heal the Bay and was signed into law by then-Governor Gray Davis. The program it set in motion came to be known as the Education and the Environment Initiative.{{Citation needed|date=August 2025}}

Heal the Bay publishes an annual Beach Report Card, which grades the water quality at popular beaches up and down the West Coast of the United States.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2019-07-12 |title=How Polluted Is Your Beach? Here Are the 10 Worst (Published 2019) |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/12/us/beach-bummers-pollution-ranking-california.html |access-date=2025-08-24 |language=en}}</ref> It also produces weekly and daily beach water quality grades online at beachreporter.ort and river quality grades at the River Report Card on the Heal the Bay website.

Recent accomplishments include leading grassroots movements to pass plastic reduction policies like Straws on Request and [[2016 California Proposition 67|California Proposition 67]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=California Votes to Ban Plastic Shopping Bags|url=https://www.cawrecycles.org/press-releases/ca-first-in-nation-bag-ban|access-date=2020-09-24|website=Californians Against Waste|language=en-US|archive-date=2020-12-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201223011925/https://www.cawrecycles.org/press-releases/ca-first-in-nation-bag-ban|url-status=dead}}</ref> Heal the Bay also launched an advocacy campaign to pass Measure W <ref>{{Cite web |last=Pascucci |first=Christina |date=October 29, 2018 |title=Heal the Bay Holds ‘Save the Rain’ Rally in Favor of Measure W |url=https://ktla.com/news/local-news/heal-the-bay-holds-save-the-rain-rally-in-favor-of-measure-w/ |access-date=August 24, 2025 |website=KTLA}}</ref> and fund the Safe, Clean Water Program.

In August 2020, news outlets reported single-use [[Personal protective equipment|PPE]] items (gloves, surgical masks, etc.) in the Santa Monica Bay shoreline and parking lots. Heal the Bay members were not able to gather in large groups due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], but the policy has since been repealed.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Santa Monica Beach and Parking Lots Littered With PPE|url=https://spectrumnews1.com/ca/la-west/environment/2020/08/12/santa-monica-beach-and-parking-lots-littered-with-ppe|access-date=2020-08-25|website=spectrumnews1.com|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Dixson|first=Brennon|date=2020-08-14|title=Ocean pollution persists despite pandemic|url=https://www.smdp.com/ocean-pollution-persists-despite-pandemic/195463|access-date=2020-08-25|website=Santa Monica Daily Press|language=en-US}}</ref>

==See also== *[[Hyperion sewage treatment plant]]

== References == <references/>

==External links== *[https://healthebay.org/ Official website] *[https://healthebay.org/aquarium/ Heal the Bay Aquarium]

[[Category:Environmental organizations based in California]] [[Category:Environment of Greater Los Angeles]] [[Category:Water resource policy]] [[Category:Non-profit organizations based in California]] [[Category:Organizations based in Santa Monica, California]] [[Category:501(c)(3) organizations]] [[Category:Environmental organizations established in 1985]] [[Category:1985 establishments in California]] [[Category:Environmental organizations based in Los Angeles]]