Heal the Bay brought hundreds of civic leaders, scientists and entertainment figures to the sand at the Jonathan Club on Thursday night for its 2026 Bring Back the Beach Gala, the nonprofit's largest fundraiser of the year.
"Property Brothers" star Drew Scott received the evening's top honor. "It's not the Heal the Bay shirt that gets the attention. If anybody else has the Heal the Bay Speedo, that really gets the name out" Scott said.
"I've known Heal the Bay for many years. I really love what they do."
Scott was recognized for using his platform in entertainment and real estate to promote more sustainable homes and communities.
The award was presented by Heal the Bay's CEO, Tracy Quinn, who was just named one of the Los Angeles Business Journal’s “Leaders of Influence: Nonprofit & Philanthropy 2026."
Los Angeles City Councilwoman Traci Park was among the guests, along with Rep. Laura Friedman, Coastal Commissioners Annie Notthoff and Jaime Lee and David Nahai of the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board.
Founded in 1985 by Dorothy Green and a group of Santa Monica Bay residents, Heal the Bay has grown into the region's largest coastal watchdog. Heal the Bay scientists test water quality and publish the weekly Beach Report Card, which grades more than 500 beaches along the West Coast and gives swimmers and surfers a way to check conditions before they go in.
Heal the Bay also runs the Heal the Bay Aquarium under the Santa Monica Pier, coordinates volunteer beach cleanups across Los Angeles County and beyond, and continues to push for limits on single-use plastics, including cigarette butts.
Also at the gala was a surfboard built from recycled materials collected at California beach cleanups. The material is the most littered item in the world: cigarette butts.
Three surfboards, the subject of a new documentary called The Cigarette Surfboard, were on display as part of a silent auction. The starting price for one surfboard was $25,000.
Heal the Bay set a fundraising goal of $1 million for the night. The final total will be announced in the coming days.
The evening, produced by NAMEVENTS, included dinner, live and silent auctions and a screening of a Heal the Bay impact film.