HUNTINGTON BEACH : City Joins in Firm’s Beach-Cleaning Plan

The City Council last week agreed to join in partnership with a business to keep the city’s beach clean during off-season months.

Sunshine Makers Inc., which manufactures a household cleaning product, will sponsor an adopt-a-beach program, with the firm awarding scholarship money to local groups who each week will clean a designated section of the beach.

Officials estimate that the program will save the city $38,700 in salary. The agreement is the first partnership the city has formed under its new strategy to market itself as “Surf City.” Through the Surf City campaign, the city hopes to raise its profile nationwide and garner corporate sponsorships to save the city money.

Due to budget cuts, the city began reducing its beach cleanup detail in October and will not resume regular cleaning for two months. Under additional cuts proposed for next year, the city workers would not clean the beach at all from October through March.

Instead, volunteers from youth groups, service organizations, church groups and other affiliations would adopt sections of the beach, picking up trash there each week.

At the end of the season, the groups would be awarded cash scholarships from Sunshine Makers. In exchange, the firm will get to advertise its product on the city beach, at city events and on the city’s cable-TV station, Channel 3.

The program will begin next month. The beach south of the municipal pier will be divided into five sections, and a community organization will be assigned to each, cleaning the area during March and April. In May, Sunshine Makers will award $200 to each group.