Thousands Pledge to Clean Up the Beach

More than 5,000 Los Angeles students, teachers and volunteers hit Dockweiler State Beach Thursday for the annual "Kids Ocean Day Adopt-A-Beach Clean-Up."

The event is designed to teach kids about the importance of cleaning up the environment.

"As the second largest city in America, Los Angeles plays a key role in defining our environmental priorities as a nation,” said Los Angeles Board of Public Works President Andrea Alarcon. "Here in Los Angeles, our biggest allies in doing this are our kids who are our future. As we see here today on Kids Ocean Day, Los Angeles youngsters care greatly about the ocean which is one of our greatest assets as a coastal city."

The children on hand eagerly helped clean up the beach to rid it of any plastic and other litter before standing beachside to form a shark and shield bearing the words, "Defend the Sea," based on artwork designed by Breann Mancilla, a sixth-grader from Robert Frost Middle School.

The event was sponsored by the City of Los Angeles, the Malibu Foundation for Environmental Education, Keep Los Angeles Beautiful, Spectral Q and the California Coastal Commission.

This year marked the 19th annual clean-up.