San Francisco, CA — Mayor London N. Breed and Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf today announced that they are leading volunteers from their two cities to face off in a cleaning and greening competition on Saturday, September 21, 2019, as part of the annual California Coastal Cleanup Day. The challenge is on to protect the San Francisco Bay by cleaning neighborhoods and combatting illegal dumping in both cities.

The competition, The Battle for the Bay, is in honor of the 30^th anniversary of the 1989 “Battle of the Bay” Major League Baseball World Series between the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland A’s. The Battle is a friendly contest for the most impactful cleanup effort. Residents and businesses are invited to show their love for San Francisco, Oakland, and the environment, by joining their city’s Battle for the Bay team.

“The Battle for the Bay will help protect our treasured Bay, and is part of our broader efforts to keep every neighborhood in our City clean and green,” said Mayor Breed. “San Francisco is known for being an environmental champion, and we’ll continue working to keep our City and environment clean and safe by working with the community and engaging volunteers year-round.”

“Oakland residents all across our city can come together to make our Bay brighter and our streets cleaner,” Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said. “Our community turns out by the thousands every year for Creek to Bay Day, and this year I’m calling on thousands more to join us in every neighborhood as well.”

Volunteers are invited to join the competition on Coastal Cleanup Day, which is an annual event organized by the California Coastal Commission. Projects include trash removal, habitat restoration, tree planting, and neighborhood beautification. On this day, thousands of volunteers remove litter from waterways and shorelines, as well as upstream areas across California, throughout the United States, and in about 100 participating Coastal Cleanup countries. At the Battle for the Bay, volunteers will pick up litter, clean up our neighborhoods and beaches, and participate in other beautification projects in San Francisco and Oakland.

“Public Works has been participating in Coastal Cleanup Day for decades and this year’s challenge will bring our efforts to a whole new level,” said Mohammed Nuru, San Francisco Public Works Director. “We are ready to sign up volunteers, clean up our neighborhoods and protect our bay. I want to thank our steadfast community partners and welcome new volunteers to Battle for the Bay on Coastal Cleanup Day.”

Which City can turn out the most volunteers? Collect the most trash? Have the most creative projects? Volunteers can show their civic pride and make a difference in their community by joining their City’s team and can choose from dozens of volunteer sites in San Francisco and Oakland.

To sign up as a site coordinator, find volunteer locations, register as a group, or for more information go to: www.battleforthebay2019.org

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