Santa Cruz County’s Pitch In Initiative was recently recognized by Caltrans, Clean California and Keep America Beautiful as one of 22 California communities that are the first to pledge to be a part of the Clean California Community Designation Program.
The statewide program encourages local engagement in a statewide effort to make communities cleaner, more sustainable and to foster community pride. It is part of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Clean California initiative, a $1.2 billion, multiyear initiative led by Caltrans to clean up, reclaim, transform and beautify public spaces. Since the program’s inception three years ago, 50,000 tires, 12,000 mattresses and mountains of trash have been hauled away.
So far, Santa Cruz County has committed to meeting 10 of 15 commitments to attain the Clean California Community designation. Municipalities must complete 10 of the 15 specific criteria to earn the designation.
“Today, we celebrated the first communities pledging to earn the Clean California Community designation and encourage others from across the state to join,” said Caltrans Deputy Director Mike Keever in a news release following a cleanup in Fresno to launch the program. “The designation spotlights communities that are zero-litter leaders with a vision for a better tomorrow. These leaders understand the long-term benefits to clean communities, and we applaud them for their efforts.”
Clean California Designation Program criteria include a commitment from top local officials, a litter abatement plan, regular local cleanups and litter collection drives, establishing measurements tracking litter removal, and engaging local stakeholders and businesses.
In return, designated communities receive “Clean California Community” signage, educational resources, free cleanup kits, cross-promotional Clean California materials, and priority access to Keep America Beautiful national grant opportunities.
The program’s goal is to enlist 100 communities by June 2025. For more information or an application for the Clean California Designation Program, visit cleanca.com/designation.