CITY ROUNDUP:Clear debris at local beaches

Residents who want to leave local beaches a little cleaner than they found them are invited to join thousands of volunteers Sept. 15 for California Coastal Cleanup Day. The 23rd annual statewide event is the yearly culmination of the California Coastal Commission’s Adopt-a-Beach program, and volunteers clear their local beaches of marine debris.

Cleanup sites include Bolsa Chica State Beach, Bolsa Chica Wetlands, Huntington City Beach, and Huntington State Beach Reserve. For information about the Bolsa Chica State Beach event, call (714) 536-1454; for information about the wetlands event, call (714) 846-1114 or (714) 840-1575; for information about the Huntington City Beach, call (714) 536-5614; and to ask about the Huntington State Beach Reserve cleanup, call (714) 536-1454. For information about the cleanup in general, call (800) COAST4U.

All events last from 9 a.m. to noon, and pre-registration is available but not required. For the city beach, meet on the north side of the municipal pier. All ages are welcome, and bags and gloves will be available for free.

Make sure to wear sunscreen and comfortable clothes to work in.

Workshop offered for homeowners

State Sen. Tom Harman and Assemblyman Van Tran are hosting a free workshop for current and prospective homeowners this Friday in Westminster. The workshop is intended to help residents make informed decisions about purchasing homes and dealing with mortgages, as well as offering guidance to those facing foreclosure.

Representatives from the Department of Consumer Affairs, the Department of Transportation and Housing, and the State and Orange County Business Council will speak at the workshop, which will also feature a question-and-answer period. There will also be resource tables set up to provide information. Attendees should bring all relevant loan documents and delinquency notices.

The workshop will last from 8:30 a.m. to noon in the Westminster Rose Center, 14140 All American Way, Westminster. For more information, call (714) 957-4555.

Distance Derby kicks off at Plaza

The city will hold its 53rd annual Distance Derby this Saturday at Pier Plaza. The event is the longest-running road race in the county, and its proceeds will benefit Project Self-Sufficiency, a program that aids low-income single parents and their children.

Participants can register at www.active.com through Thursday; race-day registration opens at 6 a.m., but T-shirts are only guaranteed to pre-registered runners.

The 10 mile run starts at 7 a.m., a 5-mile run-walk starts at 8:30 a.m., and the 5k Surf Kids Fun Run starts at 10 a.m.

Water use up despite requests to conserve

Huntington Beach residents used 683 million gallons of water this July, compared to 665 million last year, according to data from the public works department. Water use has been higher than the year before every single month. The city continues to ask residents to conserve water, as conditions this year are extremely dry. Some ways to do so, according to the city, are washing only full loads of laundry, taking 5-minute showers, turning off water while shaving, and shutting off the faucet while brushing your teeth.