In celebration of the 25th anniversary of California Coastal Cleanup Day, Menlo Park-based Sunset magazine and the California Coastal Commission will hold a gala in San Francisco honoring nine California "coastal heroes" on Thursday.

Actor Pierce Brosnan and actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus will be among those honored at the event, which is taking place at the Aquarium of the Bay, according to event organizers.

The program will include presentations by the chair of the White House Council of Environmental Quality and the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The nine honorees are being recognized for the work they have done to protect the California coast, and the event will focus on stewardship,
organizers said. It will preview the 25th annual California Coastal Cleanup Day, which is scheduled for the following Saturday.

More than 80,000 volunteers are expected to help remove debris from coastal areas throughout the state on Saturday, according to the California Coastal Commission.

The cleanup day is a global event that draws volunteers to coastal sites in 120 countries, organizers said. Last year, California had the
largest cleanup in the world with about 75,000 volunteers at more than 750 sites, the commission reported.

— Bay City News Service