Santa Monica ranks California’s most polluted beach

As temperatures rise across the Southland, droves of people will hit the beach in search of a reprieve — but you might want to think twice before taking a dip near one of the region’s most famous landmarks.

For the second year in a row, the area around the Santa Monica Pier was named one of California’s dirtiest beaches by environmental nonprofit Heal the Bay.

The pier-adjacent beach came in at No. 2 this year due to persistent water quality issues, according to the organization’s annual Beach Report Card.