MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. (KNX) – A new motion introduced by Los Angeles County officials would return a beachside property to descendants of Charles and Will Bruce, a Black family kicked out of their thriving seaside resort 90 years ago.
In the early 1900s, The Bruces bought the property and turned it into Bruce’s Beach, “a seaside resort that welcomed Black beachgoers from all over Los Angeles,” according to the Chief Executive Office of L.A. County.
In 1924, a vote by the Manhattan Beach Board of Trustees condemned Bruce’s Beach and the surrounding areas through eminent domain, a move that many say was racially motivated by white real estate agents and leaders. The court gave the property to the City of Manhattan Beach in 1929. The Bruce family moved away, and the resort was demolished. It left the land empty for years until a park was built in the late 50’s.
Senate Bill 795 by Holly J. Mitchell and Janice Hahn would “eliminate the statutory restrictions” and give the property to the legal heirs of the Bruce family, Marcus and Derrick Bruce. Once the property is transferred, there will be a two-year agreement to have the property leased for $413,000 a year. The lease also gives the county the right to buy the land for $20 million.
“This land should have never been taken from the Bruce family over 90 years ago,” Mitchell said. “Now, we are on the precipice of redemption and justice that is long overdue.”
“At long last, the descendants of Willa and Charles Bruce will be able to begin rebuilding the wealth that has been denied to generations of Bruces since their property was seized nearly a century ago,” Hahn said. “We will never be able to rectify the injustice that was inflicted upon the Bruce family, but this is a start, and it is the right thing to do.”
In a 2021 interview with The Guardian, the couple's great-grandson, Anthony, said getting the property back is "long overdue."
"This will affect my children and their children's children … And I want them to know that they can receive justice from their government," he said.
The motion, approved by Governor Gavin Newsom on Sept. 30, will be heard and voted on Tuesday during a meeting of the Board of Supervisors.
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