First Votes On Return Of Bruce's Beach, Board Of Supervisors

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA — Members of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will take their first votes on Supervisor Janice Hahn's proposal to return the Bruce's Beach property to the descendants of Willa and Charles Bruce.

At a press conference held in Manhattan Beach on April 9, Supervisor Hahn announced intentions to return the property through CA Senate Bill 796, authored by Supervisor Hahn and co-authored by Supervisor Holly Mitchell

In 1912, a young Black couple named Willa and Charles Bruce purchased beachfront property in Manhattan Beach and built a resort that served Black residents. It was one of the few beaches where Black residents could go because so many other local beaches did not permit Black beachgoers. The Bruces and their customers were harassed and threatened by white neighbors including the KKK. Eventually, the Manhattan Beach City Council moved to seize the property using eminent domain in 1924, purportedly to create a park. The City took the property in 1929 and it remained vacant for decades.

The property the Bruce family once owned was transferred to the State in 1948, and in 1995 transferred to Los Angeles County. It is now the site of the Los Angeles County Lifeguard Training Headquarters.

"This was an injustice inflicted upon not just Willa and Charles Bruce– but generations of their descendants who almost certainly would have been millionaires if they had been able to keep this property and their successful business," Sup. Hahn said in a statement. "When I realized that the County now had ownership of the Bruce’s original property, I felt there was nothing else to do but give the property back to the direct descendants of Willa and Charles Bruce."

According to a press release from Sup. Hahn's office, the Board will vote Tuesday on two items regarding Bruce's Beach:

Item 8: Returning Bruce's Beach to its Rightful Owners —Instructs the County CEO's Office to report back in 60 days with a plan for how to return the property to the Bruce family, including a timeline, options for how to address property tax issues after the transfer, and plans for the county to either lease the property from the Bruce family or relocate the County Lifeguard facility currently at the property.

Item 9: Los Angeles County Sponsor (SB) 796 —Would make Los Angeles County an official sponsor of CA Senate Bill 796 introduced last week by Senator Steven Bradford. The legislation is necessary because when the State transferred the property to the County in 1995, the deal restricted the County's ability to transfer the property. SB 796 would lift these restrictions and allow the County to transfer the property to the Bruce family.

The virtual meeting will be streamed online Tuesday, April 20, and the items will likely be heard in the late morning or early afternoon.

Public comment will be taken from 9:30-10:30 a.m. and will include supporters of these items, including Anthony Bruce, a descendant of Charles and Willa Bruce.