BRUCE’S BEACH – The Bruces will sell their land back to LA County
by Mark McDermott
The Bruce family last week announced its intention to sell the beachfront property that historically was Bruce’s Beach resort back to the County of Los Angeles for $20 million.
The family will sell the land, located along the Strand at 26th and 27th streets in Manhattan Beach, instead of receiving $413,000 a year in lease revenue for the County’s continued use of the oceanfront site as a lifeguard training facility. The Bruces entered an agreement with the County when the deed was transferred at the end of last June, giving them both options, with the stipulation that the sale could not occur until six months after the transfer.
Those six months have passed. The sale was first reported on social media by the KBLA Talk 1580 radio station, and subsequently discussed by George Fatheree III, an attorney for the family, during an appearance on KBLA’s Tavis Smiley show. The family’s intention to sell was met by disappointment by many, including Smiley, who described it as “stunning U-turn” because of the unprecedented significance of the family regaining land lost through the racially-motivated, legal mechanizations employed by the City of Manhattan Beach nearly a century ago.
Fatheree pushed back on the notion that the sale was in any way not a good thing.
“A lot of folks are describing this as a surprise or something unexpected, and even going further to say that this is somehow not a positive development,” Fatheree said. “….But I think if you and I put ourselves in their shoes, there’s a number of reasons that it makes sense, and is actually a positive development that the family would sell this property back to the County of Los Angeles, and be able to access the funds. Look, my clients were essentially robbed of their birthright. They should have grown up as part of a hospitality dynasty rivaling the Marriotts and the Hiltons. But because of the facts, and the story we all too well, that did not happen. And they find themselves now in their adult lives, being robbed of that opportunity. The ability to sell the property, and take the funds, and invest it in a way that is important to their lives represents an important opportunity for my clients to get a glimpse of that legacy that was theirs.”
That legacy began 121 years ago. In 1912, Charles and Willa Bruce founded a resort that gave Black people a place to congregate at the beach at a time when most beach access, and especially beachfront land ownership, was closed to African Americans. The Bruces met resistance immediately, particularly from George Peck, one of the fledgling city’s founders (Manhattan Beach would officially incorporate later that year). During the first weekend Bruce’s Lodge was open, on June 17, 1912, Peck had the beach in front of it fenced off, and guarded. The Bruces and their guests were undaunted. They walked a half mile around the fence to reach the ocean.
“Whenever we have tried to buy land for a beach resort, we have been refused,” Willa Bruce told the L.A. Times. “But I own this land, and I am going to keep it.”
By 1929, the City took possession of the land through what was later documented — by the City of Manhattan Beach’s History Advisory Board, which released a report last year — as racially motivated use of the power of eminent domain. The City also claimed the land from five other African American families who’d begun to form a community on adjacent properties, and from several white, absentee landowners. The Bruces were financially compensated for the land that they had never intended to sell, or leave, but both Charles and Willa would be dead within five years.
Their descendents, beginning with their son, Harvey, and his son, Bernard, lived with a bitter legacy. Bernard Bruce’s anger was legendary within the family. He publicly kept the fight for justice alive for decades, when the history of Bruce’s Beach had otherwise faded from view.
“These people, they worked on the railroad, they saved their money, they put up a resort and they lost everything,” Bruce told the LA Times in 2007, when the adjacent park was named Bruce’s Beach by the City of Manhattan Beach. “How would you feel if your family owned the Waldorf and they took it away from you?”
The matter seemed settled after the park’s renaming. But activist Kavon Ward, and her Justice for Bruce’s Beach movement, beginning with a protest on Juneteenth 2020, brought attention to this nearly forgotten chapter in history. This caught the attention of Supervisor Janice Hahn, who picked up the torch. Her legislative push eventually resulted in unanimous votes from the Board of Supervisors, the State Assembly and Senate, and, in 2021, a visit to the property from Governor Gavin Newsom to sign legislation into law, all in an effort to return the land to the descendants of Willa and Charles Bruce.
The land was transferred back to the Bruce family by the board of Supervisors last June 28, and the deed was given to the family at a ceremony at the site on July 21. It was the first time in U.S. history that land taken from an African American family by a government agency family was returned.
“I’ve been asked, ‘Is this reparations?’ And I say, ‘Hell no,’” said State Senator Steven Bradford at the time, who wrote the legislation that enabled the land transfer. “This is returning property that was rightfully owned by a family.”
The land was transferred to an LLC formed by the Bruce family, which includes Willa and Charles Bruce’s great-grandsons, Marcus and Derrick, and Derrick’s sons, Anthony and Micheal. The four direct descendants shared the inheritance equally. Anthony Bruce headed the LLC. The Bruces could have continued to receive $413,000 annually, with a 3 percent increase yearly, while the County kept responsibility for property taxes; sold the land on the open market; or, as they are now doing, sell the land back to the County for $20 million.
The family on Wednesday released a statement that said that since the land’s return, they have engaged in a long, careful consideration of “how best to use this land to reclaim the stolen ability to create wealth for our family,” including consulting leading legal, real estate, and tax advisors.
“Far from the popular beach resort stolen from our ancestors almost a century ago, the land we received back from the County last summer is not currently permitted to be developed,” the family said in a statement. “Developing this land requires the approval of various state and local agencies, including the City of Manhattan Beach, a city which to this day has never made a formal apology for taking our family’s land and destroying our family’s business. Securing the approvals to develop the property could take several years and be subject to lawsuits, delays and politics. Further, we have little interest in being real estate developers, landlords or taxpayers in the City of Manhattan Beach.”
Smiley, along with many members of LA’s Black community, questioned if the sale represented a step back for Black land ownership.
“You know the old adage,” Smiley said. “They ain’t making no more land. Black people cannot afford to give away, to sell, land.”
Fatheree said the Bruce family would likely buy more land.
“I won’t get into particulars, but do not be surprised if the proceeds received from the sale of the property are used to buy some more land, and hopefully be able to hold on to that land to create wealth on an intergenerational basis,” Fatheree said.
The Bruce’s attorney also noted that the family does not live in Los Angeles — most moved to Florida decades ago — and selling the land provided the simplest way to meet everyone’s needs.
“What we got to remember is we’re not talking about a single individual,” Fatheree said. “There are multiple family members, each at their own stage in life, some starting families, some nearing retirement, some caring for aging parents. And so the ability for them to be able to sell the property, receive the funds, and then invest the funds for what makes most sense for their lives — in real estate and education and furthering their careers — is important.”
And then there is perhaps the biggest issue — the land is not zoned for private development, but for public use. The City of Manhattan Beach is unlikely to change that zoning.
“In order to develop and really unlock some of the potential [value of the land] as property, you need further governmental approval,” Fatheree said. “You need approval from the City of Manhattan Beach, and potentially from the California Coastal Commission. And I think…if you put yourself in the shoes of someone who had this horrible thing happen in their family, I think you can’t help but have some probably healthy, slight distrust of government.”
Activist Kavon Ward was more blunt. She suggested the Bruce family had reason not only to distrust local government, but the community of Manhattan Beach.
“While I am disappointed the Bruce’s have chosen to sell the land, I understand their decision as the city of Manhattan Beach is anti Black,” Ward said. “Justice in this case should afford the family some peace; unfortunately, I don’t believe Bruce family descendants will find peace taking up space in a racist Manhattan Beach.”
The family’s statement acknowledged the disappointment many people felt with the sale.
“We know that some envisioned that we might hold this piece of land and attempt to reestablish the family’s former enterprise,” the Bruces said. “But we have chosen instead to look to the future. Our decision is to prioritize certainty and urgency over continued uncertainty and delay. We intend to use the proceeds from the sale of the land to invest in our future and our families now. We know this decision will not suit everyone, but it is the best step for each of us to take to pursue our individual dreams for our future.”
“We remain grateful to those, known and unknown, who have assisted in action, thought and prayer in helping us reclaim our family’s land, and the promise that it holds for each of us to finally have the opportunity to share in the promise of our heritage.”
The Manhattan Beach City Council played a role in bringing attention to the history of Bruce’s Beach. The Council in 2020 launched a Bruce’s Beach Task Force, and the City, at the Council’s direction, is planning to install a new plaque at Bruce’s Beach Park describing the history of the land. But the Council in 2021 voted 3-2 against issuing a formal apology to the Bruce family, and instead issued an acknowledgement that condemned the City’s past actions.
Fatheree said the refusal to apologize surprised him.
“Because all the time I come across people from the South Bay, from the city of Manhattan Beach, who tell me how happy they were to see the Bruce family get that property back, and how they felt like that was a step in the right direction,” Fatheree said. “They felt like that was an important step, and so it leaves me scratching my head a little bit that you had the Governor issue an apology, you’ve had Los Angeles County engage in the ultimate act of restitution, and actually return the property, but for whatever reasons, we haven’t seen an official apology by the City.”
Manhattan Beach Mayor Steve Napolitano, who voted for an apology and at the time suggested a future council would likely apologize, said he believes the process has concluded positively.
“LA County was in a unique position to make this happen and by all appearances, it worked out as both sides hoped for at this point,” Napolitano said. “The City was not a part of the transfer, and to my knowledge nobody contacted the City regarding any potential use of the property that differs from what it’s used for now. The Bruce’s will get the reparations they agreed to with the County, and the County will continue to operate their public serving lifeguard headquarters on the property for the foreseeable future. The Bruce family did what they decided was best for them and I don’t think such a personal decision deserves to be questioned or speculated about by others. Nothing about the transaction changes the past, but it will certainly help the future of the Bruce heirs and we wish them well.”
Dave Fratello, a Manhattan Beach real estate broker and author of the Manhattan Beach Confidential blog, said that even if the land were unencumbered by its zoning restrictions, the price the County is paying is market value.
“This double lot on The Strand in Manhattan Beach is reasonably and fairly worth $20 million,” Fratello said. “My understanding is that the Bruce family heirs and Los Angeles County had an appraisal done recently, so it should not be surprising that the figure aligns with the current market. This figure is much lower than some wild figures that appeared in the media previously, including estimates of $70-$75 million.”
“A fairly recent, directly comparable sale occurred on The Strand about two years ago, in November 2020, just one block away,” Fratello said. “There, an older home on a 6,900 square foot lot at 2722 The Strand sold for $17.750 million. The two lots comprising the former Bruce family property are about the same total size. Market values have risen since then.”
Supervisor Janice Hahn, who played arguably the most instrumental role in coordinating the many things that had to unfold in order for the Bruce’s to regain their land, said that the family’s decision to sell represents another facet of justice.
“The seizure of Bruce’s Beach nearly a century ago was an injustice inflicted upon not just Willa and Charles Bruce but generations of their descendants who almost certainly would have been millionaires,” Hahn said. “I fought to return Bruce’s Beach because I wanted to right this wrong. This fight has always been about what is best for the family, and they feel what is best for them is selling this property back to the County for nearly $20 million and finally rebuilding the generational wealth they were denied for nearly a century. This is what reparations look like and it is a model that I hope governments across the country will follow.”
Anthony Bruce expressed this hope as well, and also his belief that this turn in history had divine provenance.
“On June 19th 2020, a problem was addressed in Manhattan Beach, California, to right an injustice,” Anthony Bruce wote. “It is because of two people alone, Charles and Willa Bruce, that we, the Bruce family, Bernard (deceased 2021), Marcus, Derrick, Michael, and myself would have been millionaires long ago. Soon we will be. I believe this is because of God. Jesus Christ will love and comfort all who turn to him and those who approach him must have their hearts engaged to do it with reverence, devotion, and faith. Many people have suffered in this country because of racism. I hope this proves to everyone with absolute clarity that the US of A will no longer tolerate racism. The Bruce family may be the first that this has happened to, however, Lord willing…we will certainly not be the last to receive justice.” ER