In 1912 and 1920, Willa Bruce purchased two lots of land along the Strand in Manhattan Beach. Like many other Americans of African descent, the Bruce family had moved West as part of the Great Migration, seeking opportunities to participate in the promise of the American Dream. Shortly after purchasing the land, Charles and Willa Bruce turned the location into a seaside resort that welcomed Black beachgoers from all over Los Angeles and became colloquially referred to as “Bruce’s Beach.”
In 1924, prompted by a petition from local white real estate agents and other civic leaders, the Manhattan Beach City Council voted to condemn Bruce’s Beach and the surrounding land through eminent domain to build a park. It is well documented that the real reason behind the eminent domain process was racially motivated with the intention of bringing an end to the successful Black business in the predominantly white community.
The Bruce family moved out of Manhattan Beach, and the City immediately demolished the Bruce’s Beach resort. No park was built, and the land sat empty for decades. The City of Manhattan Beach finally built a park in 1956 on the land behind the Bruce’s Beach resort, nearly 30 years later. The City transferred the Bruce’s Beach resort property to the State of California, which in turn transferred the property to the County of Los Angeles in 1995.
On April 20, 2021, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors voted to take the first steps toward returning Bruce’s Beach by instructing the L.A. County CEO’s Office to develop a plan to return the property and by sponsoring Senate Bill 796 to lift state restrictions on the return on the land.
The County of Los Angeles is working with the legal services firm of Hinojosa & Forer LLP to conduct a thorough and transparent legal heir determination process. Please be advised that, under California law, the legal heirs are the closest living heirs (i.e., children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, etc.) of Charles and Willa Bruce.
To determine if you are a closest living heir, please contact Susan Devermont at sbd@hinojosaforer.com or (310) 473-7000 extension 140 no later than December 31st, 2021. You will be notified once a determination of the legal heirs has been made.
To learn more, visit the Bruce's Beach webpage.
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