Bruce's Beach being sold back to LA County

Family members of the original owners of Bruce's Beach, Willa and Charles Bruce, have informed Los Angeles County of their decision to sell the beachfront property back.

Bruce’s Beach, originally a black owned oceanfront property/resort in Southern California was taken from its black owners during the Jim Crow era and recently returned back to their family line just last year. Relatives of the first landowners have advised the county regarding their decision to sell the southern California oceanside property for nearly $20 million.

The Bruces' purchased the land in 1912 for $1,225 and built several facilities that became a popular tourist attraction for Black families to enjoy the California life. Intimidation and racial tension ensued from the Ku Klux Klan and white counterparts alike. 12 years later, Manhattan Beach took over the family property citing eminent domain and gave out a fraction of the asking price to the Bruce family. The property was eventually transferred to Los Angeles County in 1995 and in recent years, county officials started taking steps to right the wrongs and return the land to the rightful owners. California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a 2021 legislation to allow for the return of the property to Bruce’s descendants. Just last year, the official land deed was transferred back to the family and is now set to be sold back to the county of Los Angeles for $20 million. Currently Bruce’s Beach is a park with a lawn and lifeguard training facility. The legacy of the Bruce family comes full circle with the 20 million serving as a long-awaited reparation of the wrongs committed in the Jim Crow Era.