Bruce’s Beach: A Stolen Shoreline

In 1912 and1920, Willa and Charles Bruce purchased two oceanfront plots in Manhattan Beach, California, transforming them into a rare oasis for Black families barred from white beaches. At a time when racial boundaries were rigidly enforced, Mrs. Bruce’s vision was radical: to create a place where Black joy could thrive along the Pacific shore.

They built a café, added changing rooms, and hosted dances. The waves shimmered just beyond their doors. Black families from across Los Angeles came to swim and belong in community. In an era defined by segregation and exclusion, Bruce’s Beach stood as living proof that freedom could still bloom.

But not everyone welcomed that vision. White residents, disturbed by the success and visibility of the resort, began harassment campaigns. “No Trespassing” signs lined the paths. Local ordinances were passed to criminalize public changing and restrict access. Then, in 1924, under the pretense of building a public park, the City of Manhattan Beach seized the Bruces’ land through eminent domain.

The Bruce family was forced out by 1927. Their buildings were swiftly bulldozed and flattened before the ink had dried on the city’s legal intrusion. And the park that had justified it all? It wouldn’t be built for nearly 30 years.

Generations Buried

The Bruces fought back. In the face of institutionalized racism and a city bent on their erasure, they sued for $120,000 in damages. What they received was $14,500, a fraction of the land’s value, and a pittance for the theft of a legacy. By 1929, the City of Manhattan Beach had secured ownership through the courts, and Bruce’s Beach was gone.

In 1924, spurred by a petition from local white real estate agents and residents, the Manhattan Beach City Council voted to condemn not only the Bruce’s resort, but the surrounding Black-owned parcels. The reality was racial exclusion. Newly passed ordinances targeted Black visitors, banning dressing or undressing in cars and tents, imposing strict parking limitations, and outlawing any future resort-style developments on the beachfront. These measures made it nearly impossible for other Black families to build or gather along the shore. It wasn’t until 1956 that the city finally developed the promised park that bore no trace of the Black community it had displaced.

In 2007, eighty years after the Bruces were evicted, the silence began to crack. Under the leadership of Mitch Ward, Manhattan Beach’s first and only Black mayor, the city formally renamed the area Bruce’s Beach. It was a small, symbolic gesture. A plaque was installed. The name was restored. But the land was still not returned. There was no justice.

Land Reclamation Begins

In June 2020, Kavon Ward, a Manhattan Beach resident and mother, organized a Juneteenth picnic at the site. She had discovered the history of Bruce’s Beach and couldn’t let it rest. That day, she made a vow to get the land back.

Ward founded Justice for Bruce’s Beach, rallying community members, policy experts, and descendants to demand action. The movement caught fire. And in April 2021, Los Angeles County Supervisors Janice Hahn and Holly Mitchell introduced a plan to return the land. The path forward was legal, bureaucratic, and historic. State restrictions had to be lifted. Genealogists were hired to trace the Bruce family lineage. Attorneys built a framework. Lawmakers passed California Senate Bill 796. Governor Gavin Newsom signed it into law in September 2021, surrounded by Bruce family descendants.

A Ceremony of Justice

On July 20, 2022, beneath an open sky on a hill that once held a dream, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors returned the land to the legal heirs of Willa and Charles Bruce—their great-grandsons, Marcus and Derrick Bruce.

The county would lease the land back for lifeguard operations and pay rent. The Bruce family had the right to keep the land or sell it. In January 2023, they made the choice to sell it back to the county for $20 million to ensure their family could begin to rebuild generational wealth. Bruce’s Beach now stands as a memorial and a mirror. It reflects what was lost but also what can be restored.

Reparative Justice Timeline

April 20, 2021 — L.A. County Supervisors voted to develop a plan to return Bruce’s Beach and sponsored Senate Bill 796 to remove legal barriers.

October 5, 2021 — The County’s Anti-Racism, Diversity, and Inclusion (ARDI) Initiative was tasked with managing the return.

June 28, 2022 — The transfer was formally approved by the L.A. County Board of Supervisors.

July 20, 2022 — The land was officially returned to the Bruce family.

January 2023 — The Bruce family sold the property back to the County for $20 million, exercising their right under the lease agreement.

---

Diego Tovar — Director of Campus and Civic Engagement

Diego Tovar, Director of Campus and Civic Engagement, holds his master’s in Global Environmental Policy from American University and an undergraduate degree as a Udall Scholar in Ecosystem Science and Sustainability with a minor in Political Communication from Colorado State University. Diego has worked for the White House Council on Environmental Quality, the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. House of Representatives, and the Navajo Nation Washington Office focusing on climate justice and climate adaptation.