Heirs of Bruce’s Beach Finalize Sale of Property Back to LA County Black Caucus Black History Month Event Celebrates

Business Owners

By Antonio Ray Harvey California Black Media

The California Black Chamber of Commerce (CBCC) and the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) recognized the success of 16 thriving Black-owned businesses at its annual Legislative Business Brunch at the Citizen Hotel in Sacramento.

The brunch, organized to celebrate Black History Month, honored the achievements of the businesses and celebrated their commitment to professional service and making an impact on the economy of communities around California.

“I am thankful that today, as it being the month of February and celebrating Black History Month, we get the opportunity to celebrate Black businesses. We get the opportunity to celebrate each one of you who are pouring into your communities in a meaningful and economic way,” said Assemblymember Lori D. Wilson (D-Suisun City), chair of the CLBC. “You are making an economic impact, not only for your families but for those that you employ and those that you provide good service to.”

Sponsored by Amazon and Instacart, the business program attracted Black business leaders, nonprofit operators, and all 12 members of the CLBC. Three Black constitutional officers — Secretary of State Dr. Shirley Weber, State Controller Malia Cohen and Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond — were recognized at the event held at Citizen Hotel.

Cohen and Thurmond were present to accept their awards, and Reginald “Reggie” Fair, Deputy Secretary of State for Operations, accepted the award on behalf of Weber.

Radio personality Keisha Mathews was the program emcee.

Dr. Roy Larry and his wife, Penelope, of the Potter’s House COGIC church in Sacramento, provided the invocation. Sacramento area youth advocate Patrice Hill shared inspirational words in the form of a poem.

The event’s program was presented by Wilson, CBCC’s President and CEO Jay King, and CLBC Vice Chairman Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Inglewood). Anthony Williams, the California public policy director for Amazon, was the guest speaker.

King reminded the attendees that the event was made possible by Aubry Stone, who started the advocacy for Black businesses in the state in 1995 until his passing in November 2018.

Stone facilitated networking among different business organizations across the state and fostered relationships with local governments. In the process, he opened doors of access to all races, King said.

“We are the California Black Chamber of Commerce, and we believe in diversity, equity, and inclusion. I believe that means everybody. We shouldn’t leave anybody out,” King said. “We help small businesses. Today, it just so happens to be African American

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By Antonio Ray Harvey California Black Media

On Jan. 30, the heirs of Bruce’s Beach finalized the sale of the land they just reclaimed last year back to Los Angeles County for $20 million.

The Bruce Family’s attorney George C. Fatheree III told KBLA radio personality Tavis Smiley that the family was prompted to sell because it faced a long and drawn-out process to get approval for development by the city of Manhattan and the California Coastal Commission.

“The return of the property and the ability to sell the property and take funds and invest it in a way that’s important to their lives represents an important opportunity for my clients to get a glimpse of that legacy that was theirs,” Fatheree said.

But the news of the sale was somewhat disappointing for those who reveled in the victory of justice carried out more than 100 years and hoped the Bruce family would keep the property in the family.

Antonio Moore, a Los Angeles attorney, and co-founder of the American Descendants of Slavery (ADOS) movement, says the deal reached by the heirs of Bruce’s Beach “doesn’t seem to be at fair market value.”

In his Jan. 6 podcast, which can be viewed on Youtube, Moore said he crunched the real estate numbers of surrounding property in Manhattan Beach and claims that the land is worth more than the $20 million — the price at which the heirs of the controversial property were offered for the land.

The attorney said the option to sell back the land, which was first purchased in 1912 and illegally acquired by the city, is akin to the financial loss Black Americans have experienced over the decades due to “housing discrimination.”

“In essence, we are going to give them back the property but not assess any of the generational costs,” he said. “And then we (the county of Los Angeles) are going to create all types of limitations on the way they can access and use that property.”

Moore continued by saying, “The fact that this was sold back for $20 million should have everyone in an uproar. The fact that the (California) Reparations Task Force has literally said nothing about this is abject failure in my view.”

In his 37-minute podcast, Moore said that no one really took the time to “contextualize” the agreement between the county and the Bruce family since the announcement was made. Houses and condos around Bruce’s Beach are priced at around “$3 or $4 million,” he said.

According to Realtor.com, Manhattan Beach in Los Angeles County consists of five neighborhoods. As of Jan. 22, there were 57 homes for sale, ranging from $1.2 million to $22 million.

As of July 1, 2022, 34,668 people resided in the beach town located about 30 miles southwest of Los Angeles. Of that number, 74.8% are white and 0.5% are

Black, according to U.S. Census Bureau numbers.

“I am not here to attack this family,” Moore said of the Bruce family. “I am more so here to question how we got here.”

The disturbing story of Bruce’s Beach Park — the location of the first West Coast seaside resort for Black beachgoers and a residential enclave for a few African American families — has received worldwide attention.

One hundred years ago, Manhattan Beach city officials seized Charles and Willa Bruce’s beachfront property through eminent domain, citing an “urgent need” to build a city park.

The use of eminent domain was the end result of segregation, intimidation, violence and threats from the Ku Klux Klan in Manhattan Beach. The plot of land that attracted Black people from all over the country was not developed for recreational use after it was forcefully taken from the Black owners.

On April 9, 2021, Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn announced the return of the land to the Bruce’s descendants. The Bruces had purchased the real estate in 1912 for $1,225.

The transfer of ownership of the land was completed with the help of legislation authored by state Sen. Steven Bradford (DGardena). Senate Bill (SB) 796 exempted the Bruce’s Beach property from state zoning and development restrictions and enabled the county to return the site to its rightful owners.

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