SB 796 enables Los Angeles County Supervisors to immediately begin land transfer to Bruce family
State’s work to redress historical injustices and advance equity include first-in-the-nation task force to study reparations for African Americans, reforms for a fairer criminal justice system and investing in an equitable recovery
MANHATTAN BEACH – Nearly a century after Bruce’s Beach was wrongfully taken from Black entrepreneurs Willa and Charles Bruce, Governor Gavin Newsom today signed legislation that will enable Los Angeles County to return the beachfront property to their descendants, continuing the state’s leadership to redress historical injustices and advance equity.
The Governor signed SB 796 by Senator Steven Bradford (D-Gardena) today at Bruce’s Beach, alongside Bruce family members, legislators and local leaders. The urgency measure, sponsored by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, authorizes the county to immediately begin the process of transferring parcels of the Manhattan Beach property to the Bruce family.
As we move to remedy this nearly century-old injustice, California takes another step furthering our commitment to making the California Dream a reality for communities that were shamefully shut out by a history of racist exclusion, said Governor Newsom. We know our work is just beginning to make amends for our past, and California will not shy from confronting the structural racism and bias that people of color face to this day. I thank the Bruce family, Senator Bradford, the Los Angeles County Supervisors and all those who fought to keep the legacy of this place alive and deliver this long overdue justice.