Bruce's Beach Task Force Moves Forward In Manhattan Beach

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA — The Manhattan Beach City Council moved forward with a firmer direction on the task force it is creating to address the history of Bruce's Beach at its meeting last night. The task force will be co-chaired by City Council members Hildy Stern and Steve Napolitano and will have 9 additional members, all of whom must be Manhattan Beach residents.

The task force will set its own agenda that will be determined by the co-chairs, said Alexandria Latragna, management analyst for the city, during city staff's presentation. City council also limited the initial scope of the task force to addressing Bruce's Beach—updating the plaque with correct wording and/or determining how to best capture and display the racism that forced the Bruces off their oceanfront land and shuttered their thriving business. A new piece of artwork for the park has been mentioned.

Council also made clear that

• the land once owned by Willa Bruce is owned by Los Angeles County, therefore the city has no jurisdiction over its return to Bruce family descendants who would need to address that issue with the county.
• the city cannot provide restitution with public funds; only a court order has jurisdiction in that matter.
• the State of California is assembling a task force to look at historical land sites.

The task force will present city council with its ideas and direction after 4 months of focusing on Bruce's Beach, what transpired there and creating a path that remedies the errors of the existing plaque and perhaps adds in a broader mix of elements and discussion on race and equity.

Once the task force application is available on the city website [the application for the task force is now available online here], a 30-day clock begins ticking for residents to complete and submit their applications. City staff will screen each applicant to ensure they meet the basic requirements. The selection process will be the same as what the city uses to appoint board and commission members. City council members may interview applicants. To serve on the task force requires majority approval by city council.

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