Council Approves Design For Commemorative Monument At Bruce's Beach

MANHATTAN BEACH — The Manhattan Beach City Council approved plans Tuesday for the design of a monument at Bruce's Beach park to honor the legacy of the residents of Bruce's Beach in the 1920s.

Discussions about how best to acknowledge past racially motivated actions by the city when the land was seized from the Bruce family started in 2020, inspired by the death of George Floyd. It took until 2023 to approve the finalized plans for the monument.

"This is a place which is an opportunity for people to reflect on the past of Manhattan Beach and what happened at that lot, and that's the point of this project." Councilmember David Lesser said at the meeting.

The stone monument and bronze plaque will sit in the middle of a cement circle at the park with additional planters, artwork and benches to be added later. The addition of the cement and monument would take up to six weeks to complete, according to project planners.

In total, the monument and added surroundings are estimated to cost around $80,000. The monument was paid for through the public trust fund and the remainder of the work will be funded by Manhattan Beach's general fund.

Near the start of the year, the Bruce family sold the property back to the county for $20 million for many reasons including ease of development of the land.

"This fight has always been about what is best for the Bruce family, and they feel what is best for them is selling this property back to the county for nearly $20 million and finally rebuilding the generational wealth they were denied for nearly a century," Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn said. "This is what reparations look like and it is a model that I hope governments across the country will follow."

The city plans to have a dedication ceremony once the monument is placed and work is completed, but a timeline was not given for the event.