Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff denied a petition by a Palos Verdes resident asking that Bruce’s Beach not be returned to the descendants of its original owners. In 1924, Manhattan Beach City Council took the property away from Charles and Willa Bruce through eminent domain. It was a resort that catered to Black residents, and white residents were not happy about it. Judge Beckloff said that the taking of the land away was racially motivated.
The land was recently transferred by the county to the family by use of California Senate Bill 796, which eliminated statutory restrictions that previously prevented this.