The City Council unanimously voted Tuesday to enter mediation with the family of late Black entrepreneur Silas White over a planned beach club that was seized by the city through eminent domain in the late 1950s.
The council approved a staff recommendation to pursue formal mediation regarding the Ebony Beach Club, which would have been the first Black-led beach club in Santa Monica. The city will cover mediation costs up to $15,000, with the White family selecting the mediator.
"This is long overdue," said Mayor Pro Tem Caroline Torosis, who moved the item forward. The motion passed with enthusiastic support from all council members during the July 29 meeting.
The case centers on property at 1811 Ocean Avenue, where White and his associates signed a lease-to-own agreement in 1957 with plans to open the Ebony Beach Club as a welcoming space for Black families during an era when beaches and many other areas remained segregated. Just one year later, the city filed to acquire the property through eminent domain as part of a civic development plan.
In 1959, a court awarded $74,000 in compensation to the original landowner, but White and his nonprofit organization received nothing. Under laws at the time, courts could only consider property ownership and market value — not racial motivation, community benefit or investments made by prospective buyers.
City records confirm White made initial payments and investments toward opening the club, including advertising and gathering more than 400 prospective members. The club never opened, and White died in 1962.
The White family first brought their case to the city council in March 2024, alleging the eminent domain action was racially motivated. Family members spoke passionately during Tuesday's public comment period in support of mediation.
"The family asks for the council to vote yes for mediation," said Milana Davis, White's cousin, expressing hope that Santa Monica would serve as a "beacon of light and integrity."
Lauren Davis, a descendant, thanked advocates for their support and emphasized that Connie White, Silas White's daughter, "deserves repair for the injustices she and her family have suffered."
Council Member Barry Snell expressed pride in the council taking "progressive steps to remedy this issue" and setting an example for the country. Council Member Jesse Zwick acknowledged the case's complexity but affirmed, "there was harm done," making mediation appropriate.
Mayor Negrete stressed the need to invest in future wealth generation rather than just dedicating parks and signs, acknowledging the "generational wealth and benefit" that was lost. The council requested a "good faith effort to schedule the mediation within the next two weeks."
The Ebony Beach Club case reflects broader patterns of mid-20th century urban development that disproportionately displaced communities of color. City staff noted that eminent domain and urban renewal were commonly used tools that, while legally neutral, often produced racially unequal outcomes.
"The law does not always correlate with justice," said Janet McKithan of the Church in Ocean Park, quoting from the city's report on the case.
Santa Monica's own redevelopment history includes the displacement of residents from historically Black and Brown neighborhoods, including the Belmar Triangle area, through freeway construction and civic center projects.
The case has informed the city's broader reparative justice efforts, including the creation of the Landback and Reparations Task Force, which launched in April 2025. The task force is developing a citywide framework to address historical and ongoing harms faced by communities who experienced systematic loss of land, housing and opportunity in Santa Monica.
Kavon Ward, founder of "Justice for Bruce's Beach" and "Where is My Land," urged the council to provide "substance repair," highlighting the contrast between the city's quick eminent domain action and the long wait for the White family's case to be addressed.
The property in question today consists of approximately 6% of the Viceroy Hotel's leasehold and is used primarily as an access road near the hotel.
Staff noted that while this case addresses a specific family's experience, it likely represents just one example of racially disproportionate land losses in the city's history, highlighting the need for a comprehensive approach to restorative justice.