Local veterans are advocating for the return of a piece of beachfront property in Santa Monica that they believe was deeded for use by disabled veterans in a 1888 land deal.
In response to their concerns, City Council agreed in a June 28 meeting to allocate $10,000 for the City Attorney’s Office to pursue title research into the lease.
Advocates believe that the historic land deal in which Arcadia Bandini de Baker designated 300 inland acres of land for use by disabled veterans also contained a stipulation designating a parcel of beachfront land for use by disabled veterans.
The inland property became the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers in West LA and is today the site of the West Los Angeles VA.
The beachfront land in question is currently used as a parking lot by the Jonathan Club. Historical documents indicate that there was an intention to construct a bathhouse and pavilion on this land parcel for enjoyment by the veterans. There is no evidence that such facilities were ever built.
The effort to research the land deal and, if validated, consider steps to return the property to its intended use was spearheaded by Councilmembers Oscar de la Torre, Christine Parra and Phil Brock.
“There is an opportunity here in Santa Monica for us to look at this deed and to seek to do the right thing right … and doing the right thing right is to ensure that when someone leaves property, that we’re living up to the deeds and also that we provide, support and services for homeless veterans, which make up about 10 percent of the homeless population in the City of Santa Monica” said de la Torre.
A group of veterans attended the meeting and implored City Council to utilize the property to provide supportive services for veterans.
“Arcadia Bandini de Baker, she was considered [one of] the great benefactors of Santa Monica. She helped develop a lot of the city and made it what it is today and she had a vision; she donated land in West LA and she donated land in Santa Monica to be a home for veterans and to be a place to help them to heal when they come back from combat and it’s really sad that’s gone away over the years,” said veteran Rob Reynolds.
Other speakers during public comment drew comparisons to the recent decision by the County Board of Supervisors to return Bruce’s Beach, a beachfront land parcel in Manhattan Beach, to the descendants of a Black family whose land ownership was wrongfully stripped from them in 1929. While in the case of Bruce’s Beach property was seized, the property that advocates believe was designed for veteran’s use was never constructed.
Councilmember Gleam Davis said that she also supports expanding services for disabled veterans, noting that her son is currently in the medical disability process in the army. However, she cautioned people that the City has limited power to change the current land use.
“I just think everyone needs to understand if, in fact, the deed is valid, we don’t get to decide what to do with the land and that at that point it would be decided that the United States of America was the owner of the land and they would have control,” said Davis. “I’m still supporting the item, I just don’t want people to get their hopes up that we the City of Santa Monica can build facilities for disabled veterans on land that belongs to the United States of America.”
Clara@smdp.com
