City Council

L. Request of Councilmembers Torosis, Zwick and Davis to direct the City Manager and City Attorney, in\nconsultation with relevant departments, to report back to the Council in 90 days with: 1)Historical\nrecords documenting Silas White’s interest in the Ebony Beach Club Property at 1811 Ocean Avenue\nincluding chain of title and a record of any lease-to-purchase agreements that may exist, as well as\nthe record of actions taken by the City of Santa Monica to seize this property by eminent domain.\n2)Contemporaneous public writings, government communications, court documents, and other\nevidence that indicates the City of Santa Monica exercised racial animus in its decision to seize the\nproperty at 1811 Ocean Avenue. 3)Recommendations that include, at a minimum, steps the City of\nSanta Monica should take to repair past harm that the City perpetuated against Silas White and his\ndescendants related to the Ebony Beach Club property at 1811 Ocean Avenue. Recommendations\ncould include, as appropriate: a. Options for financial compensation for the closest living\ndescendant(s) of Silas White inclusive of wealth lost since the property was seized by the City of\nSanta Monica; and b. An outline of steps that may be required to transfer the parcel(s) of land\nreferred to as “Ebony Beach Club” at 1811 Ocean Avenue or equivalent parcels in the portion of land\nwithin the area currently occupied all or in part by the Viceroy Hotel. Priority factors to be analyzed\nas part of the next steps should include: i. Any needs to amend the deed to the property to allow for\nsuch a transaction; ii. Identifying and addressing land and zoning restrictions; iii. Performing due\ndiligence to determine the rightful legal heirs; iv. Understanding the tax implications upon the heirs\nin the event of transfer; and v. Assessing the operational and fiscal impact to the City and the\nViceroy hotel, if any. New Item Received. 3/15/2024\nStaff Report Printout\na. Returning Ebony Beach Club Property to Its Rightful Owners_Final