Justice, Equity & Diversity: City accepting applications for Landback & Reparations Task Force

This year marks the 150th anniversary of Santa Monica – a time that naturally lends itself for self-reflection on both our impressive collective accomplishments over the past 150 years, as well as the mistakes we’ve made along the way. As a part of this reflection process, the city has an incredible opportunity to look at the harm that has been done to our marginalized communities over the course of our history, and to make amends for that harm through a community-driven restorative justice process.  

On Feb. 11, the Santa Monica City Council approved moving forward with the creation of the Landback & Reparations Task Force, and now we invite the community and restorative justice experts to be a part of this important work. 

About landback 

Landback and reparations are both forms of restorative justice gaining traction in communities across the country. Landback centers around returning land taken from Indigenous peoples. This can mean literally giving land back, co-managing it with Indigenous peoples, or restoring it with Indigenous land management practices.  

Landback is currently happening in many places nationwide, but nowhere is the movement more active than in California, with efforts at every level of government. At the federal level, 125 acres of Redwood National Park are now co-managed with the Yurok Tribe. At the state level, more than 1,250 acres have been returned to California tribes since 2020. And at the local level, cities including Oakland, Berkeley and Huntington Beach have returned parcels of land to local tribes.  

About reparations 

The term “reparations” typically, although not exclusively, refers to restorative justice work to heal historic harms done to African American communities. The reparations movement is gaining momentum nationwide, with dozens of cities studying the issue and some already distributing reparations funds.  

Notable examples include Evanston, Illinois, Asheville, North Carolina, Athens, Georgia, St. Paul, Minnesota, and, most recently, Palm Springs, where funds have been granted to largely Black and brown communities displaced by condemnation – similar to what occurred in Santa Monica’s Belmar Triangle.

Additionally, four states are exploring reparations, with California again leading the way. In 2023, California published a 1,100-page report documenting harms done to Black Californians and providing policy recommendations on how to address those harms – many of which could be implemented at the local level, ranging from mandated racial impact analysis with policy decisions to increasing housing options to mitigating pollution from highways built in communities of color. 

About Santa Monica’s Landback & Reparations Task Force 

Similar to California’s reparation process, the city’s Landback & Reparations Task Force will study the harms done to Santa Monica’s marginalized communities and develop recommendations for how to address those harms. These recommendations would ultimately be presented to the City Council for formal adoption.  

The Task Force will meet virtually and consist of up to 11 community members and subject matter experts and will report to the city manager. The work of the Task Force will be divided into three phases:  

Phase 1: Orientation & Planning – April to July 2025 

Key focus areas: 

• Introductions, adopting roles and decision-making processes 
• Civic empowerment and advocacy training 
• Overview of the landback and reparations movements. 

Phase 2: Truth-Telling & Listening – August to October 2025 

Key focus areas: 

• Soliciting public input on the harms sustained and witnessed by members of Santa Monica’s marginalized communities 
• Hosting a public truth-telling event 
• Drafting and soliciting input on a community harms report 
• Adoption of harms report by Council 

Phase 3: Repair – November 2025 to May 2026 

Key focus areas: 

• Exploring both monetary and non-monetary forms of repair 
• Exploring costs of monetary repairs along with potential funding streams 
• Drafting and soliciting community feedback on recommendations report 
• Adoption of recommendation by Council and a plan for ongoing community engagement.  

Why this work is important 

Supporting landback and reparations in Santa Monica is a crucial step in addressing injustices and systemic discrimination faced by marginalized communities not only in the past, but also today.  

For decades, Santa Monica’s residents of color have endured laws and policies that enforced racial inequities, limiting their access to opportunities for housing, employment and land ownership. Neighborhoods such as the historically Black Belmar Triangle, and the beautiful diversity of the Pico Neighborhood have faced gentrification and erasure under the guise of “progress” and redevelopment.   

These harms continue today through the resulting harsher realities faced by the city’s Black, brown, and Indigenous communities that experience worse outcomes across measures of wellbeing, including income levels and homeownership. By embracing landback and reparations, the city can choose a future today that doesn’t mirror our past and break cycles of harm and pain for our entire community.  

Further, this work gives us as a community a chance to live into our values of Justice, Equity & Diversity. In recent years, the city has acknowledged the harm done to marginalized communities through statements like our Land Acknowledgement and apology to Black Residents and their Descendants. Exploring landback and reparations is a logical next step in bringing the words of these documents to life and embodying our value of justice.  

How to get involved  

To be successful, the Landback & Reparations Task Force will need to be a community-wide effort. There are many opportunities to support this important work at a variety of time commitments. In addition to applying for a seat on the Task Force itself, all are invited to apply for one of the sub-committees supporting the work of the Task Force:  

• Historical Research – Research and report on harms to communities that experienced systemic loss of land, housing, opportunity, etc. 
• Fundraising & Messaging – Get the word out about the work and findings of the Task Force in a way that all community members can see themselves as a part of  
• Community Education & Events - Develop the Truth & Reconciliation process and identify community partners for collaboration