The initiative follows a mediated settlement in the Silas White case that included a $350,000 payment, creation of a library exhibit, designation of “Silas White Day,” and street renaming.
The Santa Monica City Council has taken a major step toward implementing one of the largest locally funded restorative justice programs in the country, approving a $3.5 million dedicated fund and moving forward with the creation of a new Restorative Justice Commission.
The program aims to address historically rooted harms caused by past city actions, particularly those related to land use, displacement and racial inequities. It grew out of the city’s resolution of the decades-old Ebony Beach Club and Silas White case, which involved a 1950s condemnation that impacted a Black social institution.
In January, the council established the Restorative Justice Fund using one-time revenue from a development agreement with the RAND Corporation. A potential additional $2 million from the same agreement could bring the total to $5.5 million. The funds will not come from the city’s ongoing operational budget.
The seven-member Restorative Justice Commission will develop program criteria, eligibility standards and oversight for the initiative. Members must be Santa Monica residents with relevant expertise in restorative justice or lived experience representing communities affected by past inequities. Applications are set to open by the end of this month.
Mayor Caroline Torosis has described the effort as a shift from dialogue to concrete action on equity and historic accountability.
The initiative follows a mediated settlement in the Silas White case that included a $350,000 payment, creation of a library exhibit, designation of “Silas White Day,” and street renaming.
