Ernest Auerbach, a Santa Monica real estate developer and racehorse breeder, died Feb. 1 at 93.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., he moved to a farm in upstate New York during the Great Depression, where he grew and sold produce, and later became a produce broker. At the outbreak of World War II, Auerbach entered the U.S. Army and was placed in the Horse Cavalry, where he developed what became a lifelong love of horses. After the war, Auerbach moved to California, launching in 1946 the Ernest Auerbach Company in Santa Monica, which focused on real estate construction, management and financing. In 1977, he developed a thoroughbred breeding farm in San Diego County, where he bred and trained many successful racehorses, including a winner of the Santa Anita Goodwood Handicap. In 2001, Auerbach founded Ramona National Bank, which became First Business Bank, a community bank based in San Diego.
Auerbach and his wife, Lisa, were benefactors of many local institutions, including City of Hope, American Youth Symphony, Jewish Community of Pacific Palisades/Kehillat Israel Synagogue, American Jewish University, The Jewish Federation, Jewish National Fund, and Jewish Home for the Aging (now the Los Angeles Jewish Home).
In addition to his wife, Auerbach is survived by his daughters, Lorna (Larry) Wheat and Heidi (John) Farkash, and three grandchildren. Contributions in Auerbach’s name may be sent to the Jewish Healing and Hospice Center of Los Angeles, 10573 W. Pico Blvd., Suite 850, Los Angeles, CA, 90064 (jhcla.org) or American Jewish World Service (ajws.org).
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