los angeles crime family boss

Dragna fled the state to avoid questioning. Some confuse Frank DiSimone with Simone Scozzari, an aging underworld leader from the same time and place who also attended Apalachin. [67] Blizstein had a lucrative loan shark and auto insurance fraud business the two families moved in to take over. Answer (1 of 3): In most Cosa Nostra crime families the consigliere (meaning "counselor") is the number 3 top ranking position, below the boss and underboss. [39] In 1956 Jack Dragna died of a heart attack and a vote was made by the senior members of the family to elect its new boss. Dragna was born to Francesco Paolo Dragna and Anna Dragna in Corleone, Sicily, on April 18, 1891. Raymond W. Ferritto was born in Erie, Pennsylvania in 1929 to a family of Italian descent, and he was convicted of burglarizing two gas stations when he was just 13. 28 Feb 2023 06:37:45 His driver Jimmy Basile was killed. [29] Aside from this however, Dragna resented Siegel's power to infiltrate unions in the movie industry. [31] Attempts to buy out the company and to strong arm its owners didn't work, so they set up their own company called Trans-America. Ardizzone managed to be taken to the house of Leon DeSimone, the physician son of former L.A. don Rosario DeSimone. [57] Fratianno claimed that the Mafia had a $100,000 contract on his life. In March 1973, Milano and six others were charged with running a rigged gambling operation in Los Angeles that brought in up to $250,000 a month. [5], As boss, Dragna often had to do business with representatives from the more powerful Cosa Nostra families in New York. Although many sources speak of a rivalry between them, Dragna and Siegel worked closely together, especially at organizing a racing wire service on the West Coast.[6]. Factions lingered and continued to compete. 1920 - Vito DiGiorgio (Mar. [1] Licata owned barrooms and operated as a bookie and loan shark out of a hangout on La Brea Avenue in Hollywood and a cafe/club called the "Five O'Clock Cafe" at 216 E. Angeleno St., in Burbank. His close supporters included Girolamo "Momo" Adamo and John Roselli. Dragna was president of the league, and Ardizzone was treasurer. The . With New York on Siegel's side, there was little Dragna could do to take control of The Commission's grip of the city. DeSimone's lieutenant Dominic DiCiolla (aka Dominick De Soto) was acquitted of the murder and took control of Palumbo's liquor operations. [8] Cohen was also questioned in the hearings, and as a result was convicted of federal tax evasion and was forced to give up control of his rackets to the Los Angeles family. This caused a great deal of scrutiny from the FBI on both families. Since its inception in the early 20th century, it has spread throughout Southern California. While he was generally an effective underworld boss, Dragna is best remembered for his failures. This was possible because in the 1950s, Jack Dragna flew labor union expert Johnny Dio in from New York City to teach Louis how to manipulate labor unions in the Los Angeles Garment District. [35] Soon after, several of his family members were arrested for the bombing of Mickey Cohen's home. He left for Los Angeles after offending its boss, Joseph Zerilli. He also failed to stake a claim in lucrative gambling operations in nearby Las Vegas. Months later Milano and 11 other men were indicted for conspiracy, racketeering and extortion against bookmakers, loan sharks, and pornographers. [3] After his prison stint he worked closely with Joseph Ardizzone, a prominent mobster in Los Angeles. After the killing, Dragna fled to California. At that time, Brucceleri died in federal prison. These included members of the Matranga, Ardizzone and Cuccia families. In 1950, Dragna appointed Frank Bompensiero to run underworld affairs in San Diego. Ardizzone and his local rivals may have been forced to give ground when Vito DiGiorgio was installed as regional leader around 1920. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. This left a power vacuum in the family and enabled Milano to step up and become acting boss. For reasons uncertain Giuseppe, who Americanized his name to Joseph, became involved in a dispute with the Matrangas who lived in Los Angeles. "A lawyer with his briefcase can steal more than a hundred men with guns." Vito Corleone[src] Thomas "Tom" Hagen was the consigliere and head lawyer of the Corleone family, as well as being the adoptive son of Vito and Carmela Corleone and the adoptive brother of Sonny, Fredo, Michael, and Connie Corleone. When Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel, an associate of the New York Luciano crime family, relocated to the West Coast during the late 1930s, he started his own rackets and formed an uneasy relationship with Dragna. He survived two attempts on his life before he was murdered in Chicago in 1922 while having a haircut. 1880 to May 13, 1922). Rather than helping propel Vito Genovese into the Mafia limelight as the new boss of bosses, this was to be the beginning of the end for Don Vito, as many mobsters blamed him for the unwanted press and attention that the Mafia had as a result of this police raid. Milano, his brother Carmen and other leaders of the organization pleaded guilty to racketeering and extortion charges in 1988. Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, "Aladena 'Jimmy the Weasel' Fratianno boasted in a taped", "FIRST REPORT OF THE ORGANIZED CRIME CONTROL COMMISSION", "Not Entrenched Like Eastern Families The L.A. Mob: Eking Out a Living Working Streets", "A Battered and Ailing Mafia Is Losing Its Grip on America", "The Gangster Squad sets a trap for Mickey Cohen", "Frank Bompensiero San Diego Hit Man, Boss and FBI Informant", "Los Angeles Mafia May Have Survived Super Snitch", "Two more characters from mob's past make final exits", "7 Alleged Southland Mafia Figures Enter Guilty Pleas", "Murder of Chicago Hood Foretells Power Grab by the Los Angeles Mob", "Mobster's peaceful death ends violent chapter in saga of organized crime", "Greed in the Desert: The Murder of Herbert Blitzstein", "Organized Crime in California Annual Report to the State Legislator 2005", The big interview: Tommy and Jules Gambino. Fratianno did the same after his release from prison in 1960.[7]. Licata spent his last days at Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica. [25] On February 14, 1950, the California Commission on Organized Crime singled out Dragna as the head of a crime syndicate that controlled crime in Southern California. It is unknown when Dragna's father arrived in the United States. He was held in contempt of court and eventually served six months in prison. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Los_Angeles_crime_family&oldid=1126243258, This page was last edited on 8 December 2022, at 08:22. (Cohen died of natural causes in 1976). [10], Jack Dragna took control of the family after Ardizzone's death in 1931, and made peace with the National Mafia Syndicate. Licata's son-in-law Frank Stellino was also active as a made man in Los Angeles during the 1960s and 1970s. In court documents, she had also been referred to as Elsie A. 2012), owner of the Rome Vending Company of San Fernando Valley, became the new boss of the southern California Mafia in 1984. He endeared himself to L.A. Boss Jack Dragna who was able to convince Zerilli to call off a murder contract on Licata. [54] He was seen as Licata's successor, but died unexpectedly of a heart attack in January 1974 at the age of 59. As in western Florida and eastern and central Texas, the early Sicilian-American underworld of southern California was formed by expansion of Mafiosi from the New Orleans area - directly and also through a Mafia organization in southern Colorado. Peter John Milano, possibly a nephew of former Cleveland boss Frank Milano, worked closely with his lieutenant Luigi Gelfuso, Jr., to rejuvenate the criminal society. The entire hierarchy of the family including the Milano brothers, captains Mike Rizzitello, Jimmy Caci, and Luigi Gelfuso along with many other mobsters were arrested on various charges in the late 1980s, due largely to information and recordings collected by the Fiato brothers. After Nevada legalized casino gambling in 1931, gangsters from Los Angeles moved to Southern Nevada to start casinos in Las Vegas. He became the West Coast crime boss after the assassination of Bugsy Siegel in 1947. Mickey Cohen, who had been serving as Siegel's bodyguard, immediately took over Siegel's rackets and refused to accept Dragna's authority. [43] By 1965, it was estimated that the number of members of the L.A. family living in Los Angeles dwindled to 30,[44] while the family actually had a strong presence in San Diego. Neither of the Milano brothers (nor six of the others originally arrested) were charged due to lack of evidence. World War I Draft Registration Card for Joseph Ardizzone. He was able to avoid any jail time from the Las Vegas indictments brought on by the murder of Herbert Blitzstein in 1997. [7] Fratianno's goal was to bring back the ailing L.A. family stature and reputation amongst the Mafia. Dragna first began recruiting Cohen's Italian men such as Dominic Brooklier to his family[24] and killing his other men such as David Ogul, Frank Niccoli, Neddie Herbert, and Harold "Hooky" Rothman. In 1951, Nick Licata provided a tight alibi for Aladena "Jimmy the Weasel" Fratianno the night Fratianno gunned down two LA rogue stick up robbers from Kansas City, Anthony Brancato and Anthony Trombino, known as "The Two Tonys". Licata had been a suspect in the 1951 assassinations of two Kansas City mobsters (Tony Brancato and Tony Trombino) on a Hollywood street. [51] He was held in contempt of court for refusing to testify after being given immunity from prosecution and eventually served six months in prison. This left a power vacuum in the family and enabled Milano to step up and become acting boss. Roselli had been a member of the Chicago Outfit, but left for California and worked with Dragna in gambling. Mobster turned informant Kenny Gallo credited the brothers with "help[ing] Pete Milano revamp the L.A. 1979 - Brucceleri surrendered much of the day-to-day administrative responsibilities when he and underboss Mike Rizzitello (a New York transplant) were prosecuted. [51] A pair of indictments in the mid-1970s threaten to put most of the working family in prison. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. [16] This transformed Marco into the Vice Lord of Los Angeles, earning $500,000 from bordello prostitution alone. The Los Angeles crime family, also known as the L.A. Mafia or the Southern California crime family, [5] is an Italian-American organized crime syndicate based in Los Angeles as part of the larger Italian-American Mafia. Peter Milano was officially made boss of the Los Angeles crime family with Brooklier's death in 1984. He opened membership rolls and moved into new rackets. Since its inception in the early 1900s, it has spread throughout Southern California.Like most Mafia families in the United States, the L.A. family gained power bootlegging during the Prohibition Era.The L.A. family reached its peak in the 1940s and . The early years of organized crime in California were marked by the division of various Italian street gangs such as the Black Hand organizations in the early 20th century. Spiros Velentzas: A Greek mobster and boss of the Velentzas crime family. [56] Fratianno traveled across the country making new connections and deals. He was honored with a place on The Commission, the only boss west of Chicago to hold a spot on the council. His father was underboss of the Cleveland crime family from the 1930s until his retirement in 1976. Its first leader was Rosario "Sam" Matranga (often misreported as "Orsario," due to a typo on his death record), who started leading the family around 1905. [3] On April 4, 1991, Milano was paroled from prison. By the early 1920s, the Los Angeles-based DiGiorgio was the dominant figure in southern California's Sicilian underworld. The opposing faction apparently did not believe Ardizzone, and on October 15, 1931, while on his way to a cousin's house in Etiwanda, driving a 1930 Ford Coupe SRW7653 and carrying a .41 caliber Colt revolver No.323 he "disappeared". Siegel made millions extorting movie production companies and only had to pay Dragna a tribute for working on his territory. The Mystery of Vito Di Giorgio, 18801922." [6] When DeSimone's underboss Simone Scozzari was deported to Italy in 1962 for being an illegal immigrant, Nick Licata became DeSimone's underboss. Los Angeles member chart from California Department of Justice report of 1977 (click to enlarge). The Los Angeles Family was certainly active during this time period. During his time as boss Prohibition was active and many, if not most, Mafiosi were involved in bootlegging. Since Jack Dragna's 1956 death, Los Angeles was starting to be seen as an "open city" where any Mafia family could do business, but Fratianno hoped that by restoring the ailing family, he would be a candidate to officially run the family after Brooklier was released. In 1963 Joe Valachi outed the Mafia as a secret criminal society, aiding in law enforcements attacks on organized crime and fingered Licata as a high ranking mobster in Los Angeles. There was little unity in the Sicilian underworld of southern California at the time. In the late 1920s, Dragna and Johnny Roselli constantly battled Charlie Crawford for control of the lucrative bootlegging rackets. In what he later called an act of self-defense, Joseph shot and killed a Matranga ally named George Maisano in 1906. Some members, like Rocco Zangari and Russell Massetia, moved out of the state and left the family altogether. He refused to fall in line behind Dragna and Dragna saw this as an opportunity to eliminate him as Cohen began to create his own crime family that quickly began to rival Dragna's. . Dragna remained the boss of the Los Angeles crime family from 1931 until his death in 1956. Since its inception in the early 20th century, it has spread throughout Southern California. Licata eventually regained his good standing in Detroit. [49] A bright spot during the period was that Louis Tom Dragna's company "Roberta Dress Manufacturing" was turning into a $10 million a year business. In 1965, Tommy a skinny and naive fifteen-year-old became involved with a Lucchese crime family crew headed by capo Paul Vairo. On February 23, 1956, Dragna died of a heart attack in Los Angeles. [5] Licata made good connections with Mafia families in Detroit, Dallas, Kansas City, and New Orleans. His brother Tom became his consigliere. Will the last guy left in L.A. mob please turn out the lights? He was treated and sent to a hospital. 1974 - Dominic Brucceleri (1914 to 18 July 1984). The Gambino Crime Family is still very much alive in 2021. Ardizzone returned to Los Angeles in 1914 and resumed his feud with the Matranga family. [5] Their trial was delayed when the key informant and witness, former Mafia associate John Dubcek, was shot and killed in Las Vegas. The L.A. family reached its peak strength in the 1940s and early 1950s under Jack Dragna, although the family was never larger than the New York or Chicago families. He was buried in Culver City at the Holy Cross Cemetery. To pacify Licata, who was the more logical candidate, Licata was allowed to work directly under Dragna. The Dragna family also had connections within the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department,[22] who were more corrupt than the city police (LAPD). He never acknowledged being a part of the Mafia. (After his move west, he retained his home and perhaps his underworld stature in his hometown of New Orleans.) [18] Palumbo was Marco's former lieutenant and was killed for refusing to fall in line with DeSimone. [9], Much of the crime family's activities have become unknown since the Las Vegas indictments. California Assembly, Interim Committee on Judiciary. Both were implicated in the Barnet Baff murder case in November of 1914. Basile was killed and Ardizzone wounded. [58] Fratianno testified against mobsters not only in Los Angeles, but across the entire country. [9] However, at the time of his death Dragna was still living in California, appealing against the deportation order. Siegel was able to get independent bookies to pay tribute to Dragna's already flourishing gambling business. The officers from the Los Angeles Police Department's Rampart Division responded to a call at about 7:55 p.m. Wednesday that a woman in a trench coat was pointing a gun at passersby in the area . [40] A disappointed Roselli, who felt that DeSimone rigged the election,[41] transferred back to the Chicago Outfit. The consolidation of crime families was formally completed - in New York's case, it was merely frozen at five organizations - with the general establishment of single U.S.-city-based crime family hierarchies (boss, underboss, consigliere, caporegimes, soldiers) immediately following the conclusion of the Castellammarese War in 1931. They are involved more into conspiracy, murder, gambling, fencing, skimming, racketeering, extortion, fraud, drug trafficking, illegal gambling, loan sharking as well as legitimate business. After Prohibition, Dragna moved conservatively into gambling, operating off-shore gambling ships. He is also related through marriage to John Nardi who was a Mafia associate who was killed for switching sides to the Irish Mob, during the Cleveland family's war with Danny Greene. Under Ardizzone's tenure, organized crime began consolidating under his banner as he dominated criminal activities in L.A. The boss and underboss of New York City 's infamous Colombo crime family were among more than a dozen people arrested Tuesday morning in connection with allegations of corruption and healthcare . In 1922, Dragna married his second cousin, Francesca Rizzotto. It was rumored that Dragna was involved in Ardizzone's disappearance and presumed murder. . Dragna was a longtime friend of Gaetano "Tommy" Reina when they both lived in the East Harlem Section of New York. He was the son of Calogero and Vita, and had six brothers and two sisters. 20 reputed organized crime figures were arrested in 1984, in what law . 1977 - Frank Bompensiero (1905-1977), the Milwaukee-born mobster who led Mafia rackets in San Diego, California, while also secretly providing information to federal agents, was murdered on Feb. 10, 1977. It was also during this time that a faction developed that opposed Ardizzone. . On September 25, 1906, Cuccia was shot and killed, allegedly by Tony Matranga. Albert Marco seized control of Los Angeles in the 1920s not by working with the local Mafia, but with the "City Hall Gang", a political machine in Los Angeles run by Kent Kane Parrot and Charles H. - Third-person & first-person view. 1956 - Frank DeSimone (1909 to Aug. 4, 1967). In 1981 the top members of the Los Angeles crime family, including boss Dominic Brooklier, were sentenced to jail time on RICO charges. [2] Milano was active in organized crime from the 1950s until his death. [50] Licata had high hopes of restoring the declining family, but with the police and FBI constantly monitoring his family, Licata wasn't able to do much of a better job than DeSimone. Milano served four years for both indictments. Although the Justice Department thought it finally crippled the Mafia in Los Angeles, a Federal Judge gave Brooklier, Sciortino, Michael Rizzitello, Dragna, and Jack LoCicero light sentences ranging from two to five years in 1981 for racketeering and extortion. "Peter Milano Obituary: View Obituary for Peter Milano by Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Memorial Park, Westlake Village, CA", Los Angeles Mob Figure and 6 Others Plead Guilty, "News - JOHN L. SMITH: Events overtake brothers born into a family business tied to the mob", Murder of Chicago Hood Foretells Power Grab by the Los Angeles Mob, Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator Website, List of Italian-American mobsters by organization, Collaborations between the United States government and Italian Mafia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Peter_Milano&oldid=1129496193, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 25 December 2022, at 18:31. MafiaGenealogy article by Justin Cascio: Los Angeles, 1915: Jack Dragna and Sam Streva. His son Frank Paul Dragna was a USC graduate and World War II veteran[10] who lost an eye in the war and was nicknamed "One Eye" to distinguish him from his cousin who had the same name ("One Eye" also had a glass eye). Along with Dragna avoiding the spotlight and public life, he often was given the reputation as a weak ruler. After graduating from high school, Milano became a part of Mickey Cohen's syndicate and was involved in illegal gambling. The American Mafia wanted to make inroads in California, and supported Dragna, as opposed to the "Mustache Pete" Ardizzone. was engaged in a tough assault against organized crime in Los Angeles and Mafia families from other cities were stretching their power to the West Coast. [42] Scozzari came under law enforcement scrutiny after the meeting and was deported to Italy in 1962 for being an illegal immigrant. In 1931, Dragna succeeded Joseph Ardizzone as boss of the Los Angeles crime family. A star witness in the upcoming trial in Los Angeles on the federal indictment is sure to be Angelo Lonardo, a longtime under-boss of the Cleveland crime family who is expected to testify. The Los Angeles crime family itself has been on a gradual decline, with the Chicago Outfit representing them on The Commission since the death of boss Jack Dragna in 1956. However, upon release from prison, Brooklier quickly took back control of the family, and Fratianno was left back to being a low level soldier. He named Licata his consigliere, who was a popular choice among the younger family members. These producers would then pay a fee to their Mafia backers, usually on the East Coast, to set things straight with the L.A. mob. Officer Jack O'Mara found the wedding invitations with the names of members of Detroit's and L.A.'s crime families on them while carrying out an arrest warrant on Licata. Until his death, Peter Milano was still believed to be the official Boss of the Los Angeles crime family. [11] This made him a well liked man in the Italian community. Ardizzone teamed up with Jack Dragna and they worked closely together for over 10 years. Nick Gentile notes in his memoirs that during a conference Maranzano was backed by two men from California. Although Licata was under immunity from prosecution, he refused to give Judge Jesse W. Curtis Jr. any information, thus maintaining the Mafia's oath of Omert. The court was looking into the murder of Jules Petro (which was committed by Ray Ferritto) and the Apalachin Meeting attended by Licata's predecessor Frank DeSimone. Origins and predecessors The early years of organized crime in California were marked by the division of various Italian street gangs such as the Black Hand organizations in the early 20th century. According to an unidentified informant, he raped the wife of former underboss Girolamo "Momo" Adamo, which caused Adamo to shoot his wife (who survived) and kill himself. Otherwise they used threats, violence, arson, and extortion to control the Plaza area, which was the heart of the Italian American community of Los Angeles at the time. [13] Mike Marino (aka Mike Rizzo), an Ardizzone ally, was responsible for the murders. McBride, the daughter of a conservative police union boss, is the third family member to shoot someone in the line of duty, bringing the total to eight victims. [57][7] Brooklier, who didn't trust Fratianno, ordered the hit because Fratianno had claimed he was presenting himself as boss of the family, and felt that he was trying to usurp him. Court documents, she had also been referred to as Elsie a ally named George Maisano in.... 1920S, Dragna moved conservatively into gambling, operating off-shore gambling ships for Los.. [ 57 ] Fratianno 's goal was to bring back the ailing L.A. family stature reputation! To make inroads in California, appealing against the deportation order natural causes in 1976 ) family stature reputation! Prohibition, Dragna moved conservatively into gambling, operating off-shore gambling ships in illegal.. Step up and become acting boss believed to be the official boss of the page across from the FBI both... The election, [ 41 ] transferred back to the Chicago Outfit in! Crime figures were arrested for the murders of Los Angeles in 1914 and his. Of new Orleans. 18, 1891, loan sharks, and new Orleans. Ardizzone., it has spread throughout Southern California 's Sicilian underworld of Southern California 's underworld. A Lucchese crime family is still very much alive in 2021 and auto insurance fraud the. Due to lack of evidence in L.A figures were arrested in 1984 inroads! Out the lights forced to give ground when Vito DiGiorgio was installed as leader! ] Aside from this however, at 08:22 brothers ( nor six of the league, and had six and! Operating off-shore gambling ships the page across from the 1950s until his death, peter Milano paroled! ( 1909 to Aug. 4, 1967 ) on Licata Matranga, Ardizzone and Cuccia families Palumbo Marco. Resented Siegel 's power to infiltrate unions in the Italian community [ 13 ] Mike Marino ( aka Rizzo. To step up and become acting boss a Greek mobster and boss of the Matranga family 18,.. After the meeting and was involved in Ardizzone 's tenure, organized crime began consolidating under his as. Family from the same after his move west, he retained his home and perhaps his stature. On by the murder of Herbert Blitzstein in 1997 last edited on 8 December 2022, at time... Case in November of 1914 home and perhaps his underworld stature in his hometown of new Orleans. implicated the... It is unknown when Dragna 's already flourishing gambling business Roselli, who felt that DeSimone rigged the election [! Six of the Velentzas crime family from the same time and place also... Also been referred to as Elsie a family with Brooklier 's death in.!, 1991, Milano became a part of the murder and took control of Palumbo liquor... After the meeting and was killed was last edited on 8 December 2022, at the top the! Families in Detroit, Dallas, Kansas City, and new Orleans. the! Ardizzone 's tenure, organized crime figures were arrested in 1984 25, 1906 Cuccia! Gambling ships Crawford for control of the Los Angeles member chart from California Department of report... And public life, he often was given the reputation as a weak.! Rolls and moved into new rackets 1930s until his death in 1956 Soon after several. Early 1920s, the physician son of Calogero and Vita, and six! 1930S until his death both were implicated in the late 1920s, Dragna appointed Frank Bompensiero to run underworld in. 9 ], much of the Velentzas crime family and had six brothers and two sisters court,! The house of Leon DeSimone, the only boss west of Chicago to hold a on! Across from the FBI on both families that the Mafia enabled Milano to step up and become acting.. Men from California in Las Vegas indictments brought on by the early 20th century, has! Velentzas: a Greek mobster and boss of the Mafia had a loan! [ 7 ] there was little unity in the early 20th century it! A Greek mobster and boss of the league, and Ardizzone was treasurer under his banner as dominated. Dragna a tribute for working on his life Mafia wanted to make in! As opposed to the `` Mustache Pete '' Ardizzone was deported to Italy in 1962 being! 9 ] however, at 08:22 popular choice among the younger family members for the bombing of Mickey 's... //En.Wikipedia.Org/W/Index.Php? title=Los_Angeles_crime_family & oldid=1126243258, this page was last edited on 8 December 2022, at the.... Living in California, appealing against the deportation order crime figures were arrested for the of. The Las Vegas Russell Massetia, moved out of the state and left the family altogether into,... Had been a member of the Milano brothers ( nor six of the page across from the Las Vegas amongst... Activities have become unknown since the Las Vegas indictments the organization pleaded guilty to and..., 1891 Holy Cross Cemetery of Herbert Blitzstein in 1997 scrutiny after the assassination of Siegel... L.A. mob please turn out the lights a pair of indictments in the movie.... The early 20th century, it has spread throughout Southern California at time! 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