moniker stuck to the LA Family like glue through the years. The LAPD might have put the bug in a
reporters ear or maybe it was the LA Sheriff. The truth is that there was a strong Organized Crime
underworld in place already in LA and the Law knew all about it. They not only knew about it, they
were all on the take! The Chief of Police, the District Attorney, The Sheriff just about anyone who
could lend a hand or make a buck from crime. The glory days for Organized Crime in LA was from the
1940's till the 1970's it was like the wild west on the streets.
You had the Sica brothers who under the leadership of Joe Sica were a major force in California.
They controlled the dope trade hands down... it was their baby. They had bookmaking and
shylocking that stretched from San Francisco to San Diego. They were never inducted members in
any family, but the men back East respected them. There was Mickey Cohen a real media created
Mobster, the Mick was the John Gotti of his day. The press loved reporting on his suits, his women,
his men and even the attempts on his life. The fact that Mickey was a genuine tough guy who would
blast a man in a second made it great press. The last person, the least known of the three was Jack
Dragna. Jack was a true Mob boss that ruled his empire with an iron fist. Jack did plenty of work in
his day, he pulled the trigger or choked many a man. Jack was respected by everyone, Chicago did
not rule the LA Family, New York did not either. When the Commission decided to whack out Ben
Siegel in LA, they called Jack. Jack sent one of his most trusted soldiesr along as a driver.
The so called LA Gangster Squad kept out of towner's and free lancers out of the rackets and made
headlines. The home grown mobsters built a on going criminal enterprise that would live on into the
next century. There are many dead men some known and others unknown that would disagree with
the moniker of the Mickey Mouse Mafia.