San Francisco's former Mayor, Joseph "Joe" Alioto famously sued and won a libel suit against Look Magazine for publishing a 1969 story about his many ties to known mobsters, especially to acting boss of Los Angeles, and top hitman of California, Jimmy “The Weasle” Fratianno. Later, Fratianno published a book which revealed more about his close relationship with Alioto. The Weasle was not sued for libel.

Joe Alioto was elected mayor in 1968 and served until 1976. His uncle Giovanni "John" Alioto, the former Milwaukee Mafia boss, attended the swearing in ceremony. One of John's brothers, Mariano “Mario” Alioto was an early San Francisco gangster, gunned down by Black Hand rivals in North Beach not long after his father-in-law Gaetano Ingrassia, another gangster, was killed on the same spot a year prior. Another brother, Joe Alioto's father Guiseppe Alioto, served as underboss to Frank Lanza while Joe grew up to be a mob lawyer, representing Frank Lanza’s son, James “Jimmy the Hat” Lanza after he took over control of mafia operations in 1961.

Mayor Joseph Alioto was married to Angelina Genaro, the daughter of Lorenzo Genaro, a soldier in the Dallas Crime Family who was killed in 1932. Her uncle John Genaro was also a soldier with much influence, but not as much influence as her grandfather, Michael Angelo Genaro who was Caporegime under Carlo Piranio, the first boss of the Dallas Crime Family. Angelina’s grandmother, Angelina Ardizzone Caito was a cousin of the first crime boss of the Los Angeles Crime Family, Joseph “Iron Man” Ardizzone, who was the brother-in-law of Joe Cerrito, notorious crime boss of San Jose.

Former mob boss John Alioto hosted a dinner at Alioto’s restaurant on Fisherman's Wharf in honor of his nephew, Mayor Joe on Thursday, March 30, 1972. The mayor spoke to approximately 80 of his cousins. Introducing him was his cousin, attorney Joseph Balistrieri, son of mob boss Frank "Mad Bomber" Balistrieri. Eight months later, a testimonial dinner was held for San Francisco Mayor Joe Alioto on November 11, 1972 at the Marc Plaza Hotel in Milwaukee. It was organized by the Italian-American Men’s Club of Milwaukee. Four hundred people attended the event, including Frank Balistrieri and underboss Steve DiSalvo.