The Frank Lanza Family of San Francisco

The San Francisco, California Family of LCN

Jimmy “The Hat” Lanza served as boss of the San Francisco Family of Cosa Nostra for approximately 45 years...he never took even one “pinch” during his tenure! ...by and large they were a quiet, low key borgata. Here is their story.

https://thenewyorkmafia.com/san-francisco-california-family-james-lanza/

It does seem early on that although very low key and cautious, in the 1940s-50s the SF crew dealt in junk in partnership with the Profaci crew and Anastasia crew.

They were in bed with the SFPD who frustrated the FBI in any attempts to get Lanza (and others).

Bonanno also had SF's proxy vote on the Commission

San Francisco and San Jose never had a vote on the commission. Bonanno represented those families on the commission. Any problems San Francisco had they brought it to Joe Bonanno and if he could not settle it or he needed other bosses approval, he brought it up to the Commission. San Francisco also had had Profaci, Mangano, Chicago, and Luciano for awhile, then they had Costello for other channels if they needed to. It was best for the smaller familes to have good relations with at least two commission members families. After Joe Bonanno was forced to retire, Chicago represented them on the Commission, while Lanza was trying to make inroads to Gambino, so Gambino family would represented them, but with all the heat it was best for Chicago to represent all the families out west, with Detroit and Kansas City lending a hand if they needed to.

Its strange that with even a little italian presence in SF the family never went out 25 made men and was less active than LA family.

@NY any chance of doing anything on the Dallas Family? I only ask because I read in your article about Lanza being friendly with them. Didn't know if it was something you guys were planning on doing.

Hi TMG, yes, down the road after we finish some other large projects that are pending I was considering doing a Dallas profile

Now an extinct family?

Yes, they are extinct now for many years already. As are many other crews.

Out of 26-28 original borgatas, today you have less that half that amount active in America. Almost all on located on the east coast. The northeast section of the US to be more exact

So, if the Italians who are involved in organized crime in San Francisco no longer have ties to the east coast mafia, what would it take for them to re-establish ties? Would we even be aware of it if they did?

jtsterling, I think the most intelligent approach to that answer would be to say that there will always be some who gravitate to some form of organized crime. For any S.F. Italians who might be drawn to it I'm sure the allure would be there.

There may be a few 'connected' guys from other crews around the country who live in S.F. that would work with them if known. There may even be a few remnants of the old Lanza family or their decedents.

But as a 'formal' Cosa Nostra borgata with a structure and hierarchy. I seriously doubt there would be enough men to form a union. And any few connected guys would have connections elsewhere, not in SF per se because there is no network there.

It's the same situation in most other sections of the country. Outside of NYC, NJ, upstate NY, Philly, Boston....and Detroit and Chitown both hanging by a thread, Cosa Nostra is seriously on the ropes in the U.S.A.

In truth, any growth in the U.S. is being done by the N'drangheta, Camorra, and Sicilian Mafia nowadays. Not American CN crews.

Chicago and Detroit are both very active.....not hanging by a thread....

And the present (and future) "quality" of members even currently brought into the active families is a far cry from what once was.

CN is scraping the bottom of the barrel and I can't imagine the quality of recruit improving from here on out. The Italian populous have too many great options nowadays with higher education and opportunities. There is simply no reason to go into the rackets any longer.

And that is an accepted fact.

Well, we all know that La Cosa Nostra has been declared dead and defunct in America more times that we all can count, only to later be shown to be alive and well.

This is a great topic and I completely agree with both of you guys. Yes, it is still alive and active but we cannot deny it is decaying and has been decaying for some time. I really see the five families eventually being taken over by the Sicilians. Doesn't the Gambino's have, I believe four zip operating crews and look at it's top administration. The Genovese is another one. The American Italians today are not the same as the American Italians of the old days simple fact. Personally and put me on a cross for saying it. The Zips need to run it all to keep it going strong....

P.S. if anyone cares, I just popped my cherry and became a made member ( this site)but in my mind it was with the Colombo family....

That is a fact American LCN, will never be what it was.

The best shot for survival is by teaming up with groups from the mother land.

I would say they The biggest problem is the recruitment pool, the there is still some decent blood out there left over from the good old days, guys in there 40's.

The generation after that is the problem.

I dont really see or really hear about Grooming going on today.

No training guys to take the top spots.

Maybe the Genovese still do that.
Maybe the Gambino's

Detroit does it.

That's about it I believe.

Among other things that is the problem.

If you think about it..

LCN- was born from the Mother Land and LCN will have to be re-born from the Mother Land, when the time is right.

In 1990, Giovanni Pietro Toracca, the defacto head of what's left of organized crime in North Beach, SF, was charged in state court with murdering a cocaine dealing rival who had arrived from the Mother Land, Francesco Tarsitano, 40, shooting him in the chest with a .357 magnum in front of Calzone's restaurant on Columbus Avenue. Tarsitano was not only muscling in on Toracca's narcotics business, he was having an affair with Toracca's estranged wife, Donna. Giovanni Pietro Toracca beat the charge with a hung jury and then pulled other "teflon don" feats, such as avoiding being charged in a massive cocaine bust, despite his phone calls being a major part of the evidence and being recorded via bugs in restaurants, making narcotics deals with those who would end up in prison. He and his associates are allegedly involved in narcotics distribution, illegal gambling, money laundering, fencing stolen good, credit card fraud, etc. all the while protected by both the nation's largest illegal sports bookie (at one time) and corrupt San Francisco cops (FBI wiretap affidavits say). By all accounts, it's been business as usual to the present day, because why would it stop?

Joseph Alioto Mafia Ties | San Francisco Crime Family | (1971)

California had (has?) a tiny Ndrangheta (Mazzaferro) connect.
Vincenzo Coluccio was deported in 2014, but he’d been living there since the 70s.
Silly of him not to get naturalized since he became a resident decades ago.
Further proves that zips aren’t necessarily superior minds.

ICE deports Italian drug-trafficking suspect with alleged Mafia ties
https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/i...g-trafficking-suspect-alleged-mafia-ties

I know this response is a little late as the post was from several months back however, are you saying that there is LCN, activity in S.F. C.A. ?

I thought it was dead out there for many many years??

Oh give Vincenzo Coluccio credit, it took decades for the law to catch up with him, look at how many LCN bosses didn’t even last 5 years.

The Lanza family is gone, but there is still activity from some members of the old family, the Ndrangheta, and a few members from Sicily, known soldier from Agrigento province lives in Alameda county. So yes there is still activity but the family is gone, no structure.

I think those guys you mentioned were Cosa Nostra members from Sicily, not members of the old San Francisco mob.

The SFPD is always looking for new partners in crime, just sayin'.