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Although his reputation is that of a strong arm goon, Joseph Dippolito was an astute businessman who's activities ranged from agriculture to real estate. Hotel proprietorship to politics. This last tidbit I was able to trace back to the liquor license scandal of the 50s. Here are the details of what I found going over records some of which were related to a case involvingLewis Lipton, a former New York hustler known as Felix Aguirre. Lipton/Aguirre owned a restaurant in San Diego but managed to get his foot in the door of U.S., National Bank. This was no small feat for Lipton as the bank operated 63 branches in California with a 64th in the Bahamas. The resources controlled by U.S., National was then estimated to exceed $1 billion. Lipton used his brother William "who was an accountant and company shareholder," to co-sign on three loans for a total of $10,300 to Los Angeles attorney Frank Desimone. Lipton also used his brother to establish a line of credit for Southland Amusement Co., Inc., a coin-operated machine distributor that allowed its owners to benefit to the tune of several hundred thousand dollars. Lipton made several of the payments Desimone owed personally ($525 monthly installment payments) before arranging for Sam Bompensiro to assume responsibility for the loans.

The arrangement with Southland worked like this. The owners of Southland would seek out bar and restaurant owners who were in need of financial assistance. Southland would then arrange financing for those in need in exchange for the right to place their coin-operated machines in the bar or restaurant. It was an ingenious plan because most of those they approached had received special consideration in obtaining their liquor licenses through underworld contacts to William Bonelli's office. Those contacts greedily accepted cash payments in exchange for liquor licenses. Southland's owners then used Lipton to arrange the financing needed to open and or expand the operations of those who used their service. The owners would then pay an under the table fee which found its way back to the backers of Southland. Now the companies officers were an interesting lot as they included Josephine Dia, the companies president who was the wife of underworld character Leo Dia and the niece of San Diego mafia bigwigs Tony and Paul Mirabile.

The companies vice-president was Charles Gelardi, a San Diego produce dealer and Steven Niotta served as treasurer. Niotta was the husband of Jack Dragna's daughter. The Dia's held controlling interest in the company while Joe Dip held the remaining 15% ownership. Another tie through the bank to Southland was John Alessio, a wealthy gambler and powerbroker who operated horse and dog tracks in the states and south of the border. Alessio also ran a Mexican bookmaking operation that accepted bets on races held in the U.S. Alessio's bookmaking venture was very much reliant upon the odds he received on races held here in the U.S.

Southland modeled its loan operation on the banking enterprise setup and controlled by Papa Tony Mirabile. Mirabile had loaned money to practically every prominent hood in the San Diego area. But Papa Tony's stranglehold was broken when he was murdered in December '58 and with Frank Bompensiro cooling his heels in San Quentin, San Diego's lucrative bar business was a tantalizing prize. Joe Dip moved in using relatives such as the LiMandri's to forge a working relationship with the youthful Matranga boys. Bomp was allowed to maintain his control of the 5 bars he'd arranged liquor licenses for under the old system and even gained a 6th which was held under the name of his nephew Leo G. Patella and his brother Salvatore. Bomp controlled Maestro Music, a juke box outfit in partnership with Gaspare Matranga and Southland's Leo Dia.

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There never was a family in San Diego just to be clear but it shows that the rather small time LA Family had a very powerful satellite group in San Diego.

At their peak they had power in LA, SD, San Bernardino, Orange County and to a lesser degree Las Vegas.