Agreed. I also think because of the greatly reduced racket opportunities out in CA., many guys just couldn't 'lock into' the kind of real solid and steady rackets like back on the east coast in the grittier mafia dominated (and Italian and Jewish ) neighborhoods. You know its a lot different when your plying your trade in a Little Italy, East Harlem, Bronx, or Williamsburg or East New York where there was a heavy influx or jewish, Italian, and Irish immigrants. As opposed to trying to deal with the white bred, WASP, 'americani' born people of the country or west coast where they looked at those immigrants like martians and didn't even understand their lifestyles and mindsets.

It just wasn't as conducive a geography for rackets period!