2. Italians in Early Los Angeles     

Los Angeles’ earliest Italian enclave was located at the site of the city’s original settlement (present-day El Pueblo Historical Monument), where Italians lived side by side with the Mexican, French, Anglo, and later, Chinese communities. Arriving in 1827, sailor Giovanni Leandri was the city’s first Italian settler. Because Spanish remained the lingua franca of Los Angeles for much of the 19th century, Italian settlers often learned Spanish before they learned English. Some, including Leandri, assumed Spanish names.The city’s hospitable social climate provided considerable opportunities for upward mobility, and by 1850, Italians had joined the ranks of the city’s civic and religious leaders and business community. Other Italian immigrants, encouraged by Southern California’s Mediterranean climate, pursued agriculture and viticulture, which formed the backbone for the state’s early economy. The numerous, thriving, Italian-owned wineries in the plaza area were responsible for Olvera Street to originally be named Wine Street, or Calle de las Vignas, and by 1869, Los Angeles had become the wine capital of California.

This early period contains many success stories. Secondo Guasti, who immigrated from Asti, worked as a cook before establishing the Italian Vineyard Company in 1883. Two decades later, his 5,000 contiguous acres in present-day Rancho Cucamonga constituted the world’s largest vineyard and Guasti became one of the 20th century’s most prominent men. Financial mogul Joseph Sartori established two of the city’s principal financial institutions, First National Bank (1887) and Security Trust and Savings Bank (1889). Sartori played an integral role in the growth of downtown and the financing of key development, transportation and infrastructure projects, such as the construction of the Los Angeles Aqueduct.