🇮🇹 On Friday, I hosted the CA State Legislature’s Italian Caucus (
@italiancaucusca ) in Downtown San Diego’s iconic Little Italy. I wanted to show them what makes our Little Italy so special so that they can take ideas back to their own communities!
🎣 San Diego’s Little Italy is the world’s largest Little Italy, spanning 48 blocks. In the 1920s, this neighborhood started as the center of the world’s tuna industry.
After the decline of the tuna industry and the construction of the I-5, the community faced nearly 30 years of decline. Thankfully, in the late 1990s, families and business owners decided to revive this once thriving neighborhood with the Little Italy Association of San Diego (
@littleitalysd ). 🤝
✨Thanks to our amazing tour guide, Marco Li Mandri, the Executive Advisor of the Little Italy Association, we learned so much about the area’s rich history and how each of the piazzas, businesses, and landmarks came to be! 🍝🍕
I am now even more grateful to be able to represent this historic community in the Legislature.
Thank you to Assemblymember Catherine Stefani (
@asmstefani ) and Senator Dave Cortese (
@senatordavecortese ) for visiting! And a special thanks to San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria (
@mayortoddgloria ) for joining us! 💚🤍❤️
