William George Bonelli was born in 1895 to a Swiss/English Pioneer family that moved to Los Angeles in 1912. Bill received a bachelor’s degree in arts from the University of Southern California and served in the US Army as a pilot. He received a master’s degree from Occidental College and a law degree from Southwestern.
He promoted the aircraft industry in the Santa Clarita Valley and purchased Hoot Gibson‘s rodeo in Saugus, California. The rodeo was renamed Bonelli Ranch Stadium and later became the Saugus speedway. During this time, Bill got married, and they had two sons.
Bill was 36 when elected to the Los Angeles city council. He went on to win a seat in the California State Assembly and was appointed to the Board of Equalization.
He was known as Big Bill, a guy that could get things done in Los Angeles. Bill had achieved so much in such a short time. Big Bill was on top of the world, and then it all came crashing down.
In 1939, Big Bill was indicted by a Grand Jury for taking 10 million dollars in bribes for liquor license fees. After prohibition ended, Los Angeles still had an underground tunnel system that connected the upscale hotels and ballrooms downtown. There was a lot of money to be made in alcohol, and everyone wanted a liquor license. Big Bill could issue a liquor license for $3000 cash.
In Los Angeles, that meant the license could be used anywhere, like a department store with a gambling casino above it or gambling boats that dotted the California coastline.
Tony Cornero owned two gambling ships that employed a crew of 300, including waitresses, chefs, an orchestra, and several armed mobsters. The ships were in international waters as long as they were 3 miles outside of Long Beach and Santa Monica. The good citizens of Los Angeles could take water taxis to the ships to enjoy shows, cocktails, food, and gambling.
It was no surprise when the ships got raided. The state of California was cracking on the vices. Los Angeles was going through a transformation. The citizens didn’t mind that Jack Dragna was running the Los Angeles mob and made money from gambling and prostitution. Dragna was a quiet boss and tried not to disturb the average Joe. It was the series of bombings that got the public’s attention. They were stunned to learn that the bombings were from the Los Angeles Police Department. Not only were the cops trying to kill ordinary people, but the Mayor of Los Angeles might be calling the shots.
Frank L. Shaw was the first Los Angeles Mayor to be recalled. Frank Shaw and Big Bill had worked closely together for years. It was a domino effect, and Big Bill was just as bad as the rest of them.
Bill Bonelli fled to Mexico. Bill tried to clear his name, hoping to get his case transferred to San Diego. Bill felt he couldn’t get a fair trial in Los Angeles. Bill blamed the Los Angeles Police Department and Norman Chandler, who owned the Los Angeles Mirror newspaper. He sued the Los Angeles Mirror for $1 million because they kept naming him the Liquor Czar of Los Angeles.
Big Bill hired a ghostwriter to write a book Billion Dollar Blackjack: the story of corruption in the Los Angeles Times. He was never able to clear his name and died a fugitive in Mexico in 1970.