When the Los Angeles City Council approved a motion a year ago recognizing a “Little Italy” historic designation for San Pedro, the zigzagging boundaries and the point of it all left some folks scratching their heads. While Italians have been among the largest European ethnic group to settle in the port community, an obvious physical landmark that said “Italy” didn’t really exist. Instead, the Little Italy boundaries took in somewhat random residential neighborhoods.

So where exactly was it? There seemed to be no “there” there. But now, the area’s Italian-American representative, Los Angeles City Councilman Joe Buscaino, has followed up on that initial motion and launched a spirited campaign that will create a front door to what he hopes will soon become a thriving, commercial Little Italy presence.