Thank Dave (Stutz) for disorganizing local crime

Andre David (Dave) Stutz, who was instrumental in bringing down banker/conglomerateur C. Arnholt Smith (once named "Mr. San Diego of the century" by a San Diego Union reporter), died last month.

In 1966, a Los Angeles–based organized-crime task force began investigating police corruption in San Diego, particularly the close relationships between bookies and cops. John Alessio, a Mexico-based racetrack entrepreneur who was one of San Diego's most powerful figures (downtown Rotary had named him "Mr. San Diego"), had relationships with Las Vegas and Smith.

Stutz, then an investigator with the Internal Revenue Service, concluded that money was being laundered through Yellow Cab, part of Smith's vest-pocket conglomerate. The investigation then burgeoned.

Smith was a buddy of Richard Nixon. When Nixon was elected in 1968, the investigation stalled, but eventually, both Smith and Alessio spent time in custody and the Smith-Alessio stranglehold on San Diego ended.

Stutz had very important additional information on the corruption, but Nixon's staffers wouldn't let him testify. Still, what Stutz did bring out was sufficient to clean up much of San Diego's corruption.

Stutz was married to former councilmember Abbe Wolfsheimer-Stutz, who died in 2014.