Agustin Olvera was a pioneer of Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...

 and was active in the turbulent political affairs of the time.

Biography

Accompanying his uncle, Ygnacio Coronel

Ygnacio Coronel

-Life:Jose Ygnacio Franco Coronel was born in Mexico City, joined the Spanish army and by 1814 rose to the rank of corporal of the cavalry. He married Maria Josefa Francisca Romero , a native of Toluca. In 1834, as a part of the Híjar-Padrés Colony, Ygnacio brought his family -Life:Jose Ygnacio...

, he came to California in 1834 as a member of the Híjar-Padrés Colony. In 1842, Olvera married Concepción Argüello (1815–1853),daughter of Santiago Argüello

Santiago Argüello

-Life:Santiago Argüello was born in Monterey, California, the son of José Darío Argüello, a soldier, and María Ignacia Moraga, a niece of the acting governor of Alta California. Argüello was tall and stout. His fair complexion and black hair, along with his reserved manner gave him a regal...

. After her death, Olvera married in 1859 Maria Ortega (1823–1918),widow of Edward Stokes.

Olvera held various offices in the Mexican administration. Olvera was granted Rancho Mission Viejo in 1842 and the Rancho Cuyamaca

Rancho Cuyamaca

Rancho Cuyamaca was a Mexican land grant in present day San Diego County, California given in 1845 by Governor Pío Pico to Agustin Olvera. The grant extended south of present day Julian and encompassed Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, Lake Cuyamaca, and Cuyamaca Peak.-History:Olvera remained in Los...

 in 1845. Olvera helped to bridge the gap between the governance of California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

 by Mexico and the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. Olvera later served as captain in Flores

José Mariá Flores

General José María Flores was an officer in the Mexican Army and was a member of la otra banda. He was appointed Governor and Comandante General pro tem of Alta California from 1846 to 1847.-Mexican-America War:...

' campaign against Frémont

John C. Frémont

John Charles Frémont , was an American military officer, explorer, and the first candidate of the anti-slavery Republican Party for the office of President of the United States. During the 1840s, that era's penny press accorded Frémont the sobriquet The Pathfinder...

 and was one of the commission of three that negotiated peace with the American forces at Cahuenga. As a commissioner he signed the Treaty of Cahuenga

Treaty of Cahuenga

The Treaty of Cahuenga, also called the "Capitulation of Cahuenga," ended the fighting of the Mexican-American War in Alta California in 1847. It was not a formal treaty between nations but an informal agreement between rival military forces in which the Californios gave up fighting...

 ending the war in California.

U.S. Military Governor Bennet Riley

Bennet Riley

Bennett C. Riley was the seventh and last military governor of the territory of California before it became a U.S. state. He also served as a general in the United States Army during the Mexican-American War.-Life:Riley entered the U.S. Army at an early age...

 appointed Olvera to be Judge of the First Instance in 1849. Augustin Olvera was subsequently elected the first county judge of the newly formed County of Los Angeles

Los Angeles County, California

Los Angeles County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 9,818,605, making it the most populous county in the United States. Los Angeles County alone is more populous than 42 individual U.S. states...

 in 1850. He relied upon a bilingual Sheriff to translate the proceedings from Spanish because he did not speak English when he first took the bench. Along with his legal duties, Olvera was responsible, with his two associate justices, for administering county business until the establishment of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors

Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is the five-member nonpartisan governing board of Los Angeles County, California. Members of the board of supervisors are elected by district. They were as of December 2, 2008:*District 1: Gloria Molina...

 two years later. When his term expired in 1853, he entered the private practice of law. He was a Los Angeles County Supervisor in 1855.

Legacy

In 1877, the Los Angeles City Council

Los Angeles City Council

The Los Angeles City Council is the governing body of the City of Los Angeles.The Council is composed of fifteen members elected from single-member districts for four-year terms. The president of the council and the president pro tempore are chosen by the Council at the first regular meeting after...

 changed the name of Wine Street to Olvera Street

Olvera Street

Olvera Street is in the oldest part of Downtown Los Angeles, California, and is part of the El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument. Many Latinos refer to it as "La Placita Olvera." Circa 1911 it was described as Sonora Town....

in his honor. He held the first county trials in his home near the historic Olvera Street marketplace and plaza.