Maureen Megowan, a realtor with Remax Estate Properties, provides another article in her series "South Bay History Tidbits"
The Fight for Rancho Los Palos Verdes
After the 1822 decree by the Governor of California that awarded ownership of Rancho San Pedro to the Dominquez family, Jose Dolores Sepulveda appealed the decision and requested a personal meeting with Governor Luis Arguello in Monterey to plead his case. In 1824, while Sepulveda was returning from his trip to Monterey, he was killed in a violent Indian uprising at Mission La Purisima Concepcion, near today's Lompoc.
Find out what's happening in Palos Verdeswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
His young sons, Juan Capistrano Sepulveda and Jose Loreto Sepulveda, continued his quest for Rancho San Pedro. On May 16, 1826, after the death of his father in 1825, Manuel Dominguez filed a petition with Governor Jose Maria Echeandia to have the Sepulveda brothers and their cattle removed from the Palos Verdes portion of the rancho. On May 26, 1826, the heirs of Cristobal Dominguez were confirmed by the governor as owners of Rancho San Pedro, thus being officially recognized by the new Mexican regime. Governor Echeandia, in 1827, known for his administrative ineptness, also provisionally approved of the Sepulveda's claim to the Palos Verdes portion of Rancho San Pedro.
In 1834, a judicial decree was made by Governor Jose Figueroa which was intended to settle the dispute between the Dominquez and Sepulveda families, and Juan Capistrano Sepulveda and Jose Loreto Sepulveda were awarded the 31,629 acre Rancho Los Palos Verdes. The partition decree left the Dominguez family with 43,119 acres reducing Rancho San Pedro nearly by half the area of the original grant.
The Sepulvedas were given yet another order to leave the Palos Verdes section of Rancho San Pedro in June 1839. Again, the Sepulvedas defended their title and on April 22, 1841, they received a Decree of Possession and an additional strip of land north of Palos Verdes Hills from Governor Alverado. In June 1841, an agreement was signed by the Dominquez family transferring all right to the Rancho Los Palos Verdes to the Sepulvedas. Then on June 3, 1846, Governor Pio Pico officially confirmed the title of Rancho Los Palos Verdes to the two oldest Sepulveda brothers.
Juan Capistrano Sepulveda built his adobe home near the intersection of Gaffey and Anaheim Streets in San Pedro . Jose Loreto Sepulveda built his home further south on the west side of North Gaffey Street between Channel Street and Anaheim Street in San Pedro. Jose Loreto Sepulveda was also 2nd Alcalde of Los Angeles, which was basically Vice - Mayor of Los Angeles for 4 years during the period 1837 - 1848. Juan Capistrano Sepulveda was also 2nd Alcalde of Los Angeles in 1845.
