De la Osa was born at the
Presidio of San Diego, where his father was a corporal. After his mother died when he was a baby he moved to
Mexico as a child, then back to Los Angeles where he became a
Pueblo of Los Angeles official, serving as secretary, councilman and "syndic". He married Rita Guillen at
Mission San Gabriel in 1832. In addition to serving as a public official he owned and operated a tavern. The residential adobe still stands at
Los Encinos State Historic Park, but there was originally a second adobe, now long gone, "believed to have some fourteen rooms, housed the storage, work rooms and employee quarters". In 1856 and 1859 he held a relic political position called Judge of the Plains that adjudicated disputes between ranchers. == See also ==