Item 26 - Naming of the Empty Lot at 423 South Raitt Street to El Refugio Park

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Naming of the empty lot at 423 South Raitt Street to El Refugio Park June 21, 2022 Page 2 2 7 1 1 A name which recognizes a person or family who made a distinct, significant contribution to the well-being of the city, including past mayors, council members, board or commission members, officers or employees of the city, but not anyone who currently holds any such position. Area History of Naming According to various sources online, Juan Pablo Grijalva, a Spanish soldier who traveled to Alta California with the De Anza expedition, was the original petitioner for the lands that became known as the "Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana". He died before the grant was approved and the lands went to his son-in-law, José Antonio Yorba and his grandson, Juan Pablo Peralta. On July 1, 1810, the land later named Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana was granted to José Antonio Yorba and his nephew Pablo Peralta by Governor José Joaquín de Arrillaga on behalf of the Spanish Government. This was the only land grant in present-day Orange County given under Spanish Rule, which were rare during this time, only two and a half months before the start of the war for Mexican Independence (1810–1821). The Mexican government granted the surrounding land grants or ranchos after Mexican independence in 1821. José Antonio Yorba later built an elaborate adobe hacienda, El Refugio (the Refuge), located near present-day First and Sullivan Streets in western Santa Ana. With the Mexican Cession of California to the United States following the Mexican– American War, the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo provided that the land grants would be honored. As required by the Land Act of 1851, a claim for Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana was filed with the Public Land Commission in 1852, and the grant was patented to Bernardo, Teodoro and Ramón Yorba in 1883. In 1854, the Yorba family sold Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana to José Antonio Andrés Sepúlveda. Sepúlveda later lost the land due to bankruptcy caused by fighting to uphold his land claims in court. In 1869, William Spurgeon and Ward Bradford purchased 74.27 acres of the ranch to form the city of Santa Ana. It became the seat of government for the County in 1889. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT There is no environmental impact associated with this action. FISCAL IMPACT There is no fiscal impact associated with this action EXHIBIT(S) 1. Planning Commission Staff Report Submitted By: Steven A. Mendoza, Assistant City Manager Approved By: Kristine Ridge, City Manager