José de la Rosa was a Mexican composer, printer, singer and guitarist who moved to California in 1833, where he became known as Don Pepe. He may have also been the first professional printer in Californian history. He was Alcalde

Alcalde

Alcalde , or Alcalde ordinario, is the traditional Spanish municipal magistrate, who had both judicial and administrative functions. An alcalde was, in the absence of a corregidor, the presiding officer of the Castilian cabildo and judge of first instance of a town...

of Sonoma, California

Sonoma, California

Sonoma is a historically significant city in Sonoma Valley, Sonoma County, California, USA, surrounding its historic town plaza, a remnant of the town's Mexican colonial past. It was the capital of the short-lived California Republic...

, for a time, and played a role in the 1846 Bear Flag rebellion, wherein he assisted in assuring the release of Mariano Vallejo. Rosa documented the oldest-known transcription of Mexican-Californian song lyrics, in a notebook that is now archived in the Southwestern Museum.