José Cristóbal Aguilar (1816 – April 11, 1886) was a Californio politician and journalist, who served three terms as Mayor of Los Angeles, the last Hispanic to hold the office until 2005, with the election of Antonio Villaraigosa.

The Yorbas possessed vast land holdings including most of the Santa Ana Valley (in present-day Orange County, California).

Barrows in 1899, he "made a good and acceptable Mayor because of the general familiarity of citizens of all nationalities then residing here, with the Spanish tongue.

"[1] After the transfer of California from Mexico to the United States, the Mexican ayuntamiento was abolished in favour of a city council system.

With Los Angeles being in a Mediterranean climate and risks of both drought and flooding a constant threat, this position was actually considered more important than the mayor and paid the highest salary of any city official at the time.

His decision in 1868 to retain control over the city's water rights and reserves is considered one of the most important in Los Angeles' history.

If Aguilar had not used his power of veto, Los Angeles would have lost control of its water rights, leading to serious problems at a later date.

[citation needed] After retiring from politics Aguilar wrote for La Cronica, the City's leading Spanish-language newspaper at the time.

[1][3] The Los Angeles Herald wrote of him in an obituary: He was at one time a wealthy man and brought up a large family with much care, giving each a good education.