Spain established a total of three pueblos, towns, in what is now California, then called Alta California. These were the first three non-native settlements in California that were civil. Prior non-native settlements were either established as military (Presidios) or religious settlements (Missions). The first pueblos in order were San José on 11/29/1777, Los Angeles on 9/4/1781, and Villa de Branciforte on 7/24/1797 that is now part of Santa Cruz.
Sources: 1)Clyde Arbuckle’s history of San José, book by Clyde Arbuckle, 1986, pages 10, 21-22. 2)http://villadebranciforte.org/history.htm#chrono , 2019.