When word reached California of the change in political control in Mexico, Governor Solá convened a caucus in April of 1822, including officers from the presidios and padres from the missions, and swore allegiance to the new government.
The change in the province’s status was followed by the usual aftermath of revolution–a long period of unrest. California was far from the vortex of the struggle, and thus avoided the bloodshed that characterized Mexico for many years. Even so, California governors during the Mexican period were often harassed by conspiratorial outbreaks. The bonds that tied California to Mexico were even looser than those with Spain; the distance and difficulty of communication, feelings of resentment against Mexican rule, and strong local pride all fed the growth of sectionalism. Increasingly Californians identified themselves with California, not Mexico.
| Pablo Vicente Solá; holdover from Spanish regime | 1815-1822 |
| Luis Argüello; acting governor | 1822-1825 |
| José María de Echeandía | 1825-1831 |
| Manuel Victoria | 1831-1832 |
| Pio Pico (twenty days) | 1832-1832 |
| José María Echeandía (in the south only) | 1832-1833 |
| Agustin Vicente Zamorano (in the north only) | 1832-1833 |
| José Figueroa | 1833-1835 |
| José Castro; acting governor | 1835-1836 |
| Nicolás Gutíerrez; acting governor, four months | 1836-1836 |
| Mariano Chico; three months | 1836-1836 |
| Nicolás Gutíerrez; acting governor, three months | 1836-1836 |
| Juan Bautista Alvarado; first revolutionary then constitutional governor | 1836-1842 |
| Manuel Micheltoreña | 1842-1845 |
| Pio Pico; last Mexican governor of California | 1845-1846 |
| José María Flores; leader of government in the last days before surrender | 1846-1847 |
Source:
- Nuttall, Donald A., The Gobernantes of Spanish Upper California: A Profile (California Historical Quarterly 60(3):253-280, 1972).