Final answer:
The political ascendancy of Californios ended with the influx of Anglo gold-diggers during the California Gold Rush and the subsequent decline of the pastoral economy, leading to dispossession and marginalization of the Californios. The correct answer is option b.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Californios' political ascendancy in California ended as a result of the influx of Anglo gold-diggers and the waning of the pastoral economy. This marked the end of Californios' political and socioeconomic power in the region. The discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill ushered in the California Gold Rush, leading to a dramatic increase in population as people, known as "forty-niners," from diverse parts of the world rushed to California seeking riches. This surge of immigrants swiftly altered the demographics and power dynamics, overshadowing the influence of the Californios, who were the Hispanic landowners and elites during the Mexican era. Anglo-American settlers eventually dominated, often forcibly taking over Californio lands and redefining the political landscape.
Over time, Mexicans and Mexican-Americans lost their lands as their deeds were declared imperfect or void by U.S. laws and Anglo settlers. Corruption, discrimination, and targeted legislation, such as California's Greaser Act, further marginalized Hispanic Americans, leading to their alienation from the dominant society. By the 1880s, the Californios, once wealthy landowners, became landless and were reduced to laborers, frequently working for much lower wages than their white counterparts on the lands they had previously owned.