. >> historian and author greg ofalia spent years publishing his recent book about fare serra. >> he was a great legislator, people say he wrote the first laws that government california in 17 74. >> he arrived in what was called alta california. conquest serra eventually began to oppose. says oxfalia. >> serra was not for taking the land. he grew apart from the spanish authorities. maybe they were together but as the years went by he began to realize they're not doing the right thing, they're molesting the indian women and he began to question the rapaciousness of the spanish soldiers and the conquest itself. >> by the time the string of missions was completed and the spanish left in 1834, many native americans had been baptized but it's estimated more were buried, wiped out, killed mostly by disease. for many native americans rapes, beatings and floggings were part of mission life. so you might understand why some native american groups are angry over plans to make father serra a saint. >> why junipero serra? >> a member of the sumash tribe, a professor of indian studies. for her,