Santa Rita Street runs through Woodland Hills and Encino. Artist J. Michael Walker says, "Santa Rita de Cascia is the patron saint of those people with difficult or impossible causes."

Walker's new book is called "All the Saints of the City of the Angels: Seeking the Soul of L.A. on its Streets." He says there was another Rita, the widow of the land grabbing Vicente de la Ossa. Rita de la Ossa inherited Rancho Los Encinos, but didn't know how to deal with the property taxes. So she deeded the land to her American son-in-law, the former sheriff and tax collector for Los Angeles, James Thompson. Unfortunately, a year later, Walker says Rita's daughter and two granddaughters died of pneumonia.

"While Rita de la Ossa was grieving over this triple loss, James Thompson found comfort in arms of another."

Thompson evicted Rita from her land, even suing her in court. J Michael Walker says it's too bad St. Rita wasn't canonized until 1900: too late to help Rita de la Ossa.

(Airdate: 3/15/08)