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Today’s State Water Project is Born The Burns-Porter Act, formally known as the California Water Resources Development Bond Act, was placed on the November 1960 ballot. It was Proposition One on the list, but even days before the election its chances for passage were unpredictable. Heated and continuous negotiations were still ongoing, with MWD withholding its endorsement until days before the election. The San Francisco Chronicle strongly opposed the proposition. California’s North-South regional rivalry was a strong factor in the election. On November 8, the Burns-Porter Act was narrowly approved by the slim margin of 173,944 votes from about 5.8 million ballots counted. Only one northern county supported the proposition--Butte County, site of Oroville Dam. But one fact was certain, construction was soon to begin on what is now the nation's largest state-built water and power development and distribution system, which would change the face and future of a once virgin land. |
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