Remembering John Burton: A Champion for the South Fork Yuba

Unveiling of the John Burton Highway, Photo Credit: WikiMedia Commons, Public Domain

Close to deadline, we learned of retired California State Senator John Burton’s passing. Much will be written about John Burton and his brother, the late Rep. Phil Burton, in the coming days and weeks, but I thought that readers of the River Advocate might appreciate an expression of thanks for John’s help in engineering the addition of the South Fork of the Yuba River to the California Wild & Scenic River System in 1999. 

There is much history that should be committed to writing about the couple of decades (and more) of work that led up to the successful but narrow passage of SB496, the bill that did the deed. Indeed, there is much to be told of how the bill’s passage and signature by the Governor happened in that crucial year, but this is just meant to be a public note of thanks to one key legislator who helped get SB496 across the finish line. 

State Senator John Burton, Photo credit: WikiMedia Commons, Public Domain

Authored by then State Senator Byron Sher, the bill’s success, in part, was facilitated by the crusty, old-school, and very colorful politician John Burton — who at the time had Alison Harvey as his chief of staff, then and now a former FOR board member. John, of course, was the Senate Pro Tempore (the leader of the state senate) in those days and a valuable man to have on your side. 

As one insider put it, without their help, “it is doubtful we could have overcome the vehement GOP opposition to SB496 in 1999, particularly from Senator Tim Leslie and & Assemblyman Sam Aanestad.  They both got rolled.

So, a quarter century and some change late, thanks again, John Burton. 

Ron Stork