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The plan to build the aqueduct had leaked, so everyone knew that William Mulholland and his group were planning on building an aqueduct. Soon enough, the newspaper started printing and pressing the news. The Newspapers in L.A. with titles such as, “Water Supply for 2,000,000 People,” brought many people into the city. The Los Angeles Herald had equally interesting titles: “The scale of expansion in Los Angeles now conforms to that of the greater cities of the United States, another paper promised,” “Workshops, factories, stores, great and small.” However, there were also many concerns that some papers had. The L.A. Examiner, for instance, argued against the aqueduct project, especially after the water board and city council started pushing the city, wanting to fast track the $1.5 million bond issue to get the project started right away. The newspaper showed headlines such as “People Want All The Facts Before Voting Water Bonds.”
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Los Angeles’ ongoing feud with Owen’s Valley spiked again as the two cities fought over possession of water.
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The LA Times’ article supporting the aqueduct. It contained much propaganda.
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A document written by the Board of Public Service Commissioners concerning the complaints made by the residents of Owens Valley and the city's purchases of land in the valley.
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Despite all the mixed reactions to the project, Mulholland’s group continued. On March 23, 1905, a group of businessmen, which consisted of Harrison Gray Otis, Edwin T. Earl, and Moses H. Sherman, bought the Porter Ranch for a cheap price. This ranch encompassed a huge portion of the Owens Valley, some of which was where Mulholland planned to build the aqueduct. Because water was so valuable, the value of the land would increase dramatically, making these men much richer than they already were. How did they know when to act? Was it a coincidence? It is believed that they got insider information about the plans from Commissioner Sherman, which allowed them to know that land and water prices would increase. This knowledge was released to the public quite yet so they had the upper hand. “...some rich men in Los Angeles were going to get even richer as a result of the new bounty of Owens Valley Water."
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Harrison Gray Otis, a publisher of the L.A. Times and L.A. Express.
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