One of things the Red River Lumber Company did not like about California was its politics. After the company established Westwood, it initially took a neutral stance to politics. That would change over time.
The Westwood Auto Club served as a de facto chamber of commerce for Red River. Since 1916, Californians voted on several bond measures to build a state highway system. By 1926 those funds had been exhausted and to the dismay of the residents of Northern California the majority of bond revenue was spent building highways in Southern California. In June a movement was on hand to place on the ballot a one cent per gallon gasoline tax to be used for highway construction. The Westwood Auto jumped on the bandwagon and led a vigorous petition drive to obtain signatures to place the matter on the ballot. It was widely supported and by the end of July enough signatures had been obtained to place the measure on the ballot, to be known as Proposition 4.
To date nearly $100 million had been spent in the last ten years for highway construction. It was estimated an addition $123 million was needed to complete the state highway system. Southern California had an initiative also on the ballot—Proposition 8. This was an effort to grab a major portion of road funds for the next twelve years. It turned into a North/South divide issue. Proposition 4 proponents worked hard and were successful. In Lassen County nearly 90% of the voters approved it.