I agree that Prop 13 was a political earthquake whose jolt was felt not just in Sacramento but all across the nation, including Washington, D.C., Why was Prop 13 so overwhelmingly approved ? Few expected it to win. In fact, on two separate occasions, less draconian versions of Proposition 13 had failed. But by 1978 raging inflation had sent property tax bills in the Golden State soaring so high that many families had to sell their homes because they couldn't afford to pay their taxes. Despite a torrent of horror stories from teachers' unions, politicians, newspapers and corporate lobbyists in Sacramento about the potentially devastating effects of Proposition 13, more than 60 percent of the voters took a gamble and approved the ballot measure.