The Death of Howard Jarvis

Californians owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Howard Jarvis. Through the effective use of the initiative process Jarvis dramatically demonstrated that the power of the ballot is a lethal weapon against an entrenched bureaucracy.

I first witnessed Howard Jarvis in action when he utterly destroyed the Los Angeles School board president during a Proposition 13 debate. At that time Jarvis appeared to be an articulate, angry, shotgun-wielding populist, who was taking aim in the general direction of the taxation Establishment.

Surprisingly, Proposition 13 was anything but a shotgun blast. With the precision of a marksman this magnificent initiative replaced taxation by formula with taxation by representation. Proposition 13 reestablished the primacy of the voter, and also established the initiative process as the best means of freeing grass-root causes from the cold and clammy grasp of withered legislative hands.

Because of Howard Jarvis, California will never be the same. His legacy will be lasting and is in the best tradition of a progressive and articulate voting population. We are stronger because of him and mourn the passing of one of the best.

MICHAEL A. SCOTT

Glendora