Paul Gann

Paul Gann (June 12, 1912 – September 11, 1989) was a Sacramento, California-based conservative political activist and founder of People's Advocate, Inc. Along with Howard Jarvis, Gann was co-author of Proposition 13, a 1978 property-tax-cutting initiative in California credited with sparking "a nationwide tax revolt."^[1] In 1979, Gann sponsored Proposition 4, placing "Gann limits" on state and local spending and giving rise to the broader spending limits of Proposition 98.^[2]

Gann was born in Clark County, Arkansas and moved to California in 1935.^[3] He was the Republican candidate for United States Senator from California in 1980, but was defeated by the incumbent Democrat, Alan Cranston.

Gann died in 1989 in Sacramento at the age of 77, of pneumonia as a complication of AIDS. He had contracted HIV from a blood transfusion and first developed AIDS in 1987. Gann devoted the last years of his life to AIDS treatment advocacy.^[3] California's "Paul Gann Blood Safety Act" (California Health and Safety Code Section 1645(b)) took effect in 1990, mandating that physicians discuss the risks of blood transfusion with their patients.^[4][5]

References

1. Marelius, John (2005-10-04). "Prop. 13 started slowly, turned into a groundswell". The San Diego Union-Tribune.
2. Rose, Heather; Sonstelie J; Reinhard R; Heng S (2003). High Expectations, Modest Means: The Challenge Facing California's Public Schools. California: Public Policy Institute of California. pp. 105–6. ISBN 1-58213-077-9.
3. McQuiston, John T (1989-09-13). "Paul Gann, Leader in Tax Revolt in California in the 70s, Dies at 77". New York Times. Retrieved 2007-02-11.
4. "What is the Paul Gann Blood Safety Act?
5. California Blood Bank Society documentation "The Paul Gann Blood Safety Act - Documentation Questions