It has been well over thirty years since the landmark Proposition 13 was passed by voters on June 6, 1978, creating a “shot heard around the world” as the California measure not only implemented significant taxpayer protections here in California, but it spread like wildfire around the entire country, ushering in a wave of new policies favorable to taxpayers from sea to shining sea. Of course this measure was the brainchild of Howard Jarvis, whose passion for limiting government and preserving liberty for the people lives on today through the efforts of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association (HJTA).
You would have to go back an awfully long way to find a time when HJTA was more powerful and 
important than it is today. There are a lot of reasons for this – including the immense fiscal challenges facing our nation, state and local governments around California, the extremely aggressive role that HJTA (and its PAC) have taken in protecting taxpayers, and the absence of a clear alternative group that is quite as effective and as influential as HJTA.
There is no doubt that while many different groups and individuals were leaders in the effort to stop the massive tax increases included in the May 19 Special Election last year, HJTA played the lead role – and was the earliest and most visible opponent to the passage of the ill-fated Proposition 1A.
All of this is important because it really sets the stage for the big news of this morning – that the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association PAC has announced an endorsement in the race for Governor – they are supporting the candidacy of Meg Whitman.
In making this announcement, Jon Coupal, President of HJTA had this to say, "High taxes and out-of-control spending have pushed state government to the brink of bankruptcy, and we need strong leadership to put California back on track. Meg Whitman is the only reliable fiscal conservative in the race, and her commitment to cutting spending and eliminating waste, fraud and abuse is the way to restore prosperity to the Golden State."
Coupal goes on to say,"We appreciate the fact that Meg wanted to get to know our organization and goals and is willing to work with us to protect taxpayers. We’re standing with Meg to fight for Californians who believe taxes are too high, government spends too much money and our schools must be improved so that children can achieve their goals." (There is a video of Coupal at the bottom of this column.)
The endorsement of HJTA is a solid and important one in any election, the support from the group for Meg Whitman in her primary campaign against Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner couldn’t come at a better time. As we all know, Whitman and Poizner are about to go through the most expensive, high profile media battle in the history of any campaign for Governor in any state, ever. In a situation like this, where both campaigns will seek to promote themselves but also beat the living daylights out of their opponent, third party validations become critical. You can be very sure that the HJTA endorsement will be featured prominently in the television and radio advertising, as well as direct mail campaign of Whitman. This is in addition to whatever voter contact is conducted by HJTA themselves – and you can now be sure that Whitman will be prominently featured on HJTA PAC’s extremely effective Save Prop. 13 Voter Guide.
It is significant to note that the HJTA PAC has, in many instances, stayed out of campaigns where they felt that there was not a candidate in the field who was carrying the torch, so to speak, for the values and principles espoused by Howard Jarvis. I happen to know that a lot of time and energy was spent by the leaders of the HJTA PAC in making the decision to back Whitman.
While I clearly think that HJTA’s endorsement of Whitman is a pretty major event in this primary election, it is important to note that Steve Poizner enjoys the support of many well known protectors of taxpayers, including Lew Uhler, President of the National Tax Limitation Committee, Board of Equalization Members Bill Leonard and Michelle Steel and others. You can be sure that these and more will be featured as Poizner seeks to establish his bona fides as a friend of the taxpayer.
That said, there is only one “Gold Standard” endorsement when it comes to the issue of taxes and limited government here in the Golden State – and that is the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. I guarantee you that there are a lot of smiling faces on Team Whitman this morning — and for good reason.
Below is a video prepared by the Whitman Campaign — featuring HJTA President Jon Coupal…
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