Paul Gann (June 12, 1912 – September 11, 1989) was a

Sacramento, California Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat, seat of Sacramento County, California, Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento Rive ...

-based

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

political activist and founder of People's Advocate, Inc. Along with

Howard Jarvis Howard Arnold Jarvis (September 22, 1903 – August 12, 1986) was an American businessman, lobbyist, and politician. He was a tax policy activist responsible for passage of California's Proposition 13 in 1978. Early life and education Jarvis ...

, Gann was co-author of

Proposition 13 Proposition 13 (officially named the People's Initiative to Limit Property Taxation) is an amendment of the Constitution of California enacted during 1978, by means of the initiative process, to cap property taxes and limit property reassessmen ...

, a 1978 property-tax-cutting

initiative Popular initiative A popular initiative (also citizens' initiative) is a form of direct democracy by which a petition meeting certain hurdles can force a legal procedure on a proposition. In direct initiative, the proposition is put direct ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

credited with sparking "a nationwide tax revolt." 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. Gann was born in Clark County, Arkansas and moved to California in 1935. He was the Republican candidate for

United States Senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

from California in 1980, but was defeated by the

incumbent The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position. In an election, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the position that is up for election, regardless of whether they are seeking re-election. There may or may not be ...

Democrat,

Alan Cranston Alan MacGregor Cranston (June 19, 1914 – December 31, 2000) was an American politician and journalist who served as a United States Senate, United States Senator from California from 1969 to 1993, and as President of the Citizens for Global S ...

. Gann received blood-transfusions during open-heart surgery in 1982, before uniform HIV-

antibody An antibody (Ab) or immunoglobulin (Ig) is a large, Y-shaped protein belonging to the immunoglobulin superfamily which is used by the immune system to identify and neutralize antigens such as pathogenic bacteria, bacteria and viruses, includin ...

blood-screening was in effect. He later tested positive on an HIV test. Ten days after breaking his hip in a fall at his Carmichael home in September 1989, Gann died at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Sacramento. He was 77. The hospital announced the cause of death as pneumonia "complicated by his battle against the AIDS virus." Gann devoted the last years of his life to AIDS treatment advocacy. 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.California Blood Bank Society documentation "The Paul Gann Blood Safety Act - Documentation Questions

References

1912 births 1989 deaths Deaths from pneumonia in California California Republicans AIDS-related deaths in California Activists from California {{California-politician-stub