ABOUT PEOPLE'S ADVOCATE

People's Advocate is dedicated to educating and mobilizing the public regarding issues of taxation, government spending, personal freedoms, property rights and maintaining government responsiveness to the will of the people. Since its founding in 1974 by the late Paul Gann, it has been at the forefront in the battle against abusive special interests in government, qualifying and passing numerous ballot initiatives, including massive reforms such as Proposition 13, the Victims Bill of Rights, State Spending Limit, and even an historic Recall of a sitting Governor.

In 1989, with the passing of Paul Gann, Ted Costa was elected by the Board of Directors to the Chief Executive Officer position and has continued the legacy left by Mr. Gann to improve government accountability to the people. As head of People's Advocate, Ted Costa has sponsored, qualified, and campaigned for a number of important reforms, including “English Only,” Term Limits, Redistricting Reform and most recently the Recall of Governor Gray Davis in 2003. The Recall generated worldwide press attention and catapulted People's Advocate into the spotlight, with state, national, and international press descending on the humble offices of People's Advocate to interview and learn something about the man and organization that was making history. It was learned that Ted Costa is a reformer, someone who believes that a good idea doesn't have to be conservative or liberal, Republican or Democrat. A good idea is simply one that protects people's rights and fosters the principles on which America was founded – that the people establish and control the government, that official power is checked, and that government is to defend the God-given rights of the people.

People's Advocate harnesses the intense grass roots efforts needed to insist that government be responsive to the will of the people. It is not a power broker; it seeks no political rewards. It is an organization that believes in the notion of government serving the people, not the other way around.

Since the 2003 Recall, People's Advocate has risen to prominence as the true voice of the people. In that regard, we continue to pursue progressive reforms that attack the very heart of government ineptitude and conflict of interest.

It was in the late 1970's when People's Advocate first shook the system to its core. After years of working tirelessly to reform our property tax system, People's Advocate made its mark on the nation with the passage of Prop 13. It was a fire that spread across the nation precipitating a national taxpayers rebellion, and the Reagan revolution of the 1980's.

In November of 2002, People's Advocate had enough of the blatantly failed administration of Gray Davis, who saddled the state of California with a $38 Billion dollar deficit, a legislature full of cronyism and special interests favoritism, and a budget picture that had California heading over a cliff. We struck back, filing Recall papers and starting the campaign to pull off what would become an historic achievement: the Recall of a sitting California Governor.