JARVIS TROOPS STILL PROUD OF '78 FEAT.Byline: Rick Orlov Staff Writer For Eunice McTyre, the anti-tax fire that was ignited 25 years ago still burns. ``Not one regret - not one after all these years,'' said McTyre, who still lives in the Chatsworth home where she fought against higher property taxes in 1978, putting her at the forefront of the battle for Proposition 13. ``I still haven't made a nickel off of politics, but it's my life,'' said McTyre, whose activism led her to oppose public spending for the 1984 Olympic Games Olympic games, premier athletic meeting of ancient Greece, and, in modern times, series of international sports contests. The Olympics of Ancient Greece Although records cannot verify games earlier than 776 B.C. and, more recently, to push for San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. secession. In 1978, McTyre was among the early few in the army gathered by Howard Jarvis Howard Jarvis (September 22, 1903 - August 11, 1986) was born in Magna, Utah and died in Los Angeles, California. In Utah he had some political involvement working with his father's campaigns and his own. on behalf of his then-revolutionary idea to limit property taxes. Jarvis, who died in 1986, was among the first to spot the potential political power of the San Fernando Valley and tap into its activism and anti-tax fervor. He reached out to people like Jane Nerpal, who headed a group called Taxpayers Watchdog that sent out a weekly newsletter with the picture of a snarling snarl 1 v. snarled, snarl·ing, snarls v.intr. 1. To growl viciously while baring the teeth. 2. To speak angrily or threateningly. v.tr. bulldog bulldog, breed of thick-set nonsporting dog developed in the British Isles many centuries ago. It stands from 13 to 15 in. (33–38.1 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs from 40 to 50 lb (18.1–22.7 kg). in the corner to boost morale. ``It was Jane Nerpal who got me and others involved,'' McTyre said. ``She wouldn't give up. And she got others involved.'' Belle Palmer recalls being one of a handful of volunteers who staffed a Victory Boulevard Victory Boulevard is a major thoroughfare on Staten Island, measuring approximately 8.0 miles (12.87 km) and stretching from the west shore community of Travis to the upper east shore communities of St. George and Tompkinsville. storefront office in Van Nuys during the summer months when volunteers circulated petitions. ``When I look back, I realize how much fun we all had,'' Palmer said. ``We thought we were changing the world.'' What the group did was change how local and state government financed programs, shifting away from the arcane and complicated property tax method in effect at the time - where taxes were figured on 25 percent of a property's market value - to a flat rate of 1 percent of market value. ``It was revolutionary for its time, and it couldn't have been done without the San Fernando Valley,'' said Joel Fox, former head of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association helped sponsor Proposition 13, the property tax-cutting initiative in California in 1978 which slashed property taxes by fifty-seven percent and initiated a national tax revolt. It was founded by California republican Howard Jarvis. , who served as Jarvis' top aide during the Prop. 13 campaign. ``It was the San Fernando Valley that was the birthplace of Prop. 13 and where it had its greatest strength.'' Jarvis, a crusty anti-tax crusader who was never given credit for his efforts until Prop. 13 qualified for the ballot, took the energy he found in the Valley to make it a statewide issue when he teamed up with Paul Gann Paul Gann (June 12, 1912 - September 11, 1989), with Howard Jarvis, was co-author of Proposition 13, the property tax-cutting initiative in California in 1978. Later, his Gann Amendment put a limit on state spending in California. He was born in Clark County, Arkansas. of Northern California Northern California, sometimes referred to as NorCal, is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The region contains the San Francisco Bay Area, the state capital, Sacramento; as well as the substantial natural beauty of the redwood forests, the northern . Gann was playing a similar anti-tax role in the Sacramento area when he was approached by Jarvis to join forces. Kris Vosburgh, a spokesman for the Jarvis group, said what was impressive about Jarvis was his ability to bring together such avid supporters. ``These were ordinary people, with no political base, who changed the state,'' Vosburgh said. ``The key was in the Valley. It was the sparkplug spark·plug tr.v. spark·plugged, spark·plug·ging, spark·plugs Informal To inspire or energize (an endeavor, for example). for igniting the fire that took place across the state. ``Howard Jarvis took people who were afraid of losing their homes and brought them together to change the system.'' Ernie Dynda, who now heads the United Organization of Taxpayers group that Jarvis used to qualify Prop. 13, said the brilliance of the measure was its simplicity. ``What we did was take a burning issue, an emotional issue, and boil it down for people,'' Dynda said. ``We made it easy for the average person to understand. We didn't have any trouble getting signatures.'' And, 25 years later, McTyre said she has no regrets. ``I've heard from a lot of people who move into the neighborhood now, and their taxes are a lot higher,'' McTyre said. ``I just tell them to think about what they could be if it wasn't for Prop. 13.'' Rick Orlov, 213-978-0390 rick.orlov(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) Eunice McTyre and her husband, Robert, still live in the Chatsworth home they occupied when she became an early recruit in Howard Jarvis' Prop. 13 tax revolt A tax revolt is a political struggle to repeal, limit, or roll back a government-imposed tax. In the United States, it is often used to refer to a series of anti-tax state initiative campaigns. The first significant wave of these campaigns was during the 1930s. . Phil McCarten/Staff Photographer |
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