You can find some history of
the contemporary initiative process, national initiative process,
politics, and economics on this page.
The
Ed Koupal section gives
reader a feel for the man. Dream Bigger reflects
some of Ed's approach to politics and life. People's
Lobby Founder Dies pays tribute to some of
Ed's accomplishments and style. Death
of a Salesman is a tribute from Tom Quinn,
Governor Jerry Brown's first campaign manager and top aide, to the man
he came to know. God's Angry Man Told
Us So reminisces as to some reasons why Ed
never wanted to give up final authority for governing our lives. A
Memorial Resolution dedicated to Ed Koupal by Senator David Roberti, on
behalf of the California Senate, California
Memorial Resolution.
The
Joyce Koupal section In
Dear Ones Joyce passes on some of the secrets to Ed and Joyce's
successes minced with memories of their life together and hopes for her
children. In Joyce
resigns LAEC 1976, Ed is dying and Joyce tells the Los Anglese
Energy Commission why she is resigning. Joyce leaves LAEC a
statement on safe energy, responsibility, her dying husband and atomic
energy in Joyce's
atomic statement 1976. City of Los
Angeles pays tribute to Joyce. Joyce's testimony on National
Initiaitve Constitutional Amendment proposal before Senate Judiciay
Committee. Joyce rebutts
IAR initiative attack. How do groups win against overwhelming
odds? Read Success is Failure
Analyzed.
The
National Initiative section gives
reader a taste of the ideas that continue evolving around the movement
to provide all Americans with the tools of direct democracy. The
Case for Law by Initiative presents reasons why an Initiative
America Constitutional amendment would and should work. US
Initiative can give us more clout offers reasons why substantive
rather than trendy issues could be addressed with a national initiative
process. Drive toward a national initiative
process by Ralph Nader explains why such is
healthy. Senate Joint Resolution 67
represents People's Lobby's work in bringing the nation as close as it
has yet come in obtaining a national initiative process. From the
National Journal John Magg's Ballot Boxing
boxes back some of anti-initiative jabs David Broder throws from his Democracy
Derailed book. People's Lobby
1974 Proposed
27th Amendment for National Initiative and Recall. Ralph
Nader testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committe Hearing on
Voter Initiative Constitutional Amendment in 1977. An example of how Ed
Koupal captured the imaginations of attenees at the 74
Critical Mass Conference and then lead that group to the Western
Bloc Initiative campaign -- the closest the nation has been to a
national initiative campaign. Success
is Failure Analyzed represents what
PL tried to do after any campaign. It analyzed the reasons behind
the electoral losses People's Lobby had learned from and passed that
information on in the hopes that the Western Bloc Safe Power Campaigns
and others would learn from those hard learned lessons.
The
Initiative section offers
perspectives on various aspects of the "initiative." In Initiative
Assessments 1975 historical, definitive and
analytical excerpts are taken from Cal State's Professor
Price's Western Political Science Quarterly essay. How
Interest Groups Use the Initiative Process In California explains
how the 106 California ballot initiatives run between 1976-96 fared when
charted as moneyed vesus citizen supported initiatives. Prop
15 intended to provide more safety to state citizens on
federally licensed nuclear plants. Even in Prop
15's defeat the initiative forces legislatures to act.
How did People's Lobby Win
Elections and Influence People -- ask Ben Franklin. Nader
's 1976 Direct Democracy via Referendum column
in Washington Star on progress on initiative process and groups who push
that progress.
The Court
Cases section will summarize relevant cases and provide links where
available. Buckley v Valeo 1976
equated
campaign expenditures with First Amendment free political expression
rights. Nixon v. Shrink 2000 supported the
Buckley ruling that said campaign contribution limitations were
constitutional. In California Supreme Court Diamond
v. Bland 1970, People's Lobby's landmark case, ruled that shopping
centers were the functional equivalent of town centers and consequently
signature gathers could collect signatures on them. Diamond
v. Bland 1974 overturned that decision based on the
decision of U. S. Supreme Court in Lloyd v Tanner
1972.
Memories of Ed &
Joyce People's Lobby
Those who
knew Ed, Joyce and the Lobby chime in with their memories. Much of
this used in the book. Sonia
Danielson, Roger
Telschow and John
Forester worked
for years with the Lobby. Dick Larimer grew up with Ed.
Roger Jon
Diamond was the Lobby's one man legal battleship. David Schmidt
wrote
the excellent Citizen Lawmakers, The Ballot Initiative Revolution
book by Temple Press in 1989. Diana
O'Brien remembers working as a high school student on Lobby projects and
now serves as Lobby Board member. Save Santa Save
Santa Monica Mountain environmentalists Sue Nelson remembers Koupals
as mentors. Initiative
America workhorse John Forester remembers Ed, Western Bloc,
Initiative America. Son
Cecil Koupal remembers parents and growing up with them.
News
Coverage
San Luis Obispo
Tribune answers "Who's the strongest opponent of nuclear power in
California?" Ed
and People's Lobby. Because "Ed clobbered him..." Edison
teachs speakers to defend
San Diego
Review Columns has published
stories of the Lobby and the Koupals, People's Lobby and the national
Initiative movement.... .
The
proposed Voter Initiative Constitutional Amendment of 1977
SJR67
initiated by People's
Lobby and its workers as proposed 27th Amendment..
Joyce
Koupal testimony to the 1977
Senate Judiciary Hearings on the proposed Voter Initiaitive
Constitutional Amendment.
Nader's
testimony to the 1977 Senate Judiciary Hearings on the proposed Voter
Initiaitive Constitutional Amendment.
Columnists
Pierce, von Hoffman, Will, Buchanon and Brinkley as well as actor
Redford chime in with their feelings on
the proposed national initiative proposal.
