ELECTION 2016

Libertarians offer chance for smaller government in San Mateo County ‘healthcare’ district

by Elizabeth C. Brierly

Lois Garcia and Harland Harrison of San Mateo County have teamed up with Jack Hickey, an elected Libertarian on the board of directors of Sequoia Healthcare District (SHD),
in a bid to fulfill Hickey’s goal of closing this local hospital district without a hospital, yet which continues to rake in funds from taxpayers.  The two Libertarians are
challenging two incumbents for two open seats on the five-member board.*

Slate mailer for Harrison–Garcia campaign sent to district voters three times

Hickey, a retired research scientist, has crusaded for 14 years to
put an end to this local version of government bloat.
His platform of pursuing a Grand Jury recommendation
that the District, which sold Sequoia Hospital in 1996, should cease collection of property taxes until voters approve the district’s newly assumed purpose, got him elected
in 2002 and re-elected every cycle. And he put his money where his mouth is: he has contributed $13,000 and lent another $7,000 to the campaign, which enabled three mailings to
district residents and placement of 200 signs with the slogan, No Hospital? – No Taxes!.

“We need to validate the district,” Hickey told the Almanac newspaper, which ran a story on the campaign on Oct. 12. If his slate is elected, the plan is not to reflexively
declare the district closed, but to put the question to voters.  The process for a ballot measure involves petitioning the Local Agency Formation Commission, which director
Hickey has not been able to effect without majority support.

“If I get [Garcia or Harrison] elected,” Hickey told the Almanac,
“then I’ll have somebody to second my motions (to the district board) and we can have a discussion.”

In an editorial on Sept. 16, the San Mateo Daily Journal agreed wholeheartedly with Hickey’s goal of
taking the matter to voters, writing that, “Time and again, we have proposed
that…[Hickey] take the argument to the people through an initiative process to see if voters actually want the
district dissolved.”  Apparently oblivious to the mechanics of the
process, the Journal proceeded to endorse both incumbents — the very people impeding the newspaper’s
own proposal.

Lois Garcia, Libertarian candidate for Sequoia Healthcare District

Garcia greatly respects Hickey’s work on the SHD board.  “There was a time when the District decided to
tear down Sequoia Hospital, after having spent millions of
dollars to build it,” she wrote on her campaign web site.  “If not for one dissenting board member, Jack Hickey,
who brought the issue to the voters with a petition referendum,
Redwood City would not have the hospital that we have today.”

Garcia sees the district as having a duty to serve the community with integrity.

“They need a strong board of directors that won’t be swayed by ties to the healthcare
industry,” she explains on her campaign web site.  “I want to join Jack Hickey as a voice of the people on the board.”  She says that if elected, she would work to place a measure
on the ballot to let the district’s residents decide its future.

Professionally, Garcia is an information security specialist.  Active in local politics and community service for over a decade, this is her first time running for office.

Harrison has pledged that if elected, he will work diligently to cut property taxes by 50 percent and to
require government financial transparency.

Garcia, too, is concerned about transparency in government, observing in her ballot statement that, “the current board majority…rejected a suggestion to make meeting
recordings available to the public, even though it is the public who provide the means for the board to exist.”

Harrison wrote candidly in a blog post that he wants to close SHD.  “The board has sold the hospital, but has gone right on collecting the taxes!  They got $11,000,000
last year.  Diverting the millions of dollars intended to subsidize Sequoia Hospital is bad enough, but the Board also contrived a profit-sharing agreement as part of the transfer….
So SHD has gone from subsidizing a hospital [in order] to lower the cost of hospital care, to extracting its own profit from the high cost of hospital care.”

The campaign video statement of Harland Harrison for Sequoia Healthcare District was produced by the MidPen Media Center based in Palo Alto.

In addition to maintaining their campaign web sites and blogs, Garcia and Harrison also recorded video statements that are running on local cable public access television and YouTube,
courtesy of a local nonprofit that offers video production services to local candidates and ballot-measure proponents and opponents.

Along with the local Libertarian Party’s endorsement, the pair has won the endorsement of
Silicon Valley Taxpayers Association.  Harrison’s reaction to the good news?
“Why not?  We plan to cut the district’s tax by 100 percent, after all.”

Campaign web sites:

• Lois Garcia: ElectLoisGarcia.com
• Harland Harrison:
  
  CloseSHD.wordpress.com

* For more background on Sequoia Healthcare District,
see Hickey’s and Garcia’s article, “In-depth review of Sequoia Healthcare District closure opportunity,” in this issue.

LP of San Mateo County ballot recommendations for Nov. 8

For additional recommendations by the LP of San Mateo County for the Nov. 8 ballot, visit the party’s web site at:
LPSM.org

Election 2016

Anton for Assembly wins newspaper endorsement, Republican attention

by Sandra Kallander

“People are naturally kinder than the government.”

You know you’ve arrived at the correct web site the moment it loads, because that headline is the first thing you see after
“Ken Anton: Libertarian for California State Assembly (District 2).”  Scroll down, and you find links labeled, “End Cronyism/Corporate Welfare,”
“Spend Wisely,” and “Protect Our Freedoms.”

Ken Anton’s district is sparsely populated, and as a consequence, geographically large.  It stretches over 300 miles, from the
Oregon border to Santa Rosa, and from the Pacific Ocean to parts of the Shasta–Trinity National Forest, serving more than 465,000
people in five counties.

District 2 has attracted both liberal and conservative refugees from the heavily populated areas of California.  With mountains,
forests, and wilderness spaces, most residents must be independent, ready for emergencies and to defend themselves, or they rely on neighbors
and a team of volunteer firefighters; government-provided services are often quite distant and limited.

Anton has pledged to fully restore the right of self-defense, and says that he “will support (if not author myself) any bill to
streamline or remove some of the approximately 1,500 gun laws already on the books that affect fellow Californians.”

To aid the many residents who would be self-employed, he would also end government’s involvement in professional licensing, with
his pledge to “end state-protected cartels by removing all restrictions on practicing in any profession.”

Some residents are involved in growing cannabis in what is known as “the Emerald Triangle.”  Without endorsing Prop. 64, the Adult
Use of Marijuana Act (which the LP of California executive committee chose not to support), Anton proposes to “establish the Emerald
Triangle as an appellation region, similar to a wine growing region.” He says the designation
“would put a premium on our top-quality brand and attract thousands of jobs — it could potentially be a multi-billion-dollar
business. Our district needs that agriculture for economic growth.”

Anton also defends Proposition 13, the state’s 1978 constitutional amendment enacted by voters to help people keep their homes
when real-estate valuations and property taxes are driven up by the sales activity of their neighbors.  Despite the fact that Prop. 13
helped prevent catastrophic state budget issues when the last real-estate bubble burst, it is under constant attack by the legislature and others.

Running a race in multiple jurisdictions, over such a far-flung area, has its challenges.  And hazards: on October 26, the Anton
campaign announced that they had filed a complaint with the California Secretary of State Investigative Services in Sacramento,
regarding the Trinity County Elections Office’s failure to print Anton’s candidate statement in the Trinity County voter guide.
The Trinity County Clerk denied receiving it, but the U.S. Postal Service concluded that it had indeed been delivered.

Anton is facing an incumbent — famously difficult to oust.  Assemblymember Jim Wood (D) of Healdsburg and Anton were unopposed
for the “top two” spots in the open primary.

But Anton has advantages, too. Being willing to run in a “can’t win” race has meant there’s no Republican challenger.
Both the Sonoma County and Trinity County Republican Parties feature Anton prominently on their web sites, along with Donald Trump —
although without actually saying they endorse either candidate.

Another advantage may come from the “social media” effect.  As polling for Gary Johnson for President seems to
indicate, people who don’t rely on older media (TV and newspapers) give greater support for the Libertarian candidate.
These tend to include millennials, active-duty military, and people in remote areas (e.g., Alaska, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada).
Anton is making use of Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+ in his campaign.

Anton won the endorsement of the Anderson Valley Advertiser, a widely circulated and avant-garde weekly newspaper based in Boonville.
“Every vote against an incumbent Democrat gets us closer to breaking their cash-and-carry stranglehold on our lives,”
the newspaper beseeched, reporting also a rumor that “Anton’s a nice guy.” •

Campaign sites: KenAnton.org and Facebook.com/KenAntonforAssembly

ELECTION 2016

Roberts offers Libertarian solutions to East Bay Regional Park District voters

by Elizabeth C. Brierly

John Roberts, Libertarian candidate for East Bay Regional Park District, Ward 2

With degrees in Economics and Finance, a career in banking-industry risk management for the FDIC, and impressive certifications in his field, why is Park District Director a
political office that John Roberts would seek?

As a mountain biker, father of three, trail volunteer, and Libertarian, Roberts has a special appreciation for the role of parks as a place to express and exercise one’s
freedom, and he’s concerned about what he sees as excessive restrictions on their use.  So he is challenging three other candidates for the Ward 2 seat being vacated at East
Bay Regional Park District (EPRPD).

On his campaign web site, Roberts observes that while EBRPD’s mission includes balancing preservation with public usage, “management has expanded the footprint of parks on the
preservation side, but been lopsided [against] the usage side.  Many park visitors are not represented fairly unless they conform to an existing recreational agenda. …EBRPD outbids and
crowds out private parties during land acquisitions using our tax money, and then denies some of us of something we love.”

Sure enough, his opponent Audree Jones-Taylor indicates on her campaign web site her goal of being an “advocate for protecting the remaining hillside and ridgelines.”  And the first
item on the priorities list of opponent Kent Ficketts, who holds a master’s degree in Conservation of Natural Resources and Environmental Management, is “continue to protect and expand”
the regional parks and trails system.

Roberts laments the municipal code’s insistence on requiring government-issued permits for, among other things, “pre-advertised assemblies.”  Let alone the organized group bike
rides that he’d like to see become more feasible and popular, he asks, “how did we forget that the right to peaceably assemble is a constitutional right?”

“Park visitors should get a sense of ownership of our parks,” Roberts told a Lamorinda Weekly reporter for his Oct. 19 article profiling the candidates, “not a sense of dread
from its many rules and restrictive policies.”

Roberts told the California Libertarian Activist (CLA), “More freedom for park users is paramount, and for this it will be necessary to simplify and reduce the amount of rules.”
He explained that currently, for example, “You cannot use vaporizers unless they are FDA-approved medicines; you cannot put up a rope swing; mountain bikers can ride only on dirt trails
wider than eight feet (with rare exceptions); remote-controlled craft are outlawed in all 65 parks.”  He believes that lifting such restrictions on behavior will incentivize residents to
take more advantage of the parklands they’re involuntarily funding through taxation.

“At least two of the other candidates favor protecting natural resources, instead of increasing public access.”  Roberts added, “In particular, they supported the current board’s
vote to close the Chabot Gun Club this year — after 50+ years of safe operation and despite popular opposition to its closure — at a cost of millions of dollars.”

One specific solution he supports is to “pilot a certification program for responsible users to earn additional freedom in the parks, by conforming to a functioning patrol role.
That would include dog walkers, mountain bikers, and equestrians.”

Roberts believes district taxpayers would find his professional experience invaluable.  He conducts continuous bank monitoring, participates in examinations,
and covers risk areas such as operations, audit, and regulatory reporting.  “I earn a fixed salary, yet I make recommendations that can adversely affect the salary prospects of bankers who make
millions; I do this to protect our deposits from bankers taking undue risks.”

To that end, Roberts signed on to several key pledges crafted by the Libertarian National Committee for consideration by candidates for local office, including a pledge to require
government financial transparency.

Sharing Roberts’s concern about transparency is opponent Dee Rosario, who proposes board meetings be held in the evening and commits to regular personal meetings with constituents.
But their common ground disappears when it comes to fiscal matters. Rosario told Lamorinda Weekly that he wants “to see the park district become…the largest land owner in the East Bay.”

“The EBRPD 2016 budget is 84 percent funded by property taxes,” Roberts observed on his web site, “and the rest is primarily funded through charges for services. Parcel taxes assessed
on Alameda and Contra Costa residents keep the parks going. …we are paying for our parks.  It is for this reason that management of EBRPD should be subject to complete transparency for all
taxpayers to see how their funds are put to work…. I believe it is the duty of elected officials to be completely transparent.”

He told the Weekly that he “favors an independent body to oversee fiscal performance and he endorses a bottom-up approach to district management operations,” so he proposes, for example,
that park supervisors’ performance evaluations be based in part on their cooperation with park users and the community.  He’s a strong believer in suggestion boxes, too, citing their active and effective use by the Oakland Main Library as a model for EBRPD.

Roberts has also pledged to immediately end police militarization. In an interview with the “San Leandro Talk” blog, Roberts was asked his opinion about the militarization of the East
Bay Parks police. “Militarization is for battlefields, not parks,” he responded.  “While I fully support police facilities and responsible training, military equipment should be bought and
stored by the National Guard, not park rangers.  I consider militarization spending by any park management to be a waste of taxpayer funds….”

Castle Rock Regional Recreation Area, part of East Bay Regional Park District

As for campaigning, Roberts says, “I practice what I preach as a Libertarian.  Not only do I plan to keep government small to increase freedom, I am also keeping my campaign budget small.
This means a smarter campaign with a focus on Facebook, e-mail, and word of mouth.  I have yet to print a lawn sign, flyer, or mailer.  It helps to keep the environment clean and it makes
sense when running for a ‘park’ position.”  Candidate forums cost nothing, and Roberts has participated in several.  He told CLA that the forums “allowed us to polish our platforms,
see and discuss common ground, and identify where we clearly diverged.”  While he is circumspect in appreciating that “the more candidates, the more of a choice the voting public will have,”
having so many has had its drawbacks: “[At] the final debate…I could have spoken for 12 hours straight, but with four candidates and a limited timeframe, I had to stay very much on point.”

There’s no doubt he been able to do that, armed with the three-pronged platform he devised.  “My ‘CAT’ platform stands for Community, Accessibility, and Transparency,” Robert wrote.  “Community involvement makes for the best parks, and helps the essence of democracy flourish.
Accessibility provides park visitors fair treatment despite socioeconomic, race, handicap, or recreational diversity.
Transparency means the public should be informed of all park decisions because we all fund its function through our tax dollars.” He has written a position paper for each of the planks, which are posted to his campaign web site.

Roberts lives with his wife and three children in Piedmont.  Ward 2 represents most of Oakland, Piedmont, Canyon, Moraga, Orinda, Orinda Village, Rheem Valley, Lafayette, Rossmoor, and part of Walnut Creek.  Parks in this ward include: portion of
Briones, Anthony Chabot, Claremont Canyon, Huckleberry, Leona Open Space, a small portion of Las Trampas, Redwood, Roberts, Sibley, and Temescal. •

Campaign web site: JohnRobertsDemocracy.com

ELECTION 2016

More Libertarian races in California: State legislature

In California’s “top two” open primary election on June 7, along with Ken Anton running for Assembly District 2, four other Libertarian
candidates for state legislature placed second in their races. So five incumbents from the state legislature must each share the November
ballot with a Libertarian alternative.

Running for State Assembly are Libertarians Mike Everling of Los Angeles (District 51), whose campaign we featured in our Oct. 6 issue,* against incumbent Jimmy Gomez (D).
Donn Coenen of Nevada City (District 1) is challenging incumbent Brian Dahle (R).

Real estate agent Baron Bruno of Venice (also profiled in our Oct. 6 issue) ran as a write-in candidate in a
three-way race for Assembly District 62, against incumbent Autumn Burke (D), and emerged tied with another write-in candidate, Marco
Antonio “Tony” Leal (R).  All three candidates have been graduated to the November run-off, so this will actually be a “top three” race.

Honor “Mimi” Robson of Long Beach, a structural engineer, is running for State Senate District 33 against incumbent Ricardo
Lara (D-Bell Gardens).  Robson’s campaign was also covered in more detail in our Oct. 6 issue.

Please consider volunteering or contributing to these Libertarian campaigns (campaign site addresses are shown below).

More Libertarian races in California: Local level

In addition to our candidates at the state level, the LP of California has candidates running for office at the local level,
where we can and do exert a measurable effect on public policy.

In this issue, we feature the campaigns of John Roberts for East Bay Regional Park District, Ward 2, and Lois Garcia and Harland
Harrison, running as a slate for Sequoia Healthcare District’s two open board seats.  Also running are the following three Libertarian candidates.

Aaron Starr, whose campaign we profiled in the Oct. 6 issue, is a CPA and controller of a large
manufacturing firm in Oxnard, where he is running for city council,
an office he first sought in 2014.  He is also a former chair of the LP of California.

Brian Thiemer, the northern vice chair of the LP of California, is on his second run for
Fairfield City Council.  He was also featured in our last issue.

Susan Marie Weber, an elected Libertarian city councilmember in Palm Desert since 2012 who served as mayor in 2015,
is running for re-election there.  Weber is also owner of a small business management consulting firm,
and teaches college-level accounting.

Aaron Starr	Brian Thiemer	Susan Marie Weber
Oxnard City Council StarrForOxnard.com	Fairfield City Council ValueToThePeople.com	Palm Desert City Council SusanMarieWeber.com

Please consider volunteering or contributing to these Libertarian campaigns.

For updates on Libertarian candidates running for office in California this election season,
visit our Candidates web page, at Ca.LP.org/candidates.

A big “thank you” goes to all our Libertarian candidates.  The California Libertarian Activist wishes you good luck and high
vote totals, on November 8!

* Back issues of the California Libertarian Activist are available at Ca.LP.org/news.

FROM THE CHAIR

Free of guilt or reservation

by Ted Brown, Chair

Ted Brown

The difference between the Republican and Democratic parties is that, if the Democrats proposed burning down the White House,
the Republicans would immediately counter with a measure to phase it in over three years.

— Malcolm Wallop (R),
U.S. Senator from Wyoming, 1977–1995

In just two days, Election Day will be upon us — and what
an election season it has been!  I’ve been a Libertarian Party activist since 1979, and have never seen
the kind of attention and support that our presidential candidate, Gov. Gary Johnson, has gotten.

Sadly, Gary was denied a place in the presidential debates, but given how the debates are run by Democratic and
Republican Party insiders, did anyone really expect him to be let in?
Donald Trump is not the “anti-establishment” candidate — that title belongs to Libertarian Party candidates.
Trump may have tried to shake up the establishment with bizarre and dangerous rants, but the sensible
Libertarian program of economic freedom, personal freedom, and a non-interventionist foreign policy is what
would really shake the establishment to its core.

Millennials, aged 18 to 34, get it.  They are Gov. Johnson’s strongest support group.  Active-duty military personnel
get it.  They are giving him more votes and contributions than they are giving Trump or Clinton. And of
course, Libertarians know that voting for the “lesser of two evils” has led to the moribund megagovernment
we’re now saddled with — and to the nomination of two of the worst major-party presidential candidates in
American history.

I’m proud to support Gary Johnson without guilt or reservation, without my reason being that “the other guy is
way worse.”  And, for Californians who worry that an unbalanced narcissist could be hovering over the nuclear
button, remember that Hillary Clinton will likely carry California by 20 points or more, and be awarded every
one of our 55 electoral votes.  So, a vote for Gary Johnson is indeed a vote for Gary Johnson — not a
“spoiler”
vote.  Voting Libertarian will show the pundits that a lot of Californians are backing the sane, decent,
honest candidate.

We saw an enthusiastic response from volunteers wishing to serve as presidential electors for the Johnson–Weld
ticket.  Fifty-five electors and seven alternates are ready to go at a moment’s notice to Sacramento, to vote
for Johnson and Weld, should lightning strike us with Gov. Johnson’s winning California’s popular vote on
November 8.

Gov. Gary Johnson and Gov. Bill Weld, the 2016 Libertarian presidential and vice-presidential ticket (campaign web site: JohnsonWeld2016.com).

Of course, it takes money to garner Libertarian votes. Please visit the Johnson-Weld campaign web site and
make your most generous contribution: JohnsonWeld.com.

In other news, the Libertarian Party of California has taken positions on the statewide ballot propositions
on the November ballot, which you can review on our web site, here:
Ca.LP.org/measures, as well as in this newsletter.

You probably could have predicted most of our positions, given how the party opposes bonded indebtedness,
taxes, and government-imposed regulation of all types. But there has been some controversy about the party’s
opposition to Proposition 64, the Adult Use of Marijuana Act.  As you may know, the Libertarian Party has
been the foremost advocate for ending the War on Drugs for over 44 years, and over the last decade, the
general public has finally started agreeing with us.

So why oppose Prop. 64, as the LPC executive committee unanimously voted to do? There are passionate
advocates on both sides of the issue, and a lot of “for” people have told us that we either misunderstand
the proposal or are too “pure” and are letting the perfect be the enemy of the good.  I won’t fault anyone
for voting “yes” on 64.  There are some very good aspects. For example, personal use will be legalized and
those convicted of pot offenses can petition to have their records cleared.  But overall, this measure was
written by and financed by people who really don’t favor legal pot all that much, but knew the time has
come, and wanted to make sure to impose on the marijuana industry a truly rigorous, 62-page regulatory
scheme. The measure would also create a few new crimes that would result in jail time. Please read
Prop. 64 carefully before making your decision.

Membership is growing in both the national and California LP, and I welcome any new members who are
reading this. For those of you whose membership has lapsed, please renew at:
Ca.LP.org/membership

Finally, the Executive Committee will hold its next meeting on November 19 (see sidebar for details).
This is the first “excom” meeting in the Bay Area in
recent memory.  We’ll be planning our post-election season goals
and activities.  Members of the public are invited. •

LP of California Executive Committee meeting

WHEN: Saturday, November 19, 2016, from 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.

WHERE: Mudrakers Café, 2801 Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley

The LPC Executive Committee holds in-person meetings quarterly
at varying locations.

AFFILIATE NEWS

Mendocino LP undertakes changes to constitution and bylaws

On October 15, the Mendocino County Libertarian Party (MCLP) met in Ukiah to prepare a new constitution and bylaws.
The new constitution and bylaws will be voted on at the next meeting, on Saturday, November 12.  (See sidebar for details.)

Upon approval of the constitution and bylaws, nominations for officers will be accepted at that meeting.
All interested Libertarians are encouraged to attend. •

Next meeting of the LP of Mendocino County

WHEN: Saturday, November 12, 1:00 P.M.

WHERE: Dolphin Isle Marina in Fort Bragg

DETAILS: Please check the Facebook page in case of any last-minute updates or changes, at

Facebook.com/MendocinoCountyLibertarianParty

ELECTION 2016

Recommendations on statewide ballot measures

The Libertarian Party of California has taken the following positions on the statewide propositions on the November 8 ballot:

These recommendations are also posted on the LPC web site, at Ca.LP.org/measures.

ELECTION 2016

The importance of your vote for Liberty

by Judge Jim Gray (Ret.)

Judge Jim Gray

I have focused in my columns upon how Liberty in so many circumstances more positively and
effectively addresses and resolves issues and problems in our world than does Big Government.
And this has been shown to be true in many areas, including justice, the tax code, education, health care,
security, immigration, international relations, and many more.

I have asserted that Libertarian Gary Johnson is the only presidential candidate who would consistently
employ Liberty in Washington, just as he did as the two-term governor of New Mexico.  In fact, this directly led to his campaign
slogan:
Good government is easy: Watch!

Well, the presidential election is now upon us, but Governor Johnson will not win it outright.  (He could still win, if the
election is sent to the House of Representatives under the Twelfth Amendment.)  Why won’t he win it, outright? Because even though
he is on the ballots of all 50 states and D.C., he was not included in the presidential debates — the Super Bowl of presidential
politics.  He was not included because the debates are completely controlled by the so-called [nonpartisan] Commission on
Presidential Debates, which, in turn, is completely controlled by high-ranking Democrats and Republicans.

Nevertheless, I still entreat you to vote for Governor Johnson!  Why?  Because instead of voting for either of the truly scary
candidates from the two main parties, your vote will be seen as one for a public servant of integrity who stands for financial
responsibility, social inclusiveness, and Liberty.  (If you vote for the “lesser of two evils,” you still get evil!)

Furthermore, your vote will really count.  For example, a vote for Trump in states like California or New York is a wasted
vote, because Clinton will easily win those states.  In fact, a vote for Clinton in those states would also be a wasted vote,
because she will still win them even without you.  The same thing is true in reverse for Trump, in states like Texas.

But if Johnson receives just five percent of the vote nationwide, the Libertarians will receive public funding in the next
presidential election, just like the two main parties (that is, if the Libertarians choose to accept that funding — by no means
a foregone conclusion).  This will have the important consequence of tending to bring both the Republicans and Democrats back from
some of the radical positions they now are taking, and more toward the center — because they will want to re-attract those votes.
So in every state that is a lock for either Clinton or Trump, the only meaningful vote is for Governor Gary Johnson.  Please consider
this reality.

Object to the status quo, stand up for Liberty and integrity, and please pass this message on to as many of your voting
friends as you can.  Every vote is important, and time is short! •

James P. “Jim” Gray is a retired superior court judge, author of A Voter’s Handbook: Effective
Solutions to America’s Problems (2001), and was
vice-presidential running mate in 2012 to Gov. Johnson, whose exclusion from the televised
debates led to the pair’s role as co-plaintiffs in
an ongoing lawsuit against the bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates.
Judge Gray now serves as honorary chairman of Our America Initiative
(OurAmericaInitiative.com)
His column is available on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

This column was originally published as installment no. 90
of the author’s weekly column, 2 Paragraphs 4 Liberty.
Reprinted with permission.

San Diego Libertarian Party welcomes all

Committee Meeting

WHEN: Second Thursday of every month, 7:00 P.M.

WHERE: 7840 El Cajon Blvd., Suite 500, La Mesa 91942

Supper Club

WHEN: Fourth Wednesday of every month, 6:00 P.M.

WHERE: Giovanni’s Restaurant, 9353 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., San Diego 92123

DETAILS: We have guest speakers, video presentations, debates, and sometimes, we just socialize.

FOR INFO: Contact Jerry Dixon, Executive Chair: Phone (830) 530-1776; e-mail
Jerry@AccountingSolutionsInc.com, or visit Facebook.com/SanDiegoLP.

OUTREACH

SJSU sorority welcomes Libertarian rep at candidate forum

by Ed Wimmers

I found it satisfying and even refreshing to represent the Libertarian Party at the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority (DST)
candidate forum, held at San
Jose State University on Sept. 27.  DST is a national sorority which describes its membership as
“predominantly black, college-educated women.”

A variety of candidates participated: one congressional candidate, one state senate candidate, three
assembly candidates, two candidates for
city council, four for school boards, one for a water board, and one political party representative: me.
The organizers went out of their way to
include me, even though I was a last-minute addition to the program; they welcomed me, were gracious, and did a
great job.

The moderator made sure everyone had a chance to speak, but even so, given that there were so many candidates,
my time was limited.  So in my
opening statement, I stuck to two main points:

• The Libertarian Party’s positions are based on the non-aggression principle.
• We favor cooperation over coercion.

During the question period, not surprisingly, I was asked about Gov. Gary Johnson’s infamous “Aleppo moment,” so
I pivoted and emphasized that
Libertarians believe that the U.S. government should not be messing around in other countries. Considering that the
audience
was primarily female, I also squeezed in the notable fact that the first woman in history to receive a vote from the U.S.
electoral college was Libertarian Tonie Nathan, our 1972 vice-presidential candidate. I also made sure to direct the audience also to our web sites.

Emblem of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority: “Serve, Lead, Empower”

For my final remarks, I observed that most of the discussion had been about government attempting to solve problems,
with no talk of stopping
the government from taking actions which cause problems.  I mentioned that all Libertarian Party presidential candidates,
including Gary Johnson, have
sought to end our foreign wars and the war on drugs.

There were many positive aspects of the forum.  It was refreshing to chat with a few citizen-candidates running out of concern for their
communities rather than their own political career (e.g., Kimberly Meek for school trustee, Tom Cruz for water board).  One of the few Republicans did
talk about limited government.

However, the brightest spot was when Pattie Cortese, running for re-election to the East Side Union High School
District board of trustees,
talked about “restorative justice.” I understood from her remarks the principle that the criminal should make the victim
whole, rather than that the
criminal should merely be punished.  Wikipedia is not always reliable, but at the time I’m writing this, it explains
restorative justice this way:
“The approach is based on a theory of justice that considers crime and wrongdoing to be an offense
against an individual or community, rather than the State.”  That is a positively libertarian notion, and we might
want to explore the restorative
justice movement for potential synergy with our principles, platform, and campaigns.

Finally, in case I’d had any doubt about having taken time to be there that day, two of the sorors — as
the sisters of Delta Sigma Theta
call themselves — approached me after the event.  One said she needs to look into the Libertarian Party more, and the other said she strongly agreed
with us. •

Ed Wimmers is a former chair, and current activities chair, of the Libertarian Party of Santa Clara County.

Libertarian Party activities in Contra Costa County

Promote the LP on Election Day

WHEN: Election Day! Tuesday, November 8, 2016

WHERE: To be determined

DETAILS: We’re planning a variety of activities for Election Day, in three separate time slots:
7–11 A.M., 11 A.M.–4 P.M., and 4–8 P.M. Please sign up if you’re available to help promote the Libertarian Party!

Locations and activities throughout the county are still being planned, and will be based on the number
of volunteers who respond.

Please remember that all electioneering activities must
be kept more than 100 feet away from any polling place. Check our Meetup page for more information and updates:
Meetup.com/lp-ccc

Go Gary Johnson and our local Libertarian candidates!

Central committee meeting

WHEN: Thursday, December 1, 2016, 7:00 – 9:00 P.M.

WHERE: Mimi’s Café: 1613 Willow Pass Road, Concord 94520

MORE INFO: MeetUp.com/lp-ccc

Meetings are normally held on the first Thursday of each month.

OUTREACH

LP to meet students at JSA political fair in S.F. Bay area

by Lawrence Samuels

Political buttons — some more “colorful” than others — are a big draw at the LP’s table at JSA political fairs

It’s time for our semiannual participation in the Junior State of America convention in Santa Clara.

The mission of the Junior State of America and the Junior Statesmen
Foundation (JSA) is to strengthen American democracy by educating and preparing
high school students for life-long involvement and responsible leadership in a democratic society.

Twice a year, Libertarians from Monterey County journey to Santa Clara, where they are joined by
activists from other LP affiliates in the bay area, to meet JSA members — bright young students learning
and practicing every aspect of political process.  We share
Libertarian Party principles, literature, buttons, and books with them.

Afterward we’ll go out to eat at Pizza California, owned by a libertarian.

WHEN: Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016, afternoon (exact time to be announced)

Lawrence Samuels

WHERE:

• Marriott Hotel: 2700 Mission College Blvd. Santa Clara (Great America Parkway exit off Hwy. 101)
• Pizza California: 1708 Oakland Rd. Suite 500, San Jose (Brokaw Rd. exit off Hwy. 880 or Hwy. 101)

MORE INFO: For updates on event timing and other details,
contact Lawrence Samuels via e-mail at LawSam1951@Hotmail.com. •

Lawrence Samuels is vice chair of the LP of Monterey County, author of  In Defense of Chaos: The
Chaology of Politics, Economics, and Human Action, vice chair of the Seaside Taxpayers Association, and a Realtor.

Libertarian Party of Monterey County announcements

Election Night Party!

Because 2016 has been such a crazy election year, we’ve got to have an election-evening party, or we’ll go berserk!
Join us for pizza and beer as we watch election returns on a big TV screen.

WHEN: Tuesday, November 8, 2016, starting at 6:00 P.M.

WHERE: Private home, near the mouth of Carmel Valley (R.S.V.P. for address)

DETAILS:

• Prof. David Henderson will provide lots of pizza. Others will provide beer and munchies.
• Sponsored by the local Libertarian Party, the Seaside Taxpayers Association, and various activists from the No on Measures E, X, and Y campaigns.

R.S.V.P.: We need to know how many crates of pizza to buy! Contact Lawrence Samuels
via e-mail at LawSam1951@Hotmail.com, or phone (831) 238-5058.

Ballot measure recommendations

Need last-minute guidance on local ballot measures?

Review our recommendations, posted on the Monterey County LP web site, at
MontereyCountyLP.org.

AFFILIATE NEWS

Wine and Liberty 2016 celebrates the dawn of Libertarian awareness

Robert Imhoff-Dousharm and his daughter support Gary Johnson for President at the Westover Winery

The East Bay LP Wine and Liberty fundraiser drew candidates and attendees from all over the Bay Area to the beautiful
Palomares Valley on Sunday, Oct. 9, to enjoy food, wine, and friendship as we count down the days to another election.
As always, the top-ticket race is already decided by the parties and their media colleagues, so the only reason left to vote on November 8 is to try to push back against the
organized gangsters who are, once again, attempting to tax us into permanent servitude.

Alameda County voters are faced with two bond measure proposals which, should both pass, will saddle taxpayers with $580 million to
promote affordable housing (Measure A1) and $3.5 billion to repair, upgrade and maintain BART (Measure RR). A third
measure, C1, will extend a “temporary”
$8-per-month parcel tax to subsidize Alameda–Contra Costa (“AC”) Transit for another 20 years, rather than allowing it to sunset,
as was promised to the voters when it was first approved.

In addition, there are no fewer than 17 statewide initiatives to address, each with their own agenda to meet. If you are on the
fence about any of them, check out the Libertarian Party of California’s
recommendations in this issue
(or on the LPC website at Ca.LP.org/measures).

The LPC Executive Committee voted to endorse only four of them, and opposes the other thirteen.

Alameda County is fortunate to have our own Libertarian candidate to support for the East Bay Regional Park District, Ward 2,
Piedmont’s John Roberts.  John shows a lot of passion for government transparency and has done the research to make a strong case for his
candidacy.

Libertarians in Fairfield can vote for our LPC Northern Vice Chair, Brian Thiemer, seeking a seat on the City Council.
This is Thiemer’s second city council campaign, and voters have had a chance to become familiar with his name and positions, thanks to his regular
op-ed columns in the local newspaper, the Fairfield Reporter.

Once again, several east bay Libertarian activists are volunteering as poll workers, to do our best to make
sure the election is conducted fairly. Please remember to vote on November 8! •

Reprinted with permission from Libertarian Lifeline.

Next regular meeting of the LP of Alameda County

WHEN: Thursday, November 10, 2016, 7:15 – 9:00 P.M.

WHERE: Tai San Chinese Restaurant: 2811 Telegraph Avenue, Berkeley 94705

For more details: Visit
LPAC.us/events,
or contact chair Jim Eyer via e-mail at
Chair@LPAC.us
or by phone at (510) 482-3521.

Meetings are held on the second Thursday of each month. The agenda includes local party business (usually an hour or less), news, planning, and fun.

AFFILIATE NEWS

Johnson–Weld 2016 office springs up in Roseville

Exciting news here at the Placer County LP: Ken Gillespie has opened a Johnson–Weld campaign office in Roseville.
A big “thank you” to Christine Bish of Newpoint Realty Services for furnishing the office space and materials. The office is located at 1098 Melody Lane
Suite 101, Roseville, 95678.

With our voter outreach efforts in full swing during the last few days before the election,
the volunteers may be out and about during any given hour. So if you’d like to stop by for materials or to volunteer, it’s
highly recommended to contact Ken ahead of time, at (909) 532-0453.

We hope to see you for pizza at our first post-election meeting, on Wed., November 9 (see sidebar for details).

Next meeting of the LP of Placer County

WHEN: Wed., November 9, 7:00 – 9:00 P.M.

WHERE: Round Table Pizza: 8755-A Sierra College Blvd. (at Douglas Blvd, opposite Safeway), Roseville, 95661

Meetings are held on one or more Wednesday evenings each month. To receive meeting notices,
send e-mail to LP Placer County chair Steven Wood at
PlacerCoLP@GMail.com.

AFFILIATE NEWS

LP of San Joaquin County hosts candidates of all stripes

San Joaquin County Libertarians (SJC LP) recently hosted Stockton School Board candidate
Doug Vigil, U.S. House District 9 candidate Tony Amador (R), SJC Board of Supervisors
candidate Tom Patti, Stockton City Councilman Dan Wright, and Stockton Mayor Anthony Silva,
following his controversial arrest this summer.

The San Joaquin County Libertarian Party officially endorses Doug Vigil for Stockton School board.

Every other candidate we’ve hosted is in a category that we cannot endorse, based on the bylaws of the LP of California, and our
status as an affiliate of the state party. A candidate must be registered as a Libertarian or “no party preference” (NPP), if in a
nonpartisan race, or must be running as a Libertarian for any partisan race, in order to eligible for LP endorsement. Therefore,
the SJC LP takes no position on the above candidates and elected officials. Individual San Joaquin LP members may have made their
own evaluations of these politicians and welcome the discussion. •

LP of Sacramento County announcements

Election-night watch party

Join us for a fun and social evening as we watch the election results!
We will be following the national election and the local Libertarian races in California.

Pizza will be provided! Admission is free. A cash bar and gelato stand will also be available.

WHEN: Tuesday, November 8, 2016, 6 – 9:30 P.M.

WHERE: Hot Italian, 1627 16th Street, Sacramento 95814

R.S.V.P.:
Facebook.com/SacramentoLP or

LPSac.org/electionnight

For more information: E-mail us at Office@LPSac.org

Invite your friends…see you there!

Ballot measure recommendations

Need last-minute guidance on local ballot measures?  Review the recommendations posted
on the Sacramento LP web site:

LPSac.org/2016-voter-guide

PUBLICITY

Santa Clara LP making the most of ‘top two’

Kennita Watson, the Libertarian challenger in the 2016 open primary for U.S. Congress, District 17 (KennitaWatson2016.org)

The LP of Santa Clara County took advantage in October of the general election season to reiterate publicly its opposition to open primaries and
career politicians.

The party issued a press release following its central committee’s passage of a motion which affirmed the party’s opposition
to the re-election of 16-year incumbent
U.S. Congressman Mike Honda (D) in the so-called general election — and which recommended that voters do not cast their ballots for him.

This November’s general election is nothing more than a run-off between Honda and one other Democrat, Ro Khanna, who actually surpassed incumbent
Honda in the Prop. 14 open primary and was ranked the highest vote-getter.

The following is an excerpt from the press release, which was sent to key local media:

Mark W.A. Hinkle for Santa Clara Valley Water District

The press release also announced
the party’s endorsement former national and state Libertarian Party chair Mark W.A. Hinkle, a small-business owner and
LP of California executive committee member, for his recently
launched write-in campaign for Santa Clara Valley Water District, District 1.

In addition, it listed the positions it had taken on more than 15 local ballot measures, recommending “no” votes on numerous bonds,
tax increases, and rent-control measures, among others. Those recommendations are listed
at the LPSCC’s web site:
SCCLP.org/elections. •

Gatherings of Los Angeles County LP affiliates