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Meet the California Libertarian Candidates on the Ballots
All of these candidates have been endorsed by the Libertarian Party of California Executive Committee
In alphabetical order:
1. Deborah Brandon, John Swett Unified School District Board, Contra Costa County
No photo or candidate statements submitted.
2. Rodgir Cohen, Redlands City Council, District 1, San Bernardino County
www.cohenforredlands.com
Rodgir strongly believes in restoring governmental power to the grassroots level. He holds the values of justice and equality for all people as guiding principles when teaching. As a combat veteran, Rodgir is a seasoned leader with the vision needed to stimulate the economic growth of Redlands. Redlands needs bold leaders that envision economic prosperity for our city.
3. Jeff Hewitt, Riverside County Supervisor, District 5
https://votehewitt.com/
With determination, I will continue to reform our county. Each worker should be actively incentivized to provide quality customer service to the public. When re-elected, I will again serve the public first and foremost and we will do it with speed, diligence, and courtesy.
4. Michael Lema, Hayward City Council, At Large, Alameda County
www.lema4hayward.us
Michael is a true Hayward Native. Born in the city in 1996, he attended local schools, including Hayward High, found his friends, family, and community in the city. Now he is running for City Council to give back to his city in a new way: making it a better place for all of its residents.
Michael Lema is running on a platform to clean up the city and reaffirm all of its residents' freedoms. On Education, Homelessness, Security, and COVID-19, Michael only stands for one thing: Hayward.
5. Terry Miller, Cypress City Council, Orange County
www.terryforcypress.com
Terry Miller is an Orange County native who has lived in Cypress with his wife and two children for eight years. He has over 20 years of experience as an IT Manager, successfully leading teams, managing budgets, setting and tracking goals, and managing large-scale projects to success.
Terry is currently the Vice Chair of the Libertarian Party of Orange County and an Alternate on the Libertarian Party of Californiaās Executive Committee. He previously served on the Membership Committee of the Libertarian Party of California.
āWe must never stop working together to improve our city and build a Cypress for everyone.ā āTerry Miller
6. Tom Nichols, State Assembly, District 8: Spread across Calaveras, Toulemne, Mariposa, Madera, Fresno, Inyo and Mono Counties
https://lpfresno.wordpress.com/tom-nichols-for-assembly/
I am Tom Nichols, and I want to be the representative for Assembly District 8. As a long-time resident of the Sierra foothills, I know the problems faced by District 8 citizens. I have personally been at the mercy of state and federal mismanagement and had my home threatened by wildfire. Like many of you, I now face the rising insurance premiums that are endangering the livelihoods of the people who live and work here. We must regain control of our public lands as well as our surface and groundwater; the futures of our communities are at stake.
7. Francisco Ramirez, Hanford City Council, District D, Kings County
I truly love serving my community. I ran because I had witnessed over-regulation on businesses, our parks deteriorating, and growing crime activity. With a great team in our city council, and hard work we have been getting the job done.
Our election is bipartisan. I believe actions speak louder than words and I have always shown that I'm for my community by my actions and my community has supported me because of that. Previous Campaigns- 2018: Hanford City Council District D, won with 52.84% of the vote. 2014: Hanford City Council District D, won with 56.95% of the vote. 2013: California State Senate District 16, lost in Primary with 3% of the vote.
8. Lawrence Samuels, Carmel Unified School District, Monterey County
"Education Not Indoctrination!" I promise to work at keeping politics out of the school system. This will be a difficult task. Most educational institutions are owned and administrated by governmental agencies that often disdain independent and critical thinking students.
Moreover, many educational bureaucrats are loyal to the dictates of labor unions rather than to parents, who foot the bill.
I will try to keep an eye on educators who want children to follow a particular political narrative that promotes victimhood, dependency, anti-liberal values, and an entitlement mentality, which can lead to the detriment of quality education.
9. Amanda Saltray, Hanford City Council, District A, Kings County
www.Saltray4Hanford.com
Amanda Saltray is a Voice for the People! - I will continue to bridge the gap between the City and the community.ā
Amanda Saltray has a Passion for Parks! - Hidden Valley has been a priority for me and seeing the 18 acres turned back to parkland was a top goal and now we can focus on community outreach to build it.
Amanda Saltray has a Plan for the Homeless! - I have a strong passion and heart for those in need which make me a strong advocate.
Amanda Saltray wants to Beautify Downtown! - My vision for the downtown is to see more eateries, more entertainment and to improve the infrastructure.
10. Jeffery Schwartz, Thousand Oaks City Council, At Large, Ventura County
www.Jeff4TO.com
Iām Jeff Schwartz, and Iām running for City Council of Thousand Oaks! Iāve been a freedom-lover all my life. I first joined the LP around 1990. As recently-appointed Chair of the Libertarian Party of Ventura County, I decided to jump into the race in order to affect local politics and to learn by experience the process of running for office.
After researching California election law, I learned that running for local office is by far the easiest way to get your name on the ballot. I strongly encourage each California Libertarian to consider getting your name on the ballot for local office next election cycle. It is far easier than you might imagine.
11. Cheyne Strawn, Hanford City Council, District E, Kings County
https://www.facebook.com/Strawn4Hanford
The unique charm and splendor of Hanford is what brought me to our community 6 years ago.
At the age of 25 I was the youngest member appointed to the Tulare County Grand Jury twice. While attending College of the Sequoias working on my associates degree, I was elected Student Senate President which allowed me to gain extensive knowledge in student government.
Later, I would be appointed to the Hanford Parks and Recreation Commission where I would start my call to service by helping to improve our park system and provide new amenities that everyone could enjoy, including our very own Winter Wonderland.
I humbly ask for your vote so I could represent your voice on the City Council in service with passion!
Click here to read the full candidate statements
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Kelly Carden wins seat on Rosamond Municipal Advisory Committee
LPCA endorsed candidate, Kelly Carden, won a seat on the Rosamond MAC, Kern County
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From Kelly Cardenās Facebook post from August 22, 2022:
āI had been waiting on confirmation from Kern County Elections but only 3 people have filed for the 4 open seats. I'm proud to announce that I will be sworn in as a member of the Rosamond Municipal Advisory Council in January. I'm honored and excited to be a voice for my friends and family in my hometown. To all the supporters over that last year have supported me through my run for Supervisor, thank you. If you had planned on giving to my campaign then I would ask you to make a donation to the Libertarian Party of Kern County.ā
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STATE, COUNTY & CITY VOTER GUIDE
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California State Propositions
All of these positions on propositions have been endorsed by the Libertarian Party of California Executive Committee
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County Measures & Candidates
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Alameda County - Website
Humboldt County - Facebook Page
- LP of Humboldt County has no recommendations at this time, but check their Facebook page for updates as the election draws near.
- LP of Kern County has no recommendations at this time, but check their Facebook page for updates as the election draws near.
- LP of Lake County has no recommendations at this time, but check their Facebook page for updates as the election draws near.
- LP of Marin County has no recommendations at this time, but check their Facebook page for updates as the election draws near.
- LP of Merced County has no recommendations at this time, but check their Facebook page for updates as the election draws near.
- Terry Miller, Cypress City Council
- LP of Placer County has no recommendations at this time, but check their website for updates as the election draws near.
Plumas County - Facebook Pageā
- LP of Plumas County has no recommendations at this time, but check their Facebook page for updates as the election draws near.
- LP of Sacramento County has no recommendations at this time, but check their Facebook page for updates as the election draws near.
- LP of San Benito County has no recommendations at this time, but check their Facebook page for updates as the election draws near.
- Rodgir Cohen, Redlands City Council, District 1
- NO on Measure A: Rialto USD
- NO on Measure D: County of San Bernadino
- LP of San Francisco County has no recommendations at this time, but check their website for updates as the election draws near.
- NO on Measure G-22: Cambria Community Healthcare District
- NO on Measure C-22: San Luis Coastal USD Bond
- NO on Measure M: Loma Prieta Joint Union Elementary School District Bond
- LP of Solano County has no recommendations at this time, but check their Facebook page for updates as the election draws near.
- LP of Sonoma County has no recommendations at this time, but check their Facebook page for updates as the election draws near.
- NO on Measure A: County of Sutter Sales Tax
- NO on Measure Z: City of Yuba
Yuba County
- NO on Measure P: Wheatland Union #1 Bond
- NO on Measure Q: Wheatland Union #2 Bond
- NO on Measure R: Plumas Lake Elementary Bond
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LPCA Executive Committee Meeting & Fundraiser: Saturday, September 24th
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The next Libertarian Party of California Executive Committee Meeting will be held Saturday, September 24th, 2022, from 10:00am to 5:00pm. It will be followed by a fundraiser to support the Candidate Support Fund, that evening.
After the Executive Committee meeting, a fundraiser will be held at the same hotel. Details about guest speakers and auction items will be posted to social media and the LPCA website as the date approaches, so watch for further updates.
You can purchase tickets for the evening fundraiser here: https://csc-dinner-sep24.eventbrite.com
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This meeting and fundraiser are open to all members and the general public to attend. The meeting will also be streamed live on LPCA's Facebook page.
The meeting will be held at:
Hotel Mission De Oro
13070 South Hwy 33
Santa Nella, CA 95322
They can get more information on the website: https://hotelmissiondeoro.com/
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New Updated Affiliate Support Handbook Available & Upcoming Seminars
By Teddy Gercken, Chair of the Affiliate Support Committee
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This year, our new Affiliate Support Committee has been working hard to make Libertarian activists around California as successful as possible. In this pursuit, they have created a litany of resources, including a new and improved Affiliate Support Handbook. This document contains critical information from social media, to membership, to state committees. If you are a local Libertarian leader, you should read the handbook and bookmark (bookmarking instead of downloading ensures that you are always looking at the most current version) its link.
For the link, please contact your respective regional Area Coordinator:
Northern Area Coordinator: Ms. Elizabeth Stump nac@ca.lp.org
Central Area Coordinator: Mr. Matthew Butts cac@ca.lp.org
Southern Area Coordinator: Ms. Tara Young sac@ca.lp.org
Upcoming Seminars:
One of the major initiatives that the LPCA Affiliate Support Committee will be undertaking over the next few months is setting up a seminar program! We know that for many topics, just having a text description in the Affiliate Support Handbook won't cut it because watching a live demonstration is needed to truly learn the subject. We have heard that live tutorials, Q&A sessions, and workshops would be helpful, so we will be putting them on! In order to help us decide which seminars to hold, please fill out the form linked in Theodore Gerckenās email to County Executive Committees! It takes 30 seconds (at the most) and will enable the LPCA Affiliate Support Committee to best serve your needs!
Let us know what you want to hear about and see demonstrations of at: https://forms.gle/KdmWJyQRP4ViVNQPA
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The National Libertarian Party Platform:
Changes Made and How is Affects California
By Patrick Nicholson
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At the 2021 California Libertarian Convention in Long Beach, the delegation elected to dissolve the Platform Committee and adopt the National Libertarian Party Platform. Consequently, California Libertarians need to take a special interest in the National Platform.
At the 2022 national convention in Reno Nevada, the 2018 platform was modified. This article will provide a summary of the changes to the national party platform and a brief explanation as to why the changes were made. The final 2022 National Platform can be accessed on the web at: https://www.lp.org/platform/
Editorial Note: snapshots of the platform changed sections are provided below. Text that was added to the platform is in red and underlined. Deleted text is in red and struck through.
1.2 Expression and Communication
In popular culture, freedom of speech has been under attack in recent years. Adherence to the absolute freedom of speech principle is no longer the norm. As Ayn Rand stated, āwhen you lose the distinction between action and speech, you lose, eventually, the freedom of both.ā The national delegation felt that it was important to clarify what freedom of expression - and the control of communications ā means. Thus, the following changes were made to Section 1.2.
1.5 Abortion
With the recent supreme court ruling there is no doubt that abortion is a contentious topic across the whole country. This issue is also contentious within the Libertarian Party. A large contingency of convention delegates felt that the existing plank on abortion did not represent all viewpoints and contributed to the partyās inability to attract new members. Some in the party felt that the existing plank could be interpreted as pro-choice and that many people ā who otherwise held libertarian viewpoints ā were turned off by the partyās pro-choice plank.
Click here to read all of the changes made and how they affect California.
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Increasing Inflation with the Inflation Reduction Act
By Joshua D. Glawson
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) claims that the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) āexpands Medicare benefits by providing free vaccines; $35 per month limit on insulin; caps out-of-pocket drug costs to around $4,000 or less in 2024 and even lower to $2,000 maximum by 2025.
Contrary to what many democrats may think, or at least acquiesce for the votes, vaccines are in fact not free, they are paid for by the manufacturers and taxpayers. Since 2020, we have seen one of the largest wealth transfers in US history, where large pharmaceutical companies are in cahoots with the US government, and others, pressuring and coercing masses in an outright fascist manner to take their nearly experimental drugs at the expense of taxpayers.
Vaccine manufacturers during the Covid-19 scares have been charging tens to hundreds of times over the cost of manufacturing and distributing compared to current and previous vaccines and medications. Every time someone is injected with a vaccine, the manufacturer is profiting even if there is no direct cost to the āconsumerā since it is funded through taxes.
Click here to read the full article.
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SCHOLARSHIP WINNING ESSAYS
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Scholarship Contest: Libertarian Essay Winners
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L to R: Calyn Lettus, Mike Lema, Elizabeth Stump, Mia Bartl. Photograph by Calvin Lu.
Elizabeth Stump, creator of the scholarship program, has been documenting the process of creating a scholarship program at the county level. Once she has finished the document, she will be submitting it for inclusion in the latest update of the LPCA Affiliate Handbook.
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The Libertarian Party of Alameda County (LPAC) created a scholarship program and launched it in March 2022. The contest offered first and second place prizes for best essay and best video based on the topic, āHow should a Libertarian government respond to a local or state political controversy of your choosing?ā
The first prize essay winner, awarded $1,500, was Calyn Lettus, a homeschooled Livermore area student who graduated Spring 2022. The topic of her entry was, āCompetitive Schools,ā about school choice. Second place winner was Mia Bartl, a Livermore student attending Granada High School, entering her senior year this Fall. Her essay submission was titled, āA Libertarian Solution to the California Homeless Crisis.ā
On Saturday, July 23, 2022, LPAC held an awards dinner in which these two students read their essays aloud and were presented with their prize money checks and award plaques, in recognition of their excellent entries.
The members of the scholarship committee who picked the winners were Elizabeth Stump, Vice Chair, Teddy Gercken, Secretary, and Mike Lema, At-Large. The essays were picked based on how closely the essay accurately reflected Libertarian principles, strength of persuasiveness, and/or arguments of the topic, and grammar and spelling.
There were no video entries for this year.
To learn more about the Alameda Countyās scholarship program, which will be launched again later this Fall, you can read more here: https://www.lpac.us/scholarship
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Competitive Schools
By Calyn Lettuce
First Place Essay, Libertarian Party of Alameda County 2022 Spring Scholarship Contest
The U.S. public school system is failing. Students are learning fewer basic academics. Basic literacy is falling. They are also learning slower ā practical geometry in tenth grade as a standard, instead of seventh grade, which used to be the standard. Compared to fifty years ago, our public-school education standards are very low. This is a problem. The quality of education should be improving. Instead, it is declining. Often, a lot of time is spent on trying to find the reason why. This wonāt help much now. We should be trying to find how to fix it. One thing that can help is school choice.
What is school choice? Is it racist? Is it illegal? All school age children are assigned to a public school. Their parents or legal guardians are not forced to send them there, but they are required to pay taxes to support that school. Any money that the parents might receive from the government to help with their childrenās education is only available through the publicschool path, in most circumstances. Proponents of school choice think the funds should follow the child, not the other way around. This is becoming more of an issue as the quality of public education declines.
Click here to read the full essay.
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A Libertarian Solution to the California Homeless Crisis
By Mia Bartl
Second Place Essay, Libertarian Party of Alameda County 2022 Spring Scholarship Contest
Filled with warm, sunny days and gorgeous scenery, California has long been an exciting destination. Tourists all around the world flock to Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco, eager to experience everything these cities have to offer. Within the borders of these cities are world-renowned restaurants, historic architecture, beautiful beaches, even film stars and celebrities.
On paper, California seems like the perfect place to live out a perfect life. However, within these cities also lies Californiaās largest problem: the massive homeless population. Encampments exist in virtually every city and town in California. Discarded needles and bottles litter every street, and on every corner you can find someone begging for change. It is a truly disheartening reality which many California residents have long grown accustomed to. It has, for many years, been Californiaās unsolvable issue. It would be unfair and incorrect to claim that California has done nothing to resolve this issue. Numerous laws have been passed, most recently Governor Gavin Newsomās Roomkey and Homekey Project have seen some success in establishing affordable housing. Newsomās California Comeback Plan allocated huge sums of money in order to clean up the streets and make affordable housing available. Government-run organizations such as the Bringing Families Home program, the Housing and Disability Advocacy Program, and the CalWORKs Housing Support Program provide welfare for those unfortunate enough to find themselves without a home (āBenefits & Servicesā). However, it has rarely been considered the negative effects of such extensive government intervention.
Click here to read the full essay.
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āš¼ Affiliate Tip of the Month: Holiday Charity Drives
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Now is the time to begin planning your county affiliateās holiday charity event. Libertarians talk a lot about volunteerism. Itās time to show the public by walking the walk, not just talking the talk.
In the after effects of government shutting down small businesses, and many of those mom & pop businesses having to close permanently, in addition to Californiaās law AB5 decimating two million freelance and independent contractors positions in hundreds of different jobs from yoga instructors to journalists, truckers, symphony musicians and many others in this state, people are in need of help more than ever.
Your county affiliate can either do a charity drive on their own, or they can team up with a local agency or Non Government Organization (NGO) that already does a charity event in your local community.
What types of charity events can you do?
- Toy Drive
- Secret Santa/Angel Tree/Wish Lists
- Book Drive for local Childrenās Hospital
- Food Drives (Good for November and December months)
- Change Drive: collecting change at a major intersection, then donating change to local private charity of your choice
What types of organizations can you team up with?
- Marines: Toys for Tots https://www.toysfortots.org/
- Fire Departments: local wish lists for families in need and toys drives
- Local county and community food banks
- Local Rotary Clubs: https://my.rotary.org/en/club-search
- First Place for Youth (help young adult timed out of foster system in multiple SF Bay Area counties and LA County): https://firstplaceforyou.org/where/
- One Warm Coat drive for the homeless
- Research for local NGOs in your local community
- Contact your local chamber of commerce, city or county government for a list of local NGO charities
If you are not familiar with a charity, you can always research it at https://www.charitynavigator.org/ to make sure they are legitimate and reputable.
Once you have decided upon your charity project, notify your affiliate members and local community of the charity event, and at your November and/or December meetings you will be collecting goods/donations. Or set up a special event just for the charity drive itself, separate from a usual social or business meeting. If it is a toy drive, make sure to clarify the toys should be new and unwrapped.
Send notice to your local community calendars in your local papers, TV stations (news departments and online community calendars), local radio stations and on NextDoor.com and Patch.com about collecting goods for your charity drive at your upcoming meetings, or special event date. If you have a popular community center or library that allows local community event flyers to be posted on a Community Board, put one up there, and try your local barber shops, donut shops & diners that post these types of flyers in their windows. Be sure to include contact email and/or phone number for people with questions about what to bring. Promoting your charity event also helps drive donations and possible new members to your affiliate.
When you do collect items, before you drop off or deliver, stage a photo with all the goods and some of your members for posting to your affiliateās social media accounts and for publishing in local newspapers. Notify your local TV stations of your accomplishments, too.
Charity events donāt have to be during the holidays only. Back-to-School is a good time to help low income families with gift cards to local clothing store chains, backpacks, school supplies (notebooks, calculators, pens, pencils, pencil cases, college ruled paper, glue sticks, etc.), and food drives are good for any time of the year, especially non-holiday season.
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šļø In the News: Libertarians, leftists and anti-vaccine city employees rally for medical freedom outside LA City Hall
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Affiliate Updates: San Diego County
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On July 16, the San Diego Libertarian Party elected a new Chair, in which Garrison Ham was chosen.
The SDLP Ex-Com now stands as:
Garrison Ham - Chair
Raquel Lester - Vice Chair
Kara Smith - Secretary
Terrie Segal - Treasurer
Gardner Osborne - At Large
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Save the Date: 16th Annual Wine & Liberty, Sunday, October 2nd
The Libertarian Party of Alameda County will be holding it's annual Wine & Liberty event at Libertarian-owned winery, Westover Winery, at 34329 Palomares Rd, Castro Valley, CA 94552, on Sunday, October 2nd, 2022 in the afternoon.
Food and drink tasting tickets will be available, along with student discount tickets, soon. Hang out on the shaded patio and sipe wine under the oaks with other freedom and liberty loving folks. There will also be several items up for auction, including bottles of wine, champagne and ports signed by Spike Cohen, Justin Amash, Jo Jorgensen and other noteworthy Libertarians.
Please go to lpac.us for more details and ticket sales links, coming soon.
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FEATURED MEDIA AND SOCIAL COMMUNITIES
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Instagram Page
Facebook Page
Twitter Account
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Liberty Doll
Liberty Doll is a YouTube podcaster with a focus on guns, the shenanigans of the Alphabet Bois, corrupt politicians and the bad laws they push, and other issues involving our Rights, but with a strong focus mostly on the Second and Fourth Amendments.
In her latest video, āATF Creates Pre-Crime Tip App,ā she rips apart the myriad of ways this is not only awful, but could be abused by Karens/Kens, ex-spouses, and violate our Rights six ways till Sunday.
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STAY CONNECTED WITH THE LPCA
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Are you interested in getting involved with the LPC at the local level? Click the button below.
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