🌟 The Beacon

🦃 Happy Thanksgiving from the Libertarian Party of California! 🦃

Wishing you and your loved ones a warm, peaceful, and liberty-filled Thanksgiving. Thank you for standing with us for freedom in California.

Letter to the Editor – Our First (edited for length)

LPCA's presence in the Prop. 50 debate was almost non-existent. Instead of spending money on a last-minute mailer and acting as a lone wolf, the Party should have joined forces with better-funded allies like Carl DeMaio’s No on 50 campaign, which was organized and focused on getting votes, not just sending mail. If we want to matter in statewide races, we can’t pretend we can do it alone.

The Libertarian Party of California needs a clear, consistent message and practical solutions to the problems the Democrats and Republicans are creating for each other. No one is going to donate to a party that doesn’t appear to have a plan. As a long-time life member of the national LP, I wasn’t even aware of LPCA’s position on Prop 50 until this email. If people like me are in the dark, communication with the Party faithful isn’t working.

Long term, LPCA should champion a better approach to representation: multi-seat districts elected at large using Ranked Choice Voting (RCV). Larger “multi-districts” that cover counties or regions would make California’s congressional delegation more representative of how people actually vote and give smaller parties, including ours, a fairer shot at winning seats. Fewer district lines also mean fewer opportunities for gerrymandering.

Finally, LPCA leadership should be gathering data on what worked and what didn’t in the Prop 50 fight — especially how the major players turned out their voters — and use that to prepare for next time. As JFK said, the time to fix your roof is when the sun is shining.

Sincerely,

Edward M. Teyssier
Life Member,
former Chair San Diego LP,
Karl Bray Award winner for activism.

Report From the Fields — Updated Version

Hi, this is Richard Fields with this week’s Report From the Fields.

Proposition 50 has now passed — authorizing the Democratic-controlled Legislature to redraw California’s Congressional districts “just this once” to counter Republican gerrymandering in Texas. It was sold as a necessary response, but the whole episode felt like two toddlers arguing, “He hit me first!”

I voted No, not out of loyalty to either major party — both are equally responsible for deficits, undeclared wars, government surveillance, civil asset forfeiture, and an ever-growing regulatory state. MAGA attacks free trade, Democrats attack free speech, and neither side respects individual liberty.

My opposition was rooted in what Prop 50 means for third parties. By reducing the number of competitive districts from 13 to 9 and increasing the number of safe Democratic seats, it becomes even harder for Libertarians to compete — or even influence policy through the spoiler effect. With restrictive ballot-access rules and the top-two primary, Prop 50 further cements one-party dominance in California.

The consequences of one-party rule are already visible: people are leaving the state in large numbers, voting with their feet for freer and more affordable places. History is clear — centralized political power fails everywhere it’s tried. Markets work; monopolies, political or economic, do not.

That’s this week’s Report From the Fields. I’m Richard Fields. See you next week.

Why These Simple Memes Went Viral on the Libertarian Party of California Facebook Page

Sometimes the simplest graphics hit the hardest — and these did exactly that. Our original meme contrasted voluntary, decentralized solutions with government-run services.

And it went viral.

The comments were overwhelmingly critical — often mocking — with many readers reacting as if the meme were a full political platform rather than a tongue-in-cheek graphic. Almost all engagement came from young non-followers (primarily ages 18–34), many of whom are unfamiliar with actual libertarian positions.

Predictably, most criticism circled around a familiar theme: “Who builds the roads?” — plus fire departments, the military, and anything else people imagine could only exist via coercive taxation. In other words, the memes did their job: they exposed how deeply the public misunderstands libertarian ideas and how much work we still have to do explaining voluntary, decentralized solutions.

So we created a different meme:

Once again… we remind ourselves: Must. Not. Read. The. Comments.

Newsom’s 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness Turns 20

California celebrates by announcing a new 10-year plan… to update the last 10-year plan. Credit to Mark Hinkle and coverage from Fox News.

Remember back in 2004 when Gavin Newsom launched a bold “10-year plan to end homelessness in San Francisco”? Good news: the plan has officially reached an exciting milestone—its 20-year anniversary.

That’s right. The 10-year plan is now old enough to:

• vote,
• buy a lottery ticket,
• and rent a car.

Ending homelessness? Not so much.

What the original plan promised

In 2004, the goal was simple: replace shelters with permanent supportive housing and solve homelessness once and for all.

The plan included:

• Tens of millions in federal dollars
• 550 new housing units
• Support services for mental health, addiction, and other crises
• A vision of a city with fewer tents and more ribbon-cutting ceremonies

It was ambitious, hopeful, and beautifully laminated.

What actually happened

California proceeded to spend… $24 billion (yes, with a “b”) on housing and homelessness programs over the years.

Results:

• Homelessness reached record highs by 2025
• Cities and counties were told to “be accountable,” which meant filling out more forms
• The number of press conferences increased dramatically

Meanwhile, the tents remained — now with far better views and occasionally solar panels.

The sequel nobody asked for

The Newsom administration responded exactly as Sacramento always does when a plan doesn’t work: by announcing an even bigger plan.

• More funding!
• More initiatives!
• More new program names containing the word “Key”!

(We now have Roomkey, Homekey… we’re one step away from CarKey.)

A modest proposal

At this rate, California will solve homelessness 10 years after the sun burns out — unless, of course, someone proposes a bold new 10-year plan to fix the last 10-year plan that was trying to fix the first 10-year plan.

But don’t worry: the press releases are immaculate.

Deadlines for Candidates Are Coming Up Fast!

More information will be in next week’s Beacon, but here’s what we are looking at:

These dates are not guaranteed. Please confirm with the California Secretary of State.

Key Deadlines: 2026 Primary (June 2, 2026)

Event	Deadline	Notes
Signatures-in-Lieu of Filing Fee Period	Dec 19, 2025 – Feb 4, 2026	Between E-165 & E-118 before the primary.
Nomination Paper / Declaration of Candidacy Period	Feb 9 – Mar 6, 2026	Between E-113 & E-88 before the primary.
Nomination Paper Extension	Mar 7 – Mar 11, 2026	Only for offices where an incumbent hasn’t filed.
Last Day for Governor Candidates to Submit Tax Returns	March 6, 2026	E-88.

And Don’t Forget the LPC Convention

2026 Annual Convention

Libertarian Party of California Annual Convention
Dates: February 13–15, 2026
Location: The Handlery Hotel
950 Hotel Cir N
San Diego, CA 92108

🔗 Click here for convention details & registration

Choice Voting & RCV in San Diego

Hello Represent San Diego supporters,

We've rescheduled the chapter meeting we had planned for tonight to Monday, December 8th at 6:30pm.

We'll be joined by guest speaker Andrea St. Julian, who will be discussing choice voting and RCV efforts in San Diego.

Sign up here now to receive the Zoom link and get it on your calendar:
https://bit.ly/representusdecember

In Conclusion

Gees – there is a lot going on. And so many opportunities to be Libertarian. I’m not very good at proselytizing; the best way to grow the Libertarian Party is to act Libertarian.

And put our positions out there in social media, on the website, and in emails like this.

If you have any ideas or anything else you’d like to share, please send it in.