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Libertarian Party of California

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The Libertarian Party of California (LPC) is the California affiliate of the national Libertarian Party (LP). The party chairman is Adrian Malagon, and is based in Sacramento, California, in Sacramento County.[7] As of 2016 Libertarians represent approximately 0.7% of the state's registered voters.[8]

Libertarian Party of California
AbbreviationLPCA
ChairmanAdrian Malagon
Founded1971; 53 years ago (1971)
Headquarters428 J Street, Suite 400
Sacramento, CA 95814[1]
Membership (Feb 2024)240,618[2]
IdeologyLibertarianism[3]
Non-interventionism[4]
Fiscal conservatism[5]
Economic liberalism[5]
Cultural liberalism[5]
Laissez-faire[5]
Senate
0 / 40
House of Representatives
0 / 80
U.S. Senate
0 / 2
U.S. House of Representatives
0 / 52
Statewide Executive Offices1
0 / 8
Elected officials6 (June 2024)[6]
Website
ca.lp.org
1California Department of Education is a nonpartisan state executive position.

History

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In 1972 the party considered suing county clerks in Placer and Butte counties for refusing to allow voters to register as Libertarians.[9] In 1978 Ed Clark, who had been the affiliate's chairman from 1973 to 1974 and later the national presidential candidate in 1980, ran as an independent for governor of California to gain party recognition and received over five percent.[10] However, the Secretary of State ruled that the two percent requirement was for retaining party recognition and not gaining party recognition and that since Clark had run as an independent and not a Libertarian it would not count either way.[11] The party filed a lawsuit against the decision, but it was first dismissed then ruled against on appeal. The Libertarian Party of California has hosted the Libertarian National Convention in 1977, 1979, 1980, and in 2000.

Participation of "independent" voters

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Since January 2001, California has had a "modified" closed primary system in which political parties can determine whether or not to allow voters who are not affiliated with any party (i.e. "independent") to participate in the party's primary. The passage of Proposition 14 limited this "modified" closed primary system to primaries for President of the United States, starting with the 2012 primaries. For the first 15 years of the "modified" closed primary system, the California Libertarian Party did not allow "independent" voters to vote in Libertarian primaries. But beginning with the 2016 Libertarian Party presidential primaries, the California Libertarian Party has allowed "independent" voters to vote in its presidential primaries.[12]

Current elected officials

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All current Libertarian Party elected officials are in "nonpartisan" elected offices, meaning that the candidates' partisan affiliation is not listed on the ballot.

  • Bob Karwin – Menifee City Council District 1.[6]
  • Nils Nehrenheim – Redondo Beach City Council District 1.[6]

Notable former elected officials

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Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Hewitt
  • Jeff Hewitt – District 5 Riverside County Supervisor board member (2019–2023)[16] and former Calimesa city councilmember and Mayor[17]
  • Art Olivier – Bellflower city councilor and mayor (1994–1997; 1998–1999)

Electoral performance

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Year Presidential nominee Votes Change
1972 John Hospers (write-in) 980 (0.1%)  
1976 Roger MacBride 56,388 (0.7%)   0.7%
1980 Ed Clark 148,434 (1.7%)   1.0%
1984 David Bergland 49,951 (0.5%)   1.2%
1988 Ron Paul 70,105 (0.7%)   0.2%
1992 Andre Marrou 48,139 (0.4%)   0.3%
1996 Harry Browne 73,600 (0.7%)   0.3%
2000 Harry Browne 45,520 (0.4%)   0.3%
2004 Michael Badnarik 50,165 (0.4%)   0.0%
2008 Bob Barr 67,582 (0.5%)   0.1%
2012 Gary Johnson 143,221 (1.1%)   0.6%
2016 Gary Johnson 478,500 (3.4%)   2.3%
2020 Jo Jorgensen 187,895 (1.1%)   2.3%

Senate Class I

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Year Senate nominee Votes Change
1982 Joseph Fuhrig 107,720 (1.4%)  
1988 Jack Dean 79,997 (0.8%)   0.6%
1992 Richard Benjamin Boddie 247,799 (2.3%)   1.5%
1994 Richard Benjamin Boddie 179,100 (2.1%)   0.2%
2000 Gail Lightfoot 187,718 (1.8%)   0.3%
2006 Michael S. Metti 133,851 (1.6%)   0.2%
2012 Gail Lightfoot 101,648 (2.1%)   0.5%
2018 Derrick Michael Reid 59,999 (0.9%)   1.2%

Senate Class III

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Year Senate nominee Votes Change
1980 David Bergland 202,481 (2.4%)  
1986 Breck McKinley 66,261 (0.9%)   1.5%
1992 June R. Genis 235,919 (2.2%)   1.3%
1998 Ted Brown 93,926 (1.1%)   1.1%
2004 Jim Gray 216,522 (1.8%)   0.7%
2010 Gail Lightfoot 175,235 (1.8%)   0.1%
2016 Gail Lightfoot
Mark Matthew Herd		 141,105 (1.9%)[a]   0.1%

Gubernatorial

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Year Gubernatorial nominee Votes Change
1978 Ed Clark[b] 377,960 (5.5%)   0.6%
1982 Dan P. Dougherty 81,076 (1.0%)   4.4%
1986 Joseph Fuhrig 52,628 (0.7%)   0.3%
1990 Dennis Thompson 145,628 (1.9%)   1.2%
1994 Richard Rider 149,281 (1.7%)   0.2%
1998 Steve Kubby 73,845 (0.9%)   0.8%
2002 Gary David Copeland 161,203 (2.2%)   1.3%
2003 Ned Roscoe
Ken Hamidi
John Hickey		 5,887 (0.1%)[a]   2.1%
2006 Art Olivier 114,329 (1.3%)   1.3%
2010 Dale Ogden 150,898 (1.5%)   0.2%
2014 None None   1.5%
2018 Zoltan Istvan
Nickolas Wildstar		 26,028 (0.4%)[a]   0.4%
2021 Jeff Hewitt 50,028 (0.7%)   0.3%

Lieutenant Gubernatorial

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Year Lieutenant nominee Votes Change
1994 Bob New 180,896 (2.1%)  
1998 Thomas Tryon 109,888 (1.4%)   0.8%
2002 Pat Wright 104,920 (1.4%)   0.1%
2006 Lynnette Shaw 142,851 (1.7%)   0.2%
2010 Pamela Brown 574,640 (5.9%)   4.2%
2014 None None   5.9%
2018 Tim Ferreira 99,949 (1.5%)   1.5%

Attorney General

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Year Attorney General nominee Votes Change
1994 Richard N. Burns 274,335 (3.3%)  
1998 Joseph S. Farina 149,430 (1.9%)   1.5%
2002 Ed Kuwatch 127,152 (1.8%)   0.1%
2006 Kenneth Weissman 177,469 (2.1%)   0.3%
2010 Timothy J. Hannan 246,583 (2.6%)   0.5%
2014 Jonathan Jaech 99,056 (2.4%)   0.1%
2018 None None   2.4%

Secretary of State

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Year Secretary of State nominee Votes Change
1994 Peggy Christensen 248,748 (3.0%)  
1998 Gail Lightfoot 216,853 (2.7%)   0.3%
2002 Gail Lightfoot 204,527 (2.8%)   0.1%
2006 Gail Lightfoot 171,393 (2.0%)   0.8%
2010 Christina Tobin 157,974 (2.2%)   0.2%
2014 None None   2.2%
2018 Gail Lightfoot 155,879 (2.4%)   2.4%

State Treasurer

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Year State Treasurer nominee Votes Change
1994 John Petersen 335,452 (4.1%)  
1998 John Petersen 183,436 (2.3%)   1.8%
2002 Marian Smithson 168,401 (2.3%)   0.0%
2006 Marian Smithson 334,056 (4.%)   1.7%
2010 Edward Teyssier 217,818 (2.3%)   1.7%
2014 None None   2.3%
2018 None None  

State Controller

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Year State Controller nominee Votes Change
1994 Cullene Marie Lang 128,378 (1.6%)  
1998 Pamela Pescosolido 147,397 (1.8%)   0.3%
2002 None None   1.8%
2006 Donna Tello 188,934 (2.7%)   2.7%
2010 Andrew Favor 291,657 (3.0%)   0.77%
2014 None None   3.0%
2018 None None  

Insurance Commissioner

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Year Insurance Commissioner nominee Votes Change
1994 Ted Brown 346,007 (4.2%)  
1998 Dale Ogden 169,922 (2.1%)   2.1%
2002 Dale Ogden 236,688 (3.3%)   1.2%
2006 Dale Ogden 305,772 (3.7%)   0.4%
2010 Richard Bronstein 362,037 (4.0%)   0.3%
2014 None None   4.0%
2018 None None  

State Assembly

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Year Number of candidates Votes Change
1992 46 343,366 (3.3%)  
1994 35 166,510 (2.1%)   1.2%
1996 26 142,577 (1.5%)   0.5%
1998 38 144,427 (1.9%)   0.3%
2000 52 316,668 (2.8%)   1.0%
2002 36 162,472 (2.4%)   0.48%
2004 34 324,414 (2.9%)   0.3%
2006 21 122,036 (1.5%)   1.3%
2008 15 171,324 (1.4%)   0.1%
2010 18 115,714 (1.2%)   0.2%
2012 0 0 (0.0%)   1.2%
2014 1 30,735 (0.4%)   0.4%
2016 4 130,798 (1.0%)   0.6%
2018 5 145,514 (1.2%)   0.2%

Voter registration

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Libertarian voter registration in the state of California has experienced significant growth.[18]

Year Registered voters Voter gain or loss from previous year
2021 204,345   8,237
2020 196,108   42,760
2019 153,348   11,980
2018 141,368   93
2017 141,461   1,656
2016 139,805   17,929
2015 121,876   1,072
2014 120,804   11,168
2013 109,636   900
2012 108,736   16,490
2011 92,246   1,135
2010 91,111   7,748
2009 83,363   211
2008 83,574   154
2007 83,420   45
2006 83,465   503
2005 83,968   5,649
2004 89,617   77
2003 89,540   955
2002 90,495   2,865
2001 93,360   1,540
2000 94,900   12,561
1999 82,339

Governance

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The Libertarian Party of California is a "political party that has detailed statutory provisions applicable to its operation", which are in division 7, part 3 of the California Elections Code.[19][20] The Libertarian State Central Committee, the governing body of the Libertarian Party of California, functions pursuant to its standing rules and bylaws.[21] The regular officers of the Central Committee are the chairman, two regional vice chairmen, secretary, and treasurer.

County central committees

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There are semi-autonomous county central committees for many of California's 58 counties. The counties which currently have active affiliates are as follows:

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c Combined
  2. ^ Ran as independent.

References

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  1. ^ "Qualified Political Parties". California Secretary of State. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  2. ^ "Report of Registration as of February 20, 2024 Registration by County" (PDF). Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  3. ^ Rothbard, Murray Newton (1978). For a New Liberty: The Libertarian Manifesto. Collier Books. p. 153. ISBN 9780020746904. Even more remarkably, the Libertarian party achieved this growth while consistently adhering to a new ideological creed – "libertarianism" – thus bringing to the American political scene for the first time in a century a party interested in principle rather than in merely gaining jobs and money at the public trough.
  4. ^ "Libertarian Party opposes further intervention in Iraq". June 18, 2014.
  5. ^ a b c d "Ideological Third Parties and Splinter Parties". June 3, 2017. Archived from the original on January 16, 2015. Retrieved July 11, 2017. {{cite web}}: External link in |ref= (help)
  6. ^ a b c d e f g "Elected Officials". Retrieved June 1, 2024.
  7. ^ "Home – Libertarian Party of California". Libertarian Party of California. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  8. ^ "Voter Registration Statistics – California Secretary of State". www.SOS.ca.gov. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  9. ^ "LPC Lawsuit". The Californian. October 14, 1972. p. 4. Archived from the original on December 9, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Libertarian runs for state governor". Oakdale Leader. February 22, 1978. p. 6. Archived from the original on December 9, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Liberatarians in appeal for spot on ballot". The San Francisco Examiner. March 15, 1979. p. 42. Archived from the original on December 9, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "History of Political Parties That Have Adopted Party Rules Regarding No Party Preference Voters". California Secretary of State. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  13. ^ "Brian Holtz, Candidate for Purissima Hills Water District". Patch.com. August 25, 2012. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
  14. ^ "Election 2015: Voters return Harrington to San Gabriel City Council". PasadenaStarNews.com. March 4, 2015. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
  15. ^ "Simi Valley Acorn". Simi Valley Acorn. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
  16. ^ "Libertarian Jeff Hewitt Wins Seat on Riverside County Board of Supervisors". December 7, 2018.
  17. ^ "Hewitt voted in as Calimesa's new mayor". NewsMirror.net. December 11, 2015. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
  18. ^ "Voter Registration Statistics – California Secretary of State". www.SOS.ca.gov. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  19. ^ Eu v. San Francisco County Democratic Central Committee (1989), 489 U.S. 214 Archived March 12, 2014, at the Wayback Machine. "The State of California heavily regulates its political parties. … The California Elections Code (Code) provides that the 'official governing bodies' for such a party are its 'state convention,' 'state central committee,' and 'county central committees,' …"
  20. ^ California Elections Code § 7250
  21. ^ "[1]". Bylaws and Convention Rules of the Libertarian Party of California As Amended in Convention April 29, 2017.
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