California Convention 2025
| 2025 Libertarian Party of California Convention | |||
| Convention | |||
| Dates: | 26-27 July | ||
| Location: | Santa Nella, California | ||
| Venue: | Hotel Mission De Oro | ||
| |||
The 2025 Convention of the Libertarian Party of California was held 25-27 July, at the Hotel Mission De Oro, in Santa Nella.
Convention Business
Business sessions took place starting Saturday and Sunday, starting at around 8:00am and running to about 5:00pm, with breaks for lunch. The number of voting members registered ranged from 60 at the start on Saturday morning to 97 mid-day on Sunday.
In one of the first actions during the business session on Saturday morning, the delegates voted to re-instate the state central committee membership of Janice Mackenzie and her son Richard Fast, both of whom had been denied the opportunity to vote at the previous convention.
The convention then heard reports from state party officers and California members of the Libertarian National Committee, before turning its attention to proposals to change the state party bylaws. There were many such proposals, some addressed on Saturday, some additional ones addressed on Sunday while votes were being counted in the election of the new Executive Committee, and some which were not addressed at all due to lack of time.
The main business on Sunday was the election of members of the state Executive Committee. The race for state Chair was closely contested, with Loren Dean of Riverside County receiving 47 votes and Pat Wright of San Diego County receiving 44 votes. Dean then endorsed Wright for Vice Chair and Wright was elected without any organized opposition. There were also contested elections for Secretary, Treasurer, Northern Area Coordinator, the eight At-Large positions, and the two At-Large Alternate positions. There was only one candidate each for Central Area Coordinator and Southern Area Coordinator.
During the business session there was a tribute to Ed Clark, our candidate for Governor in 1978 and our candidate for President in 1980, who recently passed away, as well as moments of silence in honor of several other activists who passed away during the last year.
There were also presentations of various awards to current activists and several resolutions on public policy adopted.
Bylaws Amendments
More than 30 proposals to amend the LPC's bylaws and convention rules were submitted prior to the convention. Some of these were approved, while many others were either rejected or withdrawn, some ended up being adopted with modifications, and some were never addressed due to lack of time. Following is a summary of the most significant changes, and some notes about significant proposals that were not adopted. (For all the details of the changes that were adopted, see the minutes of the convention.)
Membership
None of the major changes proposed relating to membership, including a proposal to allow county organizations to require payment of county dues as a condition for voting at the county level, and one to apply the 50/50 sharing of dues payments between the state and county organizations only when a member renews, were adopted. A proposal to "clean up" the language relating to membership dues and renewals by repositioning it among two bylaws sections (without making substantive changes) was approved.
Executive Committee
Although there were several major changes proposed relating to the state Executive Committee, including changing the number of at-large positions, most of them were not adopted. One change that ended up being adopted was to have all the at-large positions elected at the same time, in even-numbered years. Since all the positions on the Executive Committee are elected for two-year terms, and the officers and area coordinators are all elected in odd-numbered years, this means that about half of the positions on the committee will normally be filled at each convention. (Elections will continue to be held, in any year, to fill the remaining year of an unexpired term in case of vacancies.) A provision was also added to allow the convention to remove an officer or other member of the Executive Committee whose term is not yet up, creating a vacancy to be filled at that convention.
Judicial Committee
Although there were several major changes proposed relating to the Judicial Committee, including its complete elimination, the only significant change that ended up being adopted was to allow the Judicial Committee to fill vacancies in its own membership.
National Convention Delegates
The qualifications for being part of California's delegation to the national convention were moved from the convention rules to the bylaws, eliminating the possibility of bypassing them through a "suspension of the rules" and making clear that they apply to all delegates and alternates regardless of how and when they are selected. A new qualification was added, that they be sustaining members of the national LP.
Reporting Requirements
A provision was adopted requiring the Secretary to produce a county-by-county report of central committee and total membership on a monthly basis. A provision was adopted requiring the Treasurer to provide a financial report on a monthly basis.
Elections
There were two candidates nominated for Chair. The voting was done by written ballot.
| Loren Dean | 47 |
| Pat Wright | 44 |
| NOTA | 0 |
The winner, Loren Dean, then nominated the other for Vice Chair. The voting was done by written ballot.
| Pat Wright | 75 |
| Ben Weir (write-in) | 5 |
| NOTA | 4 |
There were two candidates nominated for Secretary. The voting was done by written ballot.
| Rebecca Lau | 50 |
| Chris Ganiere | 35 |
| NOTA | 0 |
There were two candidates nominated for Treasurer. The voting was done by written ballot.
| Chris Minoletti | 61 |
| Trendalyn Hallesy | 26 |
| NOTA | 0 |
There were two candidates nominated for Northern Area Coordinator. The voting was done by written ballot.
| Joe Dehn | 36 |
| Richard Stafford | 12 |
| NOTA | 0 |
There was only one candidate nominated for Central Area Coordinator. The voting was done by written ballot.
| Marybeth Yuskavage | 16 |
| NOTA | 0 |
There was only one candidate nominated for Southern Area Coordinator. The voting was done by written ballot.
| Brandon Jackson | 25 |
| NOTA | 2 |
There were twelve candidates nominated for eight open Executive Committee At-Large positions; the voting was done by written ballot with each delegate allowed to vote for up to eight candidates.
| Dave Schrader | 80 |
| Lawrence Samuels | 63 |
| Tara Young | 61 |
| Mark Hinkle | 57 |
| Brian Holtz | 57 |
| June Genis | 56 |
| Terry Floyd | 54 |
| Richard Stafford | 50 |
| Francisco Alanis | 48 |
| John Due | 46 |
| Paul Vallandigham | 44 |
| Richard Fast | 20 |
| Dave Bowers (write-in) | 1 |
| Joe Dehn (write-in) | 1 |
| NOTA | 0 |
There were four candidates nominated for two At-Large Alternate positions; the voting was done by written ballot with each delegate allowed to vote for up to two candidates.
| Francisco Alanis | 50 |
| Paul Vallandigham | 40 |
| Mike Van Roy | 27 |
| Richard Fast | 24 |
Alanis was elected 1st alternate and Vallandigham was elected 2nd alternate.
Resolutions
Regarding Foreign Wars
Whereas the US government has engaged in foreign wars for a long time;
Whereas US government intervention in foreign wars tends to make things worse;
Whereas wars tend to expand government intervention in domestic affairs;
We the Libertarian Party of California call for:
- the end of the American military empire,
- the end of foreign military aid,
- the withdrawal of the US from entanglements such as NATO,
- and the withdrawal of US troops from foreign lands.
Regarding Immigration
We, the Libertarian Party of California, call for:
- the end of restrictions on peaceful people entering or leaving the US,
- ending the ICE raids and abolishing the ICE agency,
- and the elimination of government programs such as welfare, food stamps, public education, and state-supported health care for both citizens and non-citizens alike.
Regarding Cryptocurrency
Whereas, the Libertarian Party of California steadfastly upholds the fundamental right to digital privacy, recognizing it as an extension of individual liberty in the modern age;
Whereas, the Libertarian Party of California champions decentralization as a means to empower individuals, foster innovation, and reduce coercive control by centralized authorities;
Whereas, the Libertarian Party of California supports technological innovation, including the development and use of cryptocurrencies, as a vital expression of free markets and individual sovereignty; a Whereas, the Biden administration’s policies, including Operation Chokepoint 2.0, have targeted the cryptocurrency industry with discriminatory financial restrictions, stifling innovation and violating the principles of free enterprise;
Whereas, President Donald J. Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance have publicly committed to ending Operation Chokepoint and the broader regulatory assault on Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, aligning with libertarian values of economic freedom and limited government interference;
Whereas, the prosecutions of Roman Storm, Keonne Rodriguez, William Lonergan Hill, Roger Ver – a lifetime member of the Libertarian Party of California, and others, as well as the imprisonment of Ian Freeman, represent unjust overreaches by the federal government, punishing individuals for exercising their rights to innovate and engage in consensual transactions;
Therefore, be it resolved, that the Libertarian Party of California calls upon the Trump administration to:
Immediately drop all charges against Roman Storm, Keonne Rodriguez, William Lonergan Hill, Roger Ver, and other individuals targeted for their involvement in cryptocurrency innovation;
Secure the prompt release of Ian Freeman and Roman Sterlinov from federal prison, recognizing their detention as a violation of libertarian principles;
Fulfill its commitment to end Operation Chokepoint and dismantle policies that weaponize financial systems against the cryptocurrency industry; Uphold the rights to digital privacy, decentralization, and innovation by ensuring that individuals and businesses in the cryptocurrency space can operate free from unwarranted government interference.
Be it further resolved, that the Libertarian Party of California encourages its members and affiliates to advocate for these principles at the local, state, and national levels, promoting a future where technological freedom and individual liberty are protected and celebrated.
Awards
- Four members were presented with "Sequoia" pins in recognition of their work for the party spanning many decades: Joe Dehn, Mary Gingell, Mark Hinkle, and Gail Lightfoot.
- Barbara Englehardt received the Delia Rawson Award.
- Aaron Starr recieved the Chair's Award.
Non-Business Activities
Speakers
- Boomer Shannon (Friday evening reception)
- Larry Sharpe (Friday evening reception)
- Mike Sertic (Friday evening reception)
- Chris Rufer (Saturday lunch)
- Aaron Starr (Saturday afternoon Keynote)
- Spike Cohen (Saturday dinner panel)
- Steven Nekhaila (Saturday dinner panel)
- Lars Mapstead (Saturday dinner panel)
- Naomi Brockwell (Sunday lunch)
Vendors
Video Recordings
- business sessions - Saturday (LPA livestream with commentary)
- business sessions - Sunday (LPA livestream with commentary)
- Tribute to Ed Clark (Sunday morning)
- post-convention Executive Committee meeting
Documents
Convention Schedule (info)
Bylaws and Rules (adopted 2024, in effect for this convention) (info)- Proposals to Amend the Bylaws and Rules
