California Convention 2024
| 2024 Libertarian Party of California Convention | |||
| Convention | |||
| Dates: | 23-25 February 2024 | ||
| Location: | Costa Mesa, California | ||
| Venue: | Hilton Orange County | ||
| Media | |||
| Website: | Website | ||
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The 2024 Convention of the Libertarian Party of California was held 23-25 February, 2024, in Costa Mesa, California.
Convention Business
Summary of Business
Bylaws Amendments
Elections
There was an election for Treasurer because the person elected at the 2023 convention, for a two-year term, had resigned. The incumbent, [Trendalyn Hallesy], who had been appointed by the Executive Committee on an interim basis, was the only candidate and was elected on a voice vote.
There was an election for Southern Area Coordinator because the person elected at the 2023 convention, for a two-year term, had resigned. The incumbent, Loren Dean, who had been appointed by the Executive Committee on an interim basis, was the only candidate and was elected on a voice vote.
There were six candidates for four open Executive Committee At-Large positions, and four were elected on the first ballot:
| Max Jiminez | 59 |
| Charles Byrd | 58 |
| Kirk Sullivan | 53 |
| Matthew Hartwig | 51 |
| Barbara Engelhardt | 46 |
| Gail Lightfoot | 38 |
There were six candidates for two Executive Committee At-Large Alternate positions.
| Kelly Carden | 59 |
| Nicholas Apostolopoulos | 41 |
| Barbara Engelhardt | 29 |
| Terry Floyd | 13 |
| David Gorsche | 13 |
| Gail Lightfoot | 9 |
Since only one candidate received a majority, another round of voting was conducted with the remaining candidates, in which again nobody received a majority:
| Nicholas Apostolopoulos | 39 |
| Barbara Engelhardt | 27 |
| Terry Floyd | 9 |
| Gail Lightfoot | 3 |
| David Gorsche | 2 |
A third ballot was conducted, with Floyd withdrawing and the candidate who had received the fewest votes dropped without objection, resulting in a winner for the second Alternate position:
| Nicholas Apostolopoulos | 45 |
| Barbara Engelhardt | 31 |
| Gail Lightfoot | 1 |
There were two candidates for LNC Regional Representative, with a winner on the first ballot:
| Meredith Hays | 41 |
| Tim Ferreira | 37 |
There were two candidates for LNC Regional Alternate, with a winner on the first ballot:
| Gary Alvstad | 44 |
| Tim Ferreira | 41 |
There were 12 candidates for the 5-member Judicial Committee; a motion was adopted saying that the candidates with the next-highest votes would be elected to the two alternate positions:
| Avens O'Brien | 56 |
| Mimi Robson | 51 |
| David Bowers | 49 |
| Wendy Hewitt | 49 |
| Christopher Kula | 48 |
| Calvin Lu | 43 |
| Joel Gompert | 36 |
| Jessica Tewksbury | 34 |
| Dawn Brosius | 30 |
| Sandra Kallender | 22 |
| Rajani Maiatico | 19 |
| Aaron Starr | 5 |
| Meredith Hays | 3 |
| Terry Floyd | 1 |
O'Brien, Robson, Bowers, Hewitt, and Kula were elected as members of the Judicial Committee, with Lu elected as an alternate.
Presidential Straw Poll
The Presidential Straw Poll was conducted on Sunday by secret ballot.
| Lars Mapstead | 25 |
| Michael Rectenwald | 21 |
| Mike ter Maat | 14 |
| Chase Oliver | 10 |
| Jacob Hornberger | 6 |
| Joshua Anderson | 4 |
| Art Olivier | 4 |
| Joshua Smith | 4 |
| Spike Cohen | 3 |
| Charles Ballay | 2 |
| Justin Amash | 1 |
| Robert F. Kennedy Jr. | 1 |
Endorsements
There were no candidates endorsed at this convention. All candidates running for public office as a Libertarian in the 5 March primary had already been endorsed by action of either a previous convention or the state Executive Committee, and there were no requests for endorsement by any candidates planning to run in future elections.
Resolutions
Two resolutions on matters of public concern were adopted by this convention.
regarding foreign intervention
Whereas government intervention causes more problems than it solves and U.S. government intervention causes more wars than it prevents, we, the Libertarian Party of California, call for the end of all U.S. military aid and the withdrawal of all U.S. troops from foreign lands.
regarding Julian Assange
Because press freedom is a core individual right and because that right does not solely belong to those anointed by authorities as “journalists,” the Libertarian Party of California calls upon the US government to immediately drop all charges against Julian Assange.
Recordings
- from Libertarian Party of California livestream
Speakers
Keynote Speakers
- Dan McKnight (Saturday)
- Christina Tobin (Sunday)
- Angela McArdle (Sunday)
Presidential Candidates
Libertarian Presidential Candidates
The following candidates who were present were each given an opportunity to speak for five minutes during the business meeting.
- Charles Ballay recording
- Jacob Hornberger recording
- Lars Mapstead recording
- Michael Rectenwald[1] recording
- Mike ter Maat recording
Non-Libertarian Presidential Candidates
State Chair Adrian Malagon made a decision to invite other major players who represent minority voices as a way to gain increased publicity and fundraising for the Libertarian Party of California.
On January 6, 2024 (info), it was announced that Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr, would be a featured speaker, on January 27, 2024 (info), it was announced that Independent candidate Cornell West would also be a featured speaker, and on January 31, 2024 (info), it was announced that Green Party candidate Jill Stein would also be a featured speaker.
In the end, Kennedy and West made appearances at the convention, but Stein did not. Kennedy was the speaker for the Saturday lunch and appeared in the Saturday evening candidate forum. West appeared in the Sunday evening candidate forum.
Presidential Candidate Forums
Two forums were held, one Saturday evening and one Sunday evening, each including a combination of Libertarian and non-Libertarian candidates. These were not "debates" and the emphasis was on problems common to non-major-party candidates rather than questions of public policy. Both were moderated by Larry Sharpe.
- Saturday: Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Michael Rectenwald, Mike ter Maat
- Sunday: Cornel West, Jacob Hornberger, Charles Ballay, Lars Mapstead
Other Speakers
- Brian McWilliams (Friday evening comedy night)
- Adam Nutter (Friday evening comedy night)
- Chris Rufer (Saturday breakfast)
- Michael Boldin (Saturday breakfast)
- David Friedman (Saturday lunch)
Controversies
Participation of Non-Libertarian Presidential Candidates
Some party members objected to the participation of Kennedy and West (and the invitation to Stein) on the basis that the party should not be promoting candidates who will be running against our own nominee, that participation of the Libertarian candidates was being made conditional on them paying for a multi-thousand dollar convention "package" (but no such payment was required of the non-Libertarians), or that in the case of Kennedy in particular an additional burden was being placed on delegates in the form of security measures not normally associated with LP conventions.
Security Measures
Kennedy required as a condition of his participation certain measures to protect his safety. A partition consisting of two rows of metal barriers was placed across the front of the main hall (where the presidential forums would also be held), separating the speaker platform from the tables and chairs where delegates and observers would be seated; this made interactions between convention officers and the rest of the body more awkward than usual.
Screening for weapons, including use of metal detectors and examination of articles being carried, was conducted, of everyone entering the conventional hall area, prior to Kennedy's appearance as a lunch speaker (in a room adjacent to the main hall) and the Saturday evening presidential forum. Some members found this offensive in light of the LP's traditional support for the right to bear arms, but others found it acceptable since these sessions were optional extra-cost components of the event, and the plan for screening was announced in advance.
An additional controversy arose when the people conducting the screening attempted to continue it through Saturday afternoon, which would have prevented delegates from attending the business session unless they were willing to submit to the screening. After objection from some members and communication between convention officials and the security personnel, the screening was discontinued prior to the start of business.
Dress Code
Official statements prior to the convention demanded that delegates comply with a "dress code":
Dress Code/Decorum
A strong media presence and significant national attention are expected for this Convention. General nonsense, dilatory motions, and disruptive actions will not be tolerated. Anyone in violation of the "Conduct of Event" clause in our agreement with the venue, either by not being appropriately dressed or by participating in disruptive behavior, will not be acknowledged by the Chair during business and will be removed from the ballroom by one of our Sergeants at Arms and possibly the venue if it is a repeat or egregious offense.
However, no specific dress code was ever published, nor was the text of the "Conduct of Event" clause made available to delegates, leading some to question whether it even included anything like a "dress code".
At least one member was challenged on this basis when he attempted to enter the business meeting on Sunday morning, being told that somebody had complained about his appearance, but after consultation between the convention sergeant-at-arms and hotel staff was not able to produce any clear evidence of such a complaint or any hotel policy that was being violated, the member was allowed to enter.
Restrictions on Literature Distribution
It was also announced in advance that no literature could be distributed at this convention without prior approval of the convention committee, with any unauthorized literature subject to removal and disposal, and those distributing it risking removal from the convention themselves. Traditionally at these conventions there has always been literature distributed to delegates either directly or by placing it on their tables in the main hall, on a wide range of topics, including promotion of candidates for party office, commentary on platform or bylaws proposals, draft resolutions, and promotion of other libertarian projects and organizations.
But as a result of this policy, there was almost none of that this year. One candidate for President who was personally handing out an item to delegates outside the meeting room was stopped. One candidate for an internal party position did ask for and obtained approval of her literature, which she placed on the tables. Otherwise the only literature in evidence was the material available on the paid vendor tables.
Exclusion of Members Who Resigned/Rejoined
Two members of the state party, Richard Fast and Janice Mackenzie, who had resigned in protest in the aftermath of the 2023 convention but later rejoined, sought to be credentialed as delegates to this convention but were refused, on the basis that under a bylaws provision adopted in 2021 they would only have "associate" (non-voting) status for the first year after rejoining. The same provision allowed for earlier reinstatement by a majority vote of the convention, and an attempt was made to reinstate them on Saturday morning, but after much discussion about how to apply this rule and division of the question to have a separate vote on each of them, reinstatement was not approved a majority (Fast by 50-53, Mackenzie by 50-55).