Libertarian Party of San Francisco News

  • San Francisco, 2028– A Healthy City?

    Submitted by lpsf on 20 May 2018 - 9:31pm
    Written by: 
    Starchild

    San Francisco, 2028 – Under legislation passed by the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, all city residents who don’t already have a SuperHealthySF chip implant will be required to obtain one by January 1.

    After that date, persons not showing up on a Department of Public Health scan will lose various privileges, such as the ability to connect to the Internet via the civic network, the ability to use virtual reality programs and other services provided by the library, and the ability to enter parks and other facilities that require chip recognition for entry.

    Visitors will be able to get temporary chips by applying and paying a fee at one of the DPH checkpoints at SFO, on the bridges, at the Convention & Visitors Bureau, or along the city’s southern border.

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  • The Seen & The Unseen

    Submitted by lpsf on 17 May 2018 - 10:34pm
    Written by: 
    Aubrey Freedman

    Do you ever wonder why The Golden State is no longer golden?  Just one look at a state initiative that is circulating for signatures for the November election might give you a clue.  The desire to “do something” quickly to fix a serious problem might make sense at first thought, but not considering the long-term effects of more government laws can (and usually does) lead to worse problems.  It’s what Frederick Bastiat, the French classical liberal economist, referred to as the “seen” and the “unseen.” In this case it’s the repeal of the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act, or as more commonly referred to as Costa-Hawkins, passed in the state legislature in 1995.  A spokesman for the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, which supports the repeal, noted, “People are excited.

  • The Bad Apple

    Submitted by lpsf on 17 May 2018 - 10:30pm
    Written by: 
    Aubrey Freedman

    I’ve been meaning to write this article for years, and it’s only the addition of Prop G to the June ballot for a new parcel tax for San Francisco’s government teachers that prompted me to think about my experience with teachers when my son was growing up in The City.  I must add, first of all, that my experience with teachers in both government schools and religious schools was very positive. Almost without exception, I found all the teachers I had contact with were dedicated, loved the kids, and worked long and hard to make sure the kids actually learned something in school.  They weren’t just overpaid babysitters watching the kids so both parents could work, as often happens these days.

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  • Ballot Recommendations (June 2018)

    Submitted by lpsf on 10 May 2018 - 8:04pm
    Written by: 
    Nick Smith

    California's primary election is quickly approaching-- it's time to make sure you are prepared to go to the polls! The LPSF has made official recommendations on all the county-wide ballot measures to help inform you on the issues. We consider these very seriously and judge each based on the answer to the question "does this measure advance liberty or restrict it?". Here are our recommendations, in brief:

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  • Splitting the Vote, Sharing the Message

    Submitted by lpsf on 1 May 2018 - 9:54pm
    Written by: 
    Nick Smith

    On Sunday, at the California Libertarian Convention in Long Beach, delegates voted for two candidates to share the party endorsement in the Governor’s race. What follows is a recounting of events and an explanation of why that’s healthy for the party.

    When the Chair, Ted Brown, opened the call for endorsements, our own Tim Ferreira approached the podium with an unorthodox motion. Rather than moving for the party to endorse either Nickolas Wildstar or Zoltan Istvan for Governor, Mr. Ferreira made his motion to endorse both of these candidates. Although the delegates were caught by surprise, the motion passed by a majority vote, and both candidates were endorsed.

    However, it didn’t end there.

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  • Both Sides Now

    Submitted by lpsf on 12 April 2018 - 6:51pm
    Written by: 
    Aubrey Freedman

    With the June election just around the corner, expect to see the LPSF’s arguments all over the Voters Handbook that will be mailed out next month. There are 10 local propositions on the ballot for San Francisco County, and we covered most of the major ones either as the official opponent or in our paid arguments. Here’s a short synopsis of our arguments that you won’t hear about in the local media.

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  • Judged to Chill

    Submitted by lpsf on 12 April 2018 - 6:34pm
    Written by: 
    Aubrey Freedman

    Most judges’ races are anything but exciting. Unless you know the judge personally, they’re all pretty much the same when it comes time to vote. However, what would you say about a judge who imposed punitive attorneys’ fees on plaintiffs working in the public interest to improve election laws? Punitive to the tune of $243,279.50.

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  • Republicans Provide Crutch To Lessen Pain of Taxes on Poor – Democrats Add Armpads

    Submitted by Starchild on 5 March 2018 - 10:58pm
    Written by: 
    Starchild

    Usually it's the other way around – heartless Republicans trying to screw the poor, and Democrats trying to "help" them (but without addressing the actual source of the problem, and often making it worse).

    But yesterday's Examiner (March 4) had a kind of "man bites dog" story – Assembly Bill 503, authored by Republican Assemblyman Tom Lackey of Palmdale and signed into law last year, requires local agencies to offer payment plans to poor people burdened by government fines they cannot afford.

    To give local Democrats their barely-deserved slice of credit, once this GOP-originated crutch became law, SF's Democrat city Treasurer, Jose Cisneros, added extra padding to make the crutch a little easier to use by implementing a plan that goes further in some respects than what the law requires. Which his spokesperson was not too modest to tell the Examiner:

    As implemented locally by Cisneros, the plan goes "far beyond what was legally mandated"

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  • Tolled to Death

    Submitted by lpsf on 3 March 2018 - 12:00am

    The folks at the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) have something “exciting” in store for the residents of the Bay Area’s nine counties.  SB 595, authored by Senator Jim Beall of San Jose, will “give the voters the chance” to approve a $3 toll increase in all Bay Area bridges, except the Golden Gate Bridge.  The bureaucrats make it sound like an honor for the voters to be given such an opportunity to tax themselves. Apparently we should be thankful they granted us this chance to give the bureaucrats more tax money to waste.  We note also that the MTC voted recently to hike the toll increases faster than was initially suggested, and the measure was moved up to the June 2018 ballot, rather than the November 2018 ballot, so as not to “interfere with other local measures planned

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  • The Anti-North Dakota

    Submitted by lpsf on 27 February 2018 - 9:45pm
    Written by: 
    Aubrey Freedman

    Never content to rest until San Francisco’s government runs every aspect of our lives, supervisors Malia Cohen and Sandra Fewer recently requested the formation of a municipal city bank task force to study and advance the idea of a San Francisco public bank.  The idea has been around since the financial crisis of 2008 and is catching on more these days with the problem of legalized recreational pot in California and banking laws like the Bank Secrecy Act of 1970 that obligate financial institutions to report suspicious activity, which includes pot financial transactions that are still illegal under federal law.  While it is understandable that the new law has created a problem with the incompatibility of current banking laws (a problem created by government), is it really necessary for

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