Proposition 14: NO
"The Libertarian Party of Los Angeles County opposes Proposition 14 to issue bonds to fund stem cell research. We oppose this initiative not because of stem cell research, but because these bonds would add a $260 million per year, 30-year-long obligation for the State of California according to its Fiscal Impact Statement. While the merits and deficiencies of stem cell research are best decided by experts in that field, we would prefer that the State of California not take on this debt. We therefore suggest a no vote on Proposition 14."
Proposition 15: NO
"The Libertarian Party of Los Angeles County opposes Proposition 15, which would erode an important part of Proposition 13, Howard Jarvis's landmark 1978 tax reform initiative. Currently, thanks to Proposition 13, California property taxes are levied on the purchase price of a piece of property (with adjustment for inflation) rather than on the property's market value. The Legislative Analyst's Office states that the market value of a property tends to exceed its inflation-adjusted purchase price. This initiative would require owners of commercial and industrial property (except for property zoned for commercial agriculture) to pay property taxes on the market value of their property instead of on its inflation-adjusted purchase price, thereby raising their tax burden. Although the initiative contains an exception for owners holding less than $3 million worth of property in California, it would still place an unacceptably large burden on California businesses. We join the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association in urging a no vote on Proposition 15."
Proposition 16: NO
"The Libertarian Party of Los Angeles County opposes Proposition 16, which would repeal Proposition 209. Currently, Proposition 209 prohibits discrimination in based on race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in public education, employment, or contracting. While we understand that many factors, including race, contribute to one's educational or professional opportunities or lack thereof, we do not believe our public colleges, universities, departments, and agencies are in a position to objectively evaluate the link between race and opportunity. We seek a world set free in our lifetimes, which inevitably means it must be free for all people regardless of race or color. This equality of rights must be preserved at the government level to avoid a tyrannical system of racial classification reminiscent of America's darkest periods of so-called 'racial science.' All people are endowed with equal rights, and we stand by Proposition 209's efforts to preserve them. We urge a no vote on Proposition 16."
Proposition 17: YES
"The Libertarian Party of Los Angeles County supports Proposition 17 to restore voting rights to formerly incarcerated people immediately after their release. We recognize that the decision to grant parole is generally made when a convicted person is determined to no longer pose a risk to the public. Voting rights can be a valuable part of an individual's reintroduction to society. We urge a yes vote on Proposition 17."
Proposition 18: YES
"The Libertarian Party of Los Angeles County supports Proposition 18 to grant voting rights to 17-year-olds for primary elections if they will be 18 years old by the time of the general election. Developmental science has indicated that by age 17, a person's 'cold cognition,' the individual, unhurried decision-making involved in voting, is as reliable as an 18-year-old's. If a person will be able to vote in the general election, it only makes sense that they should be able to express their preference for who will appear on that general election ballot. We urge a yes vote on Proposition 18."
Proposition 19: NO
"The Libertarian Party of Los Angeles County opposes Proposition 19, a convoluted constitutional amendment that would expand the ability of those over 55 years old (as well as severely disabled individuals and victims of natural disasters) to transfer their tax assessment to a new property. While allowing more freedom in tax assessment is generally a good thing, this constitutional amendment would limit the parent-to-child and grandparent-to-grandchild exemptions that currently allow such transfers to occur without tax reassessment. Instead, under Proposition 19, the exemptions would only apply if the recipient uses the property as their primary residence. This constitutional amendment would unnecessarily complicate tax assessment and likely result in higher tax burdens for child or grandchild recipients of property in which they will not reside. We suggest a no vote on Proposition 19."
Proposition 20: NO
"The Libertarian Party of Los Angeles County opposes Proposition 20, which would add a number of crimes currently classified as misdemeanors to a list of crimes chargeable as felonies. In addition, Proposition 20 would require individuals convicted of certain crimes to provide samples for a DNA database accessible by state and federal authorities. This initiative would be a step backward for California's criminal justice system in terms of prisoners' rights, prison spending, and equal justice for racial and ethnic minorities. We urge a no vote on Proposition 20."
Proposition 21: NO
"The Libertarian Party of Los Angeles County opposes Proposition 21, which would undermine California's current restrictions on local rent control. Rent control is not a good economic policy, and the current restrictions on its use in California are important to limit its damage. Although this initiative would preserve landlords' legal right to fair financial return, it would nonetheless allow local governments excessive power in enacting rent control policies. We suggest a no vote on Proposition 21."
Proposition 22: YES
"The Libertarian Party of Los Angeles County strongly supports Proposition 22, which would undo the disaster of Assembly Bill 5. Currently, AB 5 requires many workers previously classified as independent contractors to instead be considered employees. App-based drivers and services are a critical part of the modern economy. Independent contractor status is essential for the continued operation of several of these services, and Proposition 22 gives us as voters the chance to keep them in California. We urge a yes vote on Proposition 22."
Proposition 23: NO
"The Libertarian Party of Los Angeles County opposes Proposition 23, which would place burdensome requirements on dialysis clinics in California. The initiative is written not out of sincere care for the well-being of dialysis patients, but out of a labor union's desire to bully the dialysis industry. Proposition 23 is a waste of voters' time and a blatantly irresponsible suggestion during the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting stress on the health care system. We urge a no vote on Proposition 23."
Proposition 24: NO
"The Libertarian Party of Los Angeles County opposes Proposition 24, the latest attempt to have Big Government co-opt the digital privacy movement. Proposition 24 would create another agency of bloated bureaucracy, likely costing the state at least $10 million per year. The American Civil Liberties Union of California opposes Proposition 24, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation has called it 'a mixed bag of partial steps backwards and forwards.' We suggest a no vote on Proposition 24."
Proposition 25: No Position
"The Libertarian Party of Los Angeles County takes no position on Proposition 25, a referendum on Senate Bill 10, which replaced cash bail for pretrial detainees with a new system based on risk assessment. The Libertarian arguments in favor of Proposition 25 are that cash bail is a system that disadvantages underprivileged individuals and that cash bail removes money from California's economy by taking it out of the pockets of would-be consumers. The Libertarian arguments against Proposition 25 are that SB 10's replacement bail system gives the government broad power in determining a pretrial detainee's risk and that this system could potentially involve equal or greater racial bias than cash bail. We leave the decision to the voter's conscience."
Comments written by Desmond Mantle for LPLAC.