California Libertarian Alliance

California Libertarian Alliance (CLA) was founded in Oct. 1969, spearheaded by Dana Rohrabacher and William B. Steel and supported by John Schurman, Dennis Turner, Ron Kimberling , Alan Bock, Gene Berkman, and other followers of the Libertarian Caucus after the defections and expulsions of radical libertarians resulting from the 1969 Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) convention in St. Louis, Missouri. Centered in Los Angeles, the CLA claimed to have over 1,000 members by 1970. Other sources put CLA membership at “more than twelve hundred members” by the end of 1969, although such numbers may be generous considering the unorganized structure of CLA.

The breakout year for libertarians was 1969. After the traditionalist (trads) and libertarian (libs or rads) bifurcation at the 1969 YAF convention, many student libertaria alliances withdrew from the conservative ranks, joined or loosely associated with Society for Individual Liberty (SIL) or, in California, with the CLA. In particular, Dana Rohrabacher (“Johnny Grass-Seed”) and his cadre were instrumental in spreading the CLA and libertarian message, taking the role of libertarian troubadour, “seeding local LA’s with ex-YAFers.” Many libertarian leaders in California, including Rohrabacher, were also involved with SIL, since CLA was loosely-affiliated with the larger East coast organization.

During this time period, CLA leaders, radical libertarians and market anarchists were increasingly vocal in their repudiation of the conservative establishment, where Rohrabacher declared: “We recognize the fact that the U.S. in its economic and social manipulation of individuals’ lives and property, is reminiscent of the fascist tyrannies of the past.” CLA published an occasional newsletter called the California Libertarian Report, initially launched by William B. Steel, which condemned YAF’s national office as “authoritarian” in its first post-YAF convention edition. They focused on organizing educational conferences, and developed libertarian activities on college campuses, predominately the University of Southern California.

Determined to create a left-right coalition, Karl Hess, one of CLA’s supporters, prodded the organization to build alliances with the New Left. CLA decided that the advancement of a left-right fusion was best accomplished by sponsoring campus conferences that promoted politically diverse speakers. CLA was the driving force behind a number of early West coast libertarian conferences that included the February–March 1970 Left-Right Festival of Liberation, which attracted 500 students, and the November 1970 Festival of Liberation, which later became known as The Future of Freedom Conference (FOF) series. According to USC's Daily Trojan, the California Libertarian Alliance 1970 left-right conference was “to unite libertarians and anarchists who have been active in the right wing and the new left, to find a means by which they can work together, without misunderstanding or antagonism.'" CLA sponsored or co-sponsored libertarian conferences in 1972, 1973, 1977, and 1980, all located at Los Angeles or Orange County universities. By 1974, most of the CLA leaders signed over the duty and responsibility of the organization to Gene Berkman, who resided in Venice, California.

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