Libertarians Challenge Health Justice United: Where Is Your Evidence That LPLAC Is “Trump-Aligned”?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE · Media contact: John Due, Chair, chair@lp-lac.org

Group’s Facebook ads mischaracterize the Libertarian Party’s lawsuit challenging Measure ER

LOS ANGELES, November 6, 2026 – The Libertarian Party of Los Angeles County (LPLAC) today publicly asked Health Justice United to produce any evidence for its claim, made in paid Facebook ads, that LPLAC is "a Trump-aligned group."

The ads promote an Action Network letter page titled "Urgent: Tell your Supervisor to Keep Measure ER Moving," which tells readers that "a Trump-aligned group is suing LA County" and calls the case a "frivolous lawsuit."

LPLAC is a plaintiff in LPLAC et al. v. County of Los Angeles et al. (Los Angeles Superior Court Case No. 26STCV27655), which challenges the validity of Measure ER, the countywide tax known formally as the "Los Angeles County General Retail Transactions and Use Tax." Collection of the tax began on October 1, 2026.

According to the Los Angeles County Registrar of Voters' Statement of Vote for the June 2, 2026 election, Measure ER passed with 1,013,747 "Yes" votes to 987,977 "No" votes, roughly 50.6 percent. Only about 2.2 million of the County's 5.9 million registered voters cast a ballot on the measure, and voters in three of the five supervisorial districts voted against it. With Measure ER in effect, the base sales tax rate in Los Angeles County increased to 10.25 percent, and the cities of Lancaster and Palmdale have rates of 11.75 percent, according to the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. That's the highest sales tax rate ever, anywhere, in California history.

The Libertarian Party is independent of both the Republican and Democratic parties. In 2024 the national Libertarian Party nominated Chase Oliver for President against Donald Trump. At the party's May 2024 national convention, Oliver publicly rebuked Trump, telling him at a news conference that he was "not a libertarian" and "a war criminal."

"Libertarians have opposed Donald Trump's tariffs, his deficit spending and his expansion of federal power. Calling us 'Trump-aligned' is absolutely false. It's a smear meant to dodge the real question: why should LA County taxpayers fund another tax increase with no accountability?" said John Due, Chair, Libertarian Party of Los Angeles County.

LPLAC invites Health Justice United to identify who funds its ad campaign. Los Angeles County's lobbying ordinance requires quarterly reports from those who spend $5,000 or more to influence County action; LPLAC encourages the public and the press to review County lobbying disclosures as they become available.

LPLAC will not comment on the details of the pending litigation beyond what is stated in public court filings.

About the Libertarian Party of Los Angeles County

The Libertarian Party of Los Angeles County is the county affiliate of the Libertarian Party of California. LPLAC works to advance individual liberty, free markets, and limited government, and supports Libertarian candidates and causes across Los Angeles County. Learn more at www.lp-lac.org.

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