The Libertarian National Committee is formally backing California Libertarian and Oxnard City Councilmember Aaron Starr against a campaign to recall him from office, adopting a resolution that condemns the effort and calls on party members to contribute financially to his fight against it.
LNC members approved the resolution in a 15–0 vote this month with one abstention. Region 1 Representative Austin Martin, joined by five co-sponsors, initially introduced the motion, arguing that Starr was facing a politically motivated effort similar to other campaigns he said have targeted elected Libertarians in the past. The proposal required support from three-fourths of the national committee to pass.
“They falsely call our leaders like Mr. Starr ‘belligerent’ to suppress and censor their viewpoints in their committees, relying on majority complicity rather than merits to silence criticism,” Martin wrote when introducing the motion. “Against Councilmember Starr, the establishment is twisting facts to justify a baseless recall action. His opponents are even shamelessly smearing his wife solely for being supportive of one of the few remaining public servants with principled integrity.”
Starr, a longtime Libertarian activist who previously held both state and national leadership roles within the party, has represented the nonpartisan 3rd District seat since first winning election in November 2024. During an April 7 meeting of the council, recall organizer Manuel Herrera announced the effort to recall Starr, with a formal notice of intention signed by 81 district residents filed the following day. Starr was reportedly absent from the meeting but was later served by registered mail.
Recall organizers argue that Starr has repeatedly put his political agenda ahead of the interests of residents. A website supporting the effort points to several specific areas of concern, including his lone vote against additional financial support for Oxnard’s 110-bed Navigation Center for unhoused residents, his opposition to a tenant anti-harassment ordinance, and votes against several agreements involving city employees and public safety workers.
The group also calls out Starr over his history of litigation against Oxnard, claiming that 19 lawsuits involving him have cost the city nearly $4 million in legal expenses “along with additional lost financial opportunities.” Organizers also raise concerns over his vote against city funding for public defenders for immigrants, a proposed power plant extension in South Oxnard, and his general conduct toward members of the public.
Starr has rejected the case against him, stating in a formal response to the recall that the effort amounts to retaliation by political insiders because he refuses to act as a “rubber stamp” on the council. He also presented himself as “independent of the political machine” and “a longtime fighter of corruption,” saying he supports stronger enforcement against homeless encampments while otherwise voting against spending he believes the city cannot afford.
“Notice that recall proponents make sweeping statements — but can’t cite misconduct,” the response reads. “That’s not a legitimate basis for a recall.”
The LNC takes a similar view in its resolution, calling Starr a “steadfast champion of Libertarian principles” and condemning what it calls “the politically motivated attacks, smear campaigns, and recall efforts” against him. The committee also praises Starr’s past challenges to city utility policies and declares itself in “full solidarity” with him, imploring Libertarian Party members nationwide to contribute financially to his campaign against the recall.
Starr previously chaired the Libertarian Party of California and served as treasurer of the Libertarian National Committee. He also has previous experience with recalls in Oxnard—though on the opposite side of things—having helped organize a 2018 effort against the city’s mayor and three councilmembers over wastewater rates. All four officials ultimately survived the recall.
Under California law, the number of signatures required for a local recall depends on the number of registered voters in the specific electoral jurisdiction. In jurisdictions with at least 10,000 but fewer than 50,000 registered voters, petitioners must collect valid signatures equal to at least 20 percent of registered voters and submit them within 120 days. Petitioning remains underway.
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