San Francisco is unquestionably a progressive town. All elected officials are Democrats. Compassion means rent control, subsidized housing, minimum wage, City mandated workplace healthcare and paid leave, free MUNI for students and seniors, and 17% of workers unionized vs. 11% nationwide. As for voters, they seem to revel in approving bond initiatives for all manner of spending.
Therefore, it might come as a surprise that the City and neighboring counties have lots of liberty-leaning folks who believe in the benefits to all of small government, free markets, personal liberty, and personal responsibility.
Liberty-leaning The Independent Institute thrives in nearby Oakland. This non-partisan non-profit organization sponsors in-depth studies of economic and social issues. Its website describes “The mission of The Independent Institute is to boldly advance peaceful, prosperous, and free societies grounded in a commitment to human worth and dignity.” http://www.independent.org/
Mountain View based Libertarian Futurist Society honors pro-freedom fiction writers with the annual Prometheus Award. From their website: “Do you love liberty and Science Fiction? Do you dream of a free future? Are you a fan of writers like Ayn Rand, Robert Heinlein, Poul Anderson, Vernor Vinge, James Hogan, Neal Stephenson, and Ken MacLeod? If so, then join the Libertarian Futurist Society!” Now, that can only be described as cool! http://lfs.org/aboutus.shtml
Libertarian (Big and small “L”) radio also thrives in the Bay Area. We recommend that you check out the websites of Bob Zadeck http://www.bobzadek.com/ and Freedomain Radio hosted by Stefan Molyneux https://freedomainradio.com/
There are several libertarian Meetup Groups, including ours which is sponsored by Starchild, our Outreach Director:
Free Exchange http://www.meetup.com/Free-Exchange/
Freedomain Radio http://www.meetup.com/Freedomain-Radio-Bay-Area/
Golden Gate Liberty Revolution http://www.meetup.com/RonPaulSF/
Libertarian Party of Alameda County Meetup http://www.meetup.com/libertarian-438/
Libertarian Party of San Francisco Meetup http://www.meetup.com/the-LPSF/
San Francisco Bitcoin Social http://www.meetup.com/San-Francisco-Bitcoin-Social/
So, if you think that the progressive approach to personal liberty and personal responsibility is not entirely to your liking, connect with people that feel as you do – check out the websites above.