John Haag, co-founder and long-time leader of the California Peace and Freedom Party

John Haag, co-founder and long-time leader of the California Peace and Freedom Party, died March 29

after a brief illness. He was 75.

John was my mentor in my early days of politics. He taught me the basic skills of political organizing

and strategy that have been essential to me over the last 35 years. John was a good friend who taught

me a lot about life.

He was also a poet, proprietor of the Beat generation Venice West Cafe and a founder of the Free Venice

(California) movement. He was an early state chairperson of P&F and a candidate for office, including

controller and lieutenant governor, a number of times. He was the California campaign chair for Dr.

Benjamin Spock’s president candidacy on the Peoples Party in 1972, in which P&F participated.

Here is an article he wrote about the history of P&F.

Here is an in-depth obituary from a local newspaper.

No date has yet been set for a memorial service. Please send letters – and photos – to the Free Venice

Beachhead about John for the next issue. Contact: 310-399-2215 or Beachhead@freevenice.org. Thanks to

Irv Sutley for letting me know this sad news.