DRAFT Agenda, GPLAC County Councl meeting, September 16, 2018

Green Party of Los Angeles County
County Council Meeting Agenda
Sunday, September 16, 2018, 5pm teleconference

Co-Facilitators: Annie Goeke and Ajay Rai
Minutes: Mike Feinstein
Time Keeper:  Lisa Taylor
Vibes Watcher: Ava Kermani

Table of Contents

1. Welcome and Introductions - All attendees (ten minutes)
Very brief introductions, including role w/GPLAC County Council or otherwise with Green Party, or as outside observer

2. Reviewing our process (two minutes)
Presenter: Facilitators
• Relevant Bylaw: Section 9.3 Participation
9.3.1 Open Meetings: With the consent of the Council, all members of the Green Party of Los Angeles County may participate in the 'Consensus-seeking Process' but only Council members may hold any 'unresolved concerns' and participate in any vote, should one become necessary.
9.3.2 County Council members shall receive priority in discussions, to ensure that they have time to a) seek clarifications. b) express their concerns and affirmations, and c) take a vote, if necessary. At the discretion of the facilitation

3. Opportunity to amend agenda and/or add emergency items (ten minutes)
Presenter: Facilitators
• Relevant By-Law 7.5.2.3
The agenda may be amended by a 3/5 vote of County Councilmember present. Emergency and/or late items may be added to the agenda by a 2/3 vote of County Councilmembers (in the interest of time, suggested amendments and their rationale should be offered on-line before the meeting)

Proposal (Feinstein):  Add all items below marked with an asterik * as late items by a 2/3 vote at the time and place in the agenda as proposed below.

4. Discussion: Treasurer's Report (five minutes)
Presenter: Barnett

5. Decision: Approval of minutes from GPLAC July 1st County Council meeting (two minutes)
Presenter: Feinstein

Proposal: Approve minutes https://losangeles.cagreens.org/county-council/minutes/2018-07-01

6. Decision: Election of of GPLAC Co-Coordinators, Male/Female (fifteen minutes)
Nominations will be taken from the floor. Each nominee will have two minutes to make a candidate statement. Brief questions and answers with the nominees can occur time permitting.The voting procedure is by Instant Run-Off (IRV), using a simple majority threshold and including No Other Candidate as an option. Voting will be by paper ballot and results of the individual votes are included in the minutes.

• Relevant Bylaw: Section 6.1 Co-Coordinators https://losangeles.cagreens.org/bylaws/2017-03-12#section6-1

Section 6-1 Co-Coordinators

6-1.1 The Council shall elect two Co-Coordinators, one male and one female. Within each four-year County Council term, there shall be four consecutive one year Co-Coordinator terms. The first one year term shall commence with the first meeting of the newly elected County Council and the last one shall end when the subsequent County Council holds it first meeting. The voting procedure shall be by Instant Run-Off (IRV), using a simple majority threshold, and including the No Other Candidate option, as referenced in the GPCA Bylaws (Section 7).

6-1.2 The Co-Coordinators shall be responsible for the production of the Council agenda.  This includes the prioritization of and the assigning times to agenda items, as well as the appointment of a meeting facilitator(s), minutes taker and vibes-watcher. 

6-1.3 The Co-Coordinators shall be responsible for the distribution of the Council agenda.  Distribution will include Council members and Active Green locals, and will appear on the County web site. Co-Coordinators may work with the Secretary to accomplish this task.

6-1.4 The Co-Coordinators shall be responsible for updating the GPLAC website and may work with Secretary to accomplish this task.  The web site shall include the names and official contact information of all County Council members, County Council officers; the official contact information for Active Green Locals in Los Angeles County; GPLAC Bylaws and GPLAC Rules and Procedures, and minutes of County Council and County Council committee meetings.

6-1.5 The Co-Coordinators shall serve as Co-Liaisons to the office of the Registrar/Recorder of Los Angeles County.

6-1.6 The Co-Coordinators may speak on behalf of the GPLAC, consistent with GPLAC policy, the Green Party of California state platform, and the Ten Key Values.  No other Council member may speak on behalf of the County Council, without County Council authorization.

GPLAC Co-coordinators, 2016-2020 https://losangeles.cagreens.org/officers

Nomination: Female Co-coordinator, for September 2018 to August 2019 term
Nomination: Male Co-coordinator, for September 2018 to August 2019 term

7. Decision: Set Meeting Location of fall 2018 GPLAC meetings (ten minutes)
Sponsors: Rai, Russell

Proposal: Next meeting on Sunday, November 11th, with Holiday Party in December.

*8. Decision: Taking GPLAC positions on November ballot measures in the City of Los Angeles, the CIty of Santa Monica and statewide (30 minutes)
Sponsors/Presenters: Feinstein

Background: GPLAC Bylaws  5-2.10 Ballot Measures state that the County Council may "Endorse or oppose ballot measures appearing on the ballot in Los Angeles County” and Bylaw 9-4.2(h) states that votes that require 3/5 for approval including "endorsing or opposing ballot measures.

This agenda item gives the Green Party the opportunity to discuss and take positions on ballot measures on the November 2018 general election ballot in parts or all of Los Angeles County.

Recommend Endorse:

(8a) County of Los Angeles - Measure W  Los Angeles Region’s Public Health and Safe, Clean Water Program
Shall an ordinance improving/protecting water quality; capturing rain/stormwater to increase safe drinking water supplies and prepare for future drought; protecting public health and marine life by reducing pollution, trash, toxin/plastics entering Los Angeles County waterways /bays/beaches; establishing a parcel tax of 2.5¢ per square foot of impermeable area, exempting low-income seniors, raising approximately $300,000,000 annually until ended by voters, requiring independent audits, oversight and local control be adopted?

(8b) City of Los Angeles - Charter Amendment B: Municipal Financial Institution
Shall the City Charter be amended to allow the City to establish a municipal financial institution or bank?

Background: This measure would authorize the formation of a municipal bank under Section 104(g) of the City Charter. The GPCA endorsed Ellen Brown for Treasurer in 2014. Brown ran on promoting a public bank for California  http://www.cagreens.org/elections/2014/statewide-candidate-questionnaire... • https://ellenbrown.com/treasurer/
https://californiapublicbankingalliance.org/portfolio/losangeles
https://publicbankla.com/index.php/5-point-agenda
https://truthout.org/articles/a-public-bank-for-los-angeles-city-council...

Background: Consoliating Culver City's municipal elections with the statewide general election would increase voter turnout.

Recommend Oppose:

(8d) City of Los Angeles - Charter Amendment E: Realign City and State Election Dates
Shall the City Charter be amended to realign the City’s primary election date with the State’s primary election held in March of even numbered years, and make other related and technical changes to City election procedures?

(8e) Los Angeles Unified School District - Charter Amendment EE: Realign Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and State Election Dates
Shall the City Charter be amended to realign the LAUSD Board of Education’s primary election date with the State’s primary election held in March of even-numbered years, and make other related and technical changes to LAUSD election procedures?

Background: The GPLAC is on record of supporting ranked choice voting (RCV), rather than a two-round run-off https://losangeles.cagreens.org/issues/los-angeles-elections-ranked-choi..., as Measures E and EE would provide. Opposing E and EE would cause Los Angeles to consider RCV

(8f) City of Santa Monica - Measure TL http://www.smvote.org/BallotMeasures/detail.aspx?id=53687101264
Shall the Santa Monica City Charter be amended to prohibit any person from serving as a member of the City Council for more than three terms, whether consecutive or not, where a term includes any full term of four years as well as any partial term of more than two years?

Background: Measure TL would establish term limits for the Santa Monica City Council. The GPCA's Democracy and Electoral Reform section of its platform supports a variety of electorla reforms (http://www.cagreens.org/platform/electoral-reform), but does not support term limits among them.  Instead of term limits, the GPCA supports elections by proportional representation http://www.cagreens.org/platform/proportional-representation.  Term limits limit voter choice, proportional representation elections expand them.  On the municipal level, ranked choice voting is the form of proportional representation. Why is ranked choice voting right for Santa Monica?  http://smdp.com/next-logical-step-after-lv-is-rcv/158764 •  http://smdp.com/reflective-democracy-in-santa-monica/154836

Statewide

8g) Endorse/Support:  Proposition 10: Expands Local Governments’ Authority to Enact Rent Control on Residential Property. Initiative Statute.

Background: The GPCA platform opposed the Costa-Hawkins Act when it was originally passed and has called for its repeal ever since http://www.cagreens.org/platform/housing. Proposition 10 would repeal the 1995 Costa-Hawkins Act and allow California cities to place rent-control restrictions on newly created housing stock.

8h) Oppose:  Proposition 6: Eliminates Recently Enacted Road Repair and Transportation Funding by Repealing Revenues Dedicated for Those Purposes. Requires Any Measure to Enact Certain Vehicle Fuel Taxes and Vehicle Fees Be Submitted to and Approved by the Electorate. Initiative Constitutional Amendment.

*9. Decision: Kenneth Mejia Campaign, Rodolfo Cortez Campaign and Fall Events (20 minutes)

Background:  David Bond, campaign manager for Mejia for Congress, will report on the campaign

*10: Decision: Green Party Neighborhood Council and other 2019-2010 candidate training event (20 minutes)
Sponsor/Presenter: Feinstein

Background/Discussion: The County Council has been in contact with Empower LA (LA Department of Neighborhood Empowerment http://empowerla.org/councils/) about promoting next year’s Neighborhood Council (NC) elections in Los Angeles https://losangeles.cagreens.org/elections/2019-la-nc-schedule

The Empower LA staff is willing to do a workshop for the GPLAC  Since the NC elections start in March and run into June, this proosal suggest a workshop in late January.  In addition to a presentation from Empower LA staff, the workshop could feaure current Green NC members (there are 16 of them), and have them talk about their experiences running and serving - and to meet each other and compare notes.

(Offices similar to Neighborhood Councils in Southern California are Town Councils in non-incorporated LA and San Bernadino County and Planning Groups in the City and in the County of San Diego.)

The workshop could also focus on municipal races in LA County in 2019 https://lavote.net/docs/rrcc/Election-Info/scheduled_elections_2019.pdf?v=3 and 2020 https://lavote.net/docs/rrcc/Election-Info/scheduled_elections_2020.pdf?v=2, including seven City Council seats and four for School Board seats in Los Angeles in 2020.  Two of the LA city council districts will have no incumbent, (Herb Wesson (D8) and Jose Huizar (D13, downtown-to-Eagle Rock district), as both will be out of office on term limits.

The state Green Party Grassroots Organizing Working Group wants to co-sponsor three candidates trainings in 2019, North, South, Central.  They have envisioned a Southern California event in March.  The GPLAC event should be seen as complimentary, but separate, in order to keep a needed LA County focus and develop local candidacies in the county. March would also be late in the filing season for Neighborhood Council, which is why January makes more sense.

At the same time, the event could be promoted by the GPCA to Greens around Southern California, for other potential future 2019/2020 Green candidates and volunteers to attend if interested.  There could be a worksho on potential candidates for 2020 state and federal office, which could be useful to regional Greens considering the same, and all potential caniddates could network about their campaigns.  The filing period for 2020 state/federal office begins in late September and runs through December, which means 2020 candidates need to start thinking about it by early 2019, to be ready by late 2019.

For a location, it makes sense to be near a metro stop, and identifying a location at little or no cost is a first step, along with inviting all of the existing Green NC members and soliciting their input and involvement.

Proposal:  Hold a late January 2019 Green canddate workshop in Los Angeles, with a focus on Greens running in LA County in 2019 and 2020

11. Report: Update on GPLAC opposition to Final EIR for warehouse project at 4051 S. Alameda in Los Angeles on the former South Central Farm land (ten minutes)

Sponsor/Presenter: Piera-Avila

Background: The GPLAC took this position in July 2016 on the Final EIR losangeles.cagreens.org/documents/2016-07-14/GPLAC-EIR-comments-4051-Alameda after previously supporting preservation of the South Central Farm back in 2006. On November 10, 2016 the Los Angeles Planning Comission denied an appeal of a lower level approval of the EIR.

This agenda item will brief the County Council on recent successul efforts to appeal the Planning Commission's approval and on the campaign to persuade the owner to sell the land so that it can be converted back into an urban farm and food hub,

https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Advocates-Gather-to-Revive-Sout...
http://www.surcentraltimes.com/2018/08/south-central-farm-continue-12-ye...
http://www.laist.com/2018/08/20/new_hope_sprouts_in_fight_to_bring_back_...

and specficailly a public event next to the Farm site on Sunday, September 23.

12. Decision: Bylaws Amendment Section 8-3 Nominations (twenty minutes)

Sponsors: Bernstein, Feinstein and Piera-Avila

Background:  Since 1994, the GPLAC bylaws have required that to be considered for appontment to fill a mid-term vacancy on the County Council, nmominees must be registered Greens within the District they wish to represent, and must also gather as many signatures of registered Greens in the district as would be normally required by the County Registrar to appear on the ballot in that district. Such appliants could be approved by a simply majority vote. However addtionally before newly elected 2016 County Council term began, the outgoing County Council amended the bylaws to temporarily also allow the County Council to fill such mid-term vacacies by an 80% vote, even if the applicant did not gather the requried 20 signatures, or even if they didn't gather any signatures at all.  This was done given the weakened state of the county party, owing to issues related to the 2012 Green presidential primary and their aftermath.  The feeling of the outgoing County Council was that it would be helpfu to have such option for a short period of time, because not as many Greens as normal had filed for the County Council in 2016, in part as a result of prior issues related to 2012.

The County Council used this option to appoint five new members at its July 2016 meeting (https://losangeles.cagreens.org/county-council/minutes/2016-07-10), two at its August 2016 meeting (https://losangeles.cagreens.org/county-council/minutes/2016-08-21) and three at the October 2016 meeting (https://losangeles.cagreens.org/county-council/minutes/2016-10-02), after which this bylaw amendment sunset.

At its March 2017 meeting, the County Council again amended the bylaws on this issue, adding an option "for the County Council meetings of March 12, April 23 and June 4, [a nominee] may gather five signatures of registered Greens in the district on a petition as defined in 8.4 and to be appointed, would need 80% approval from the County Council" (https://losangeles.cagreens.org/county-council/minutes/2017-03-12).  The Council used this option to appoint two new members at its March 2017 meeting (https://losangeles.cagreens.org/county-council/minutes/2017-03-12) and two at its May 2017 meeting (https://losangeles.cagreens.org/county-council/minutes/2017-05-07).

Proposal: That Section 8-3 be amended from reading as thus:

Section 8-3 Nominations

8-3.1 Nominees must be registered Greens within the District they wish to represent, and must also gather as many signatures of registered Greens in the district on a petition as defined in 8.4, as would be normally required by the County Registrar to appear on the ballot in that district, for the purposes of being elected to the Los Angeles County Green Party County Council.

to

Section 8-3 Nominations

8-3.1 Nominees must be registered Greens within the District they wish to represent, and must also gather as many signatures of registered Greens in the district on a petition as defined in 8.4, as would be normally required by the County Registrar to appear on the ballot in that district, for the purposes of being elected to the Los Angeles County Green Party County Council; or for County Council meetings (or on-line votes) between September 16 and November 11 for those who attended a County Counci meeting within the previous six months, may gather at least ten signatures of registered Greens in the district on a petition as defined in 8.4 and to be appointed, would need 80% approval from the County Council

13. Discussion: Report back from August 12th pre-meeting on GPCA-GPLAC relations (ten minutes)
Sponsor: Russell

Background: Documents sent to County Councilmembers via email before meeting

14. Discussion:  Decision: Letter to GPCA regarding GPCA spokesperson and GPLAC position on Santa Monica Measure LV in 2016 (ten minutes)
Sponsors: Feinstein, Piera-Avila

Background: GPLAC members have been publicly criticized by the male GPCA spokesperson for the GPLAC's position in opposing Santa Monica Measure LV in 2016 https://losangeles.cagreens.org/press-release/pr20161018.

Proposal:  Approve following text (text to before GPLAC meeting)

15. Decision: Letter to GPCA Coordinating Committee regarding GPLAC use of GPCA Nationbuilder data for LA County (ten minutes)
Sponsors: Feinstein, Piera-Avila

Background: Despite two letters from the GPLAC, sent by GPLAC co-coordinator Julia Russell, the GPLAC's access to the GPLAC's data and email capabilty in the GPCA Nationbuilder data base has not been restored.  However many new members of the GPCA Coordinating Committee have been elected since, making it time to revist the topic,.

Proposal:  Approve following text (text to before GPLAC meeting)

18. Decision: Letter to GPCA regarding returning SGA to officially approved voting page and email list (ten minutes)
Sponsors: Feinstein, Rai

Background: The GPCA Coordianting Committee SGA co-adminstartors have made a unilateral decision to abandon the GPCA's approved official voting page.  This has led to multiple problems (more text coming)

Proposal:  Approve following text (text to before GPLAC meeting)

17. DIscussion: Role of Vibes Watcher (ten mintues)
Sponsor: Russell