DRAFT Agenda, GPLAC County Council meeting, March 24, 2019

Green Party of Los Angeles County County Council Meeting Agenda
Sunday, March 24 2019, 4-7pm
Teleconference, number sent on GPLAC County Council email list

Co-Facilitators: Annie Goeke, Ajay Rai
Minutes: Mike Feinstein
Time Keeper:  Linda Piera-Avila
Vibes Watcher: Ava Kermani

1. Welcome and Introductions - All attendees (five minutes)                                           

Brief introductions, including role with 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 (five 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): That items marked with an * below be added to the agenda by a 2/3 vote and that the agenda be approved with those added items.

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

5. Decision: Approval of minutes from GPLAC January 20, 2019 County Council meeting (three minutes)                                                                              
Sponsor/Presenter: Feinstein (Secretary, minutes taker)

Proposal (Feinstein): Approval of these draft minutes: https://losangeles.cagreens.org/county-council/minutes/2019-01-20

6. Discussion: Update on GPLAC Nationbuilder capability and outreach to promote Greens running in 2019 Los Angeles Neighborhood Council elections* (fifteen minutes)
Sponsors/Presenters: Feinstein, Rai

Background:  Feinstein and Rai will provide an update on the latest importation of Green registration data, GPLAC email blasts sent, and a projection of future costs.

7. Discussion:  Greens running in spring 2019 elections* (fifteen minutes)
Sponsors: Rai, Russell

8. Decision:  Running for Neighborhood Council workshops* (ten minutes)              
Sponsor/Presenters: Brown, Feinstein

Background: This item provides an opportunity to discuss and review the GPLAC February 9 workshop on running for Neighborhood Council https://losangeles.cagreens.org/elections/workshop-neighborhood-council-... and plan for any additional workshops.  At its January 20, 2019 teleconference, the GPLAC voted ="That GPLAC hold second workshop on Los Angeles' Eastside, Brown will return with proposal on dates and venues, proposal will go to on-line vote." https://losangeles.cagreens.org/county-council/minutes/2019-01-20.  However as this County Council meeting has been delayed several weeks, its probably too late to organize and hold another workshop before most of the filing deadlines close.

9. Decision: Setting Next Meeting Dates (fifteen mintues)
Sponsor/Presenter: Feinstein

Background: At its January 24, 2019 meeting the County Council voted to schedule a meeting on March 31, 2019. However that date is when the founding convention of the California Progressive Alliance in San Luis Obispo, an event many Greens want to attend.  This item will allow the County Council to reschedule that meeting date and future others.  This proposal proposes setting the next four meeting dates for more stabilty and planning - Sunday, April 28; Sunday, June 9, Sunday July 21 and Sunday August 11. The April 28 date is five weeks instead of six from the March 24 County Council meeting, but is meant not to conflict with Cinco de Mayo events on May 5, which would be six weeks.  The July 21 date would be six weeks, but would be a teleconference so as not to conflict with those travelling to and/or attending the GPUS Annual National Meeting, July 25-28 in Salem, Massachusetts.  Then to make up for not having a face-to-face meeting for so long, the August 11 meeting is proposed as a return to Santa Monica's Tongva Park, where the weather is comfortable at this time of year and provides the opportunity for an outdoor meeting in a park setting.

Proposal (Feinstein): That the next four meetings be (i) in person on Sunday, April 28 at the Pilipino Workers Center, 153 Glendale Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026 (cost and availabilty permitting), (ii) via teleconference on Sunday, June 9 and (iii) ia teleconference on Sunday, July 21 and (iv) in person on Sunday August 11 in Tongva Park in Santa Monica.

10. Discussion: GPLAC 2019-2020 Workplan (twenty minutes)
Sponsor/Presenters: Brown, Guevara, Feinstein

Background: Because of the movement of the 2020 California primary from June to March, the 2016-2020 County Council term will end in April instead of July 2020.  Therefore there is less time remaining in the current term.  At least six tasks remain this time are before the County Council: 

10a. Workplan to grow LA Greens

- Participate in tabling events
Coordinate quarterly open membership socials/ fundraising events/workshops (1 membership, 1 fundraising, 2 workshops?)
- Regularly endorse/sponsor LA events such as Hands Off Venezuela, Extinction Rebellion, anti-war events, worker's strikes, etc. Plus, schedule a speaking slot and  participate as a group in our Green gear.
- Utilize social media to market meetings & endorsed events
- Coordinate a Spring picnic and Holiday potluck (or holiday dinner at a restaurant)
- Dedicate one meeting or half a meeting to brainstorm creating handouts, banners, & graphics
- Create an online calendar of all activities
- Discuss a Council member-only retreat

10b. Review open Council seats and discuss recruitment activities

Background: currently we have 11 seats filled out of 43. http://losangeles.cagreens.org/county-council/members

As the largest county in California, we have a variety of socio economic levels and a wide array of strengths. To fully represent our area and grow Greens, we must coordinate activities to entice more members and fill our vacancies. Shall we plan recruiting events in these areas every few months? Shall we email/reach out those Greens via email?

10c. Additional tasks

Continue to make GPLAC endorsements for spring 2019 elections, including for Neighborhood Council in Los Angeles and the LAUSD School Bond (https://losangeles.cagreens.org/issues/voter-guide-spring-2019)
- Choose GPLAC delegates to the GPCA May 18-19 2019 General Assembly in San Francisco and review its agenda
- Candidate search among GPLAC members to run for public office in 2019-2020 https://losangeles.cagreens.org/elections/run-green-in-la-county
- Choose GPLAC County Council co-coordinators in August for the remainder of the 2016-2020 term https://losangeles.cagreens.org/officers
- Make endorsements for GPLAC Green Voter Guide for November 2019 elections
- Outreach to GPLAC members to run for County Council, prepare plan to make candidate bios available on GPLAC site and distribute then to GPLAC members https://losangeles.cagreens.org/county-council/how-run-for-county-council
- Make clean up change to GPLAC Bylaws and/or Rules and Procedures to minimize need for such work by 2020-2024 County Council.

12. Decision: Authorize GPLAC email blast to promote GPLAC Social Media* (ten minutes)
Sponsor/Presenter: Feinstein

Background: There are over 22,000 registered Greens in Los Angeles County, but very few are subscribers to GPLAC Social Media like Facebook, Twitter, and MeWe. GPLAC Rules and Procedures 5-4.1 General Access state:

"Access to the data base shall be at the discretion of the County Council and in keeping with the GPCA's IT Protocol. Individual County Councilmembers shall have no special access to the data base, other than that provided for in these Rules and Procedures, nor shall the data base be exported to nor shared with any candidate, campaign, group or individual, other than may be necessary for maintenance and upkeep by the Green Party of California and/or the Green Party of Los Angeles County."

Proposal (Feinstein): That the County Council authorize a GPLAC email blast to promote GPLAC Social Media to GPLAC members, with County Councilmembers posting draft text to the GPLAC County Council email list, and Feinstein sending a draft to the list before sending.

13. Discussion: Amendment to GPLAC Bylaws: Eligibility, County Council* (fifteen minutes)
Sponsor/Presenter: Feinstein

Background: In 2012, the GPCA supported SB 1272 in exchange for a few amendments, including giving the GPCA the ability to set in its state party bylaws, the date by which one must be registered Green in order to run for County Council.  Previous to SB 1272, the GPCA had to follow a state law that was the most restrictive in the United States, where a person would need to be registered Green at least three months before filing their declaration of candidacy  and would have to also not have been a member of another ballot qualified political party for a full twelve months before filing their declaration of candidacy.  This made it impossible for people who did decide to committe to the Green Party within those twelve months and at least three months before the County Council filing period, to run for County Council.

This law was passed in 1961 as part of a law to prevent Democrats and Republicans from losing in the primary and then running as an independent on the general election ballot, and then it got extended to people changing between parties as well. It's origins had nothing to do with central committee elections, but got applied to them at some point.

In November 2015, the GPCA Standing General Assembly (SGA) approved a proposal http://sga.cagreens.org/vote/irvdetail?pid=71 to add the following sentence to GPCA bylaws, on a one time, trial basis for the GPCA 2016 County Council elections, that essentially left in the three month requirment, but eliminated the 12 month requirment:

 "6-2.1(a) To be eligible to be elected, one must be registered Green no later than three months before filing their declaration of candidacy for County Council.

Because the GPCA has not acted upon this issue for the 2020 elections, and there are no visible plans for the GPCA to do so, the GPLAC can fill that void by enacting its own bylaws governing this issue. This agenda item it to provide the opportunity to discuss this issue in person, while it is being proposed on-line for an on-line vote.

Reference: Relevant text from AB1272

8001(c) below, which modifies 8001(a) is the text that gives the GPCA the ability to set the date by which one must be registered Green in order to run for County Council.

http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201120120SB1272

8001 (a) No declaration of candidacy for a partisan office or for membership on a county central committee shall be filed by a candidate unless (1) at the time of presentation of the declaration and continuously for not less than three months immediately prior to that time, or for as long as he or she has been eligible to register to vote in the state, the candidate is shown by his or her affidavit of registration to be affiliated with the political party the nomination of which he or she seeks, and (2) the candidate has not been registered as affiliated with a qualified political party other than that political party the nomination of which he or she seeks within 12 months, or, in the case of an election governed by Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 10700) of Part 6 of Division 10, within three months immediately prior to the filing of the declaration.

8001 (c) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), a county central committee, subject to the bylaws of the state central committee, may establish the length of time that a candidate for membership on that committee must be shown by his or her affidavit of registration to be affiliated with the political party of that committee, and may establish the length of time that a candidate for membership on that committee must not have been registered as affiliated with a qualified political party other than the political party of that committee.

15. Decision: Incorporating Key Value of Non-Violence (ten minutes)

Sponsor/Presenters: Russell, Avila, Bruhnke 

Background: The purpose of adopting this practice is to reduce and ultimately remove habits of speech that aggravate discord and to build our skill in communication that maintains cohesion and heals division.

Proposal: To align with the Green Party Key Value of Nonviolence, all GPLAC members agree to learn and practice nonviolent communication language, based on guidelines outlined by Julia in her message to the GPLACC on 7/30/18, within the GPLAC and when communicating with others on Green Party matters, as per the follwoing

a. Shall we, as GPLAC members, agree to learn and practice nonviolent communication language within the GPLAC and when communicating with others on Green Party matters?

b. Shall we adopt the guidelines presented by Julia Russell on 7/30/18? (Attached)                          

c. Shall we change the term “nonviolent language?”  What term shall we use instead? *See attachment 

d. What procedures should be adopted to ensure that nonviolent language guidelines are being followed during discussions both oral and written?

16. Decision: Role of Vibes Watcher (fifteen minutes)   
Sponsor/Presenter: Russell

Background:  At the August 12, 2018 Council Meeting our Vibes Watcher felt attacked and was not able to perform her function with the result that communications became emotional leading to her resignation from the County Council and that of another member.  Had an authorized second been able to step in in a timely manner, the resulting loss of two members might have been avoided.  Electing, rather than appointing the Vibes Watcher assures that there will be no bias in their judgments regarding communications during CC meetings.

Proposal:                                                                                                                         

a. Make the role of Vibes Watcher or Peace Keeper an elected position                                

b. Call the office Peace Keeper (PK) instead of Vibes Watcher (VW)                                  

c. Elect a backup PK or VW in case of absence or incapacity of primary one.                              

d. Add guidelines to GPLAC bylaws for the election of a VW/PK and the length of term                   

e. Put election of a VW/PK or Peace Keeper on the Agenda for our next meeting