DRAFT Green Party of Los Angeles County, County Council Meeting Agenda, April 22, 2024

DRAFT Green Party of Los Angeles County, County Council Meeting Agenda,Monday, April 22, 2024
Teleconference information shared via County Council email list
Check in/socializing: 2:15 pm to 2:30 pm
Business meeting: 2:30pm to 4:45pm

Facilitators: Timeka Drew, Ajay Rai
Minutes: Mike Feinstein
Time Keeper:  Doug Barnett
Vibes Watcher: Ava Kermani

Agenda

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

2. Reviewing our process (three minutes)
Presenter: Facilitators
• Relevant Bylaw: Section 11-2 Participation
11-2.1 All GPLAC members may participate in the 'Consensus-seeking Process'. Participation is based upon the premise that people participant in order build the Green Party and advance the Ten Key Values. Disagreement over issues and ideas should be honored as an expected part this process, and is not to be considered a disruption or impediment. Participants are encouraged to state their views, inform one another, and discuss issues in depth, in a manner that enables energy to be focused on productive work.
11-2.2 Only County Council members can hold 'unresolved concerns' and participate in any vote, should one become necessary.
11-2.3 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 team, non-Council members may also participate in these discussions.
11-2.4 A County Council member, when recognized by the facilitation team, may yield the floor to a non-County Council member rather than speaking themselves, and in do doing, forego his/her turn on the item.

3. Decision: 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)

4. Discussion: Treasurer's Report (ten minutes)
Sponsor/Presenter: Doug Barnett, Outgoing GPLAC Treasurer; Ajay Rai, GPLAC Co-Coordinator

5. Discussion: Discussion of goals for 2024 - 2028 County Council by newly elected County Council members and those applying for appointment to the County Council at this meeting (thirty minutes)
Sponsor/Presenter: Mike Feinstein, outgoing GPLAC Secretary,  Timeka Drew, Ajay Rai, outdoing GPLAC Co-Coordinators

6. Election: Election of GPLAC Co-coordinators (ten minutes) 
Sponsor/Presenters: Timeka Drew, Ajay Rai, GPLAC Co-Coordinators

7. Election: Election of GPLAC Secretary (five minutes)
Sponsor/Presenters: Timeka Drew, Ajay Rai, GPLAC Co-Coordinators

8. Election: Election of GPLAC Treasurer (five minutes)
Sponsor/Presenters: Timeka Drew, Ajay Rai, GPLAC Co-Coordinators

9. Elections of New County Council members (fifteen minutes)

Consideration of Doug Barnett, Samir Bitar, Shannel Pittman, Ajay Rai

10. Decision: Authorize letter regarding FPPC complliance  (ten minutes)
Sponsor: Mike Feinstein, Ajay Rai

Background:  Decision-making opportunity after outgoing Treasurer report and election of new Treasurer

11. Decision: Set next GPLAC meeting dates (ten minutes)
Sponsors/Presenters: Feinstein, Rai

Background:  GPCA Combine a mix of virtual and in-persons every month to six weeks, with the goal in part of identifying and adding additional county council members to

Proposal: That proposed dates above are accepted or modified, and a final schedule is adopted.

Before then - special meeting to fill Treasurer's position in case not filled at this meeting?
Sunday, May 20 (virtual)
Sunday, June 23 or Sunday, June 30 (in person somewhere) ... GPCA Virtual General Assembly is Saturday, June 29
Sunday, August 4 or Sunday, August 11 (in person somewhere) ... GPUS presidential nomination convention is Saturday, August 17,  GPUS Annual National Meeting is Thursday to Sunday, August 15-18 .... also possible in-person gathering to watch the convention on August 17 (authorize email blast to GPLAC members to see if would attend an in-person gathering...)

12. Decision: Update on GPLAC Nationbuilder database, data and finances (ten minutes)
Sponsors/Presenters: Feinstein, Rai

13. Decision: Report on GPLAC efforts to promote proportional representation and a substantially larger city council for Los Angeles (ten minutes)
Sponsor/Presenter: Feinstein

Background: Going back to November 2016, the GPLAC has called for a substantially larger Los Angeles City Council losangeles.cagreens.org/issues/los-angeles-city-council-size, elected with the use of ranked-choice voting losangeles.cagreens.org/issues/los-angeles-elections-ranked-choice-voting.  In late 2022, the Los Angeles City Council voted to establish an Ad Hoc Committee on Governance Reform to explore establishing an independent redistricting commission to draw district lines for the Los Angeles City Council and to consider a larger city council to reflect an increases in population. 

The GPLAC took the position that a Charter Reform Commission should have been established at that time to consider city council enlargement and elections from multi-seat districts by proportional ranked choice voting (PRCV) - and sent in comment comment to that effect to the Ad Hoc Committee on Governance Reform  https://losangeles.cagreens.org/issues/gplac-concerns-limited-scope-los-angeles-electoral-reform.

Subsequently Feinstein had the following opinion piece published in CityWatchLA  and sent in this letter requesting

Opinion: Time for a Civic Assembly for Los Angeles charter reform. By Michael Feinstein. Los Angeles Daily News. April 17 2024
The Scope of Ad Hoc Committee on LA City Governance Reform is Insufficient. By Michael Feinstein CityWatchLA. May 04 2023

and sent in this request for a presentation on PRCV

LA needs to consider using Proportional Representation for city council elections. June 28, 2023. https://democracysos.substack.com/p/la-needs-to-consider-using-proportional

A strong background document was prepared by Fair Representation LA www.fairrepla.com/expansion.

At its April 18th meeting, the Ad Hoc Committee voted to recommend a politician-appointed Charter Reform Commission, mostly along these lines, with a few small modifications.

The near term goal for the GPLAC is to influence the scope of the Charter Reform Commission.

Proposal:

(1) That the GPLAC position be that in establishing the Charter Reform Commission, that the City Council should specifically include as part of the Commission's scope, that the study of council enlargement include studying electing the LA City Council from multi-seat districts by proportional ranked-choice voting, and provide reasoning as in this document LA needs to consider using Proportional Representation for city council elections.

(2) The GPLAC do an email blast letting all Greens in Los Angeles County about the GPLAC position and ask for letters of support, to forward information about the Charter Review Commission to GPLAC members, both now and during the Charter Review Commission process

(3) The GPLAC do an email blasts to LA Neighborhood Councils with the GPLAC position and background material, both now and during the Charter Review Commission process