Draft Minutes, GPLAC County Council meeting, November 13, 2016

Green Party of Los Angeles County - County Council Meeting Minutes
Sunday, October 2, 2016
Belvedere Regional Community Park
4914 E. Cesar Chavez Avenue, East Los Angeles
2pm: vegetarian potluck/social
2:30pm - 6pm: Meeting 

County Councilmembers in attendance (8): Caney Arnold, Doug Barnett, Justine Berne-Akley, Marla Bernstein, Tom Bibiyan, Mike Feinstein, Linda Piera-Avila, Ajay Rai
County Council alternates (1): Lisa Taylor (for Cris Gutierrez)
County Councilmembers not in attendance (9): Daniel Alvarado, Rachel Bruhnke, Helen Gaskins, Annie Goeke, Cris Gutierrez, Ava Kermani, Cordula Ohman, Julia Russell, Adia Williams
Other Greens in attendance (4): Andrea Houtman, John Kawakami, Jim Lauderdale, Will Reagan
Others in attendance (1): Ginelie Mendieta

Meeting started with introductions at 2:45
Arnold and Berne-Akley arrived at 2:55

Co-Facilitators: Marla Bernstein and Ajay Rai
Minutes: Mike Feinstein
Time Keeper:  Linda Piera Avila
Vibes Watcher: none chosen

1. Welcome and Introductions - All attendees

Attendees introduced themselves

2. Opportunity to amend agenda and/or add emergency items (five minutes)
Presenter: Facilitators
• Relevant By-Law 9-5.5 Once distributed, the Agenda may not be changed until the meeting. The time and order of already agendized items may be amended by a 3/5 vote.  New agenda items may be added by a 2/3 vote.

Proposal (Piera-Avila): Add announcement item for Dakota Access Pipeline Protest in Los Angeles as new item #7

Approved by consensus

Proposal (Feinstein):  A discussion item relating to GPLAC involvement/sponsorshop of marches opposing/resisting Trump as new last item 
Approved by consensus

3. Report: Treasurer’s report (five minutes)
Sponsor/Presenter: Doug Barnett, GPLAC Treasurer

Barnett reported on donations since last meeting on new PayPal link https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=xsw_jbrAIkuR-elloZ_HIWz1ew1ne45_fHm...

Feinstein added that the PayPal link had been emailed to Greens in Los Angeles County along with annoucements of the GPLAC's positions on county ballot measures.

Barnett spoke of the need to connect the PayPal link to the GPCA's Nationbuilder pages

4. Action: Approval of Minutes of October 2, 2016 County Council meeting (Feinstein)

Proposal (Feinstein): Approve the following draft minutes

losangeles.cagreens.org/county-council/minutes/2016-10-02

Approved by consensus

5. Action: Set Future Meeting Locations (ten minutes)
Sponsors/Presenters: Bernstein, Rai

Proposal (Feinstein): That the next two GPLAC County Council meetings be on Sunday, January 29 in the San Pedro/Harbor City area at a location arranged by Helen Gaskins; and on Sunday, March 12 at the community room at One United Bank

Approved by consensus

6. 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 (five minutes)
Sponsor/Presenter: Piera-Avila

losangeles.cagreens.org/documents/2016-07-14/GPLAC-EIR-comments-4051-Alameda

Piera-Avila reported that an appeal of the Final EIR's approval was made to the Los Angeles Planning Commission, and that a publicity campaign was planned to persuade the property owners to sell the land for an urban farm/food hub, instead of a warehouse

7. Announcement: Dakota Access Pipeline Protest in Los Angeles

Piera-Avila discussed Tuesday, November 15 Dakota Access Pipeline Protest in Los Angeles

8. Presentation: Greens holding elected office

Jessica Ceballos, Highland Park Neighborhood Council was unable to attend at the last minute, no report made as a result

9. Action: Endorsement for Governing Board Member, El Rancho Unified School District, Pico Rivera
Sponsor/Presenter: Feinstein

Proposal for endorsement (Feinstein): That the GPLAC endorse Green incumbent Jose Lara for Governing Board Member, El Rancho Unified School District, Pico Rivera.

Approved by consensus

10. Action: Taking GPLAC positions on March 2017 ballot measures in the City of Los Angeles
Sponsor/Presenter: Feinstein

Discussion occured on two ballot measures - Los Angeles Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act / Cannabis Activity Permits and Regulation initiative  and Los Angeles Neighborhood Integrity Initiative , but no proposals were made to endorse or oppose.

11: Action: Adopt the position that size of Los Angeles City Council should be substantially increased
Sponsor/Presenter: Feinstein

Proposal (Feinstein):  That the GPLAC adopt the following resolution, and send it to all of the Neighborhood Councils in Los Angeles and to the Los Angeles City Council members

Resolution regarding increasing the size of the Los Angeles City Council:

Whereas the City of Los Angeles is 502.7 square miles; and

Whereas the City of Los Angeles has the lowest per capita representation in the U.S. (266,000:1), resulting from having only 15 City Councilmembers for a city of approximatley 4 million people; and

Whereas the current size of 15 Councilmembers was set in 1925, when the population of Los Angeles was only one million, one quarter of what it is now; and 

Whereas New York City has 51 Councilmembers, with a ratio of 160,000:1; and Chicago has 50, with a ratio of 54,000; and

Whereas in California’s next five most populous cities after Los Angeles, the ratio is approximately: San Diego 150,000:1; San Jose 100,000:1; San Francisco 75,000:1; Fresno 70,000:1; Sacramento 60,000:1; and

Whereas no other state in the U.S. (other than CA) even has State Assembly districts as populous as are the City of Los Angeles City Council districts; and whereas only the states of Florida, New York and Texas have State Assembly districts even half that populous; and

Whereas increasing the number of City Councilmembers would improve LA’s per capita representation and make it easier for City Council elections and local government to reflect the city’s great diversity; and

Whereas a per capita representation similar to San Jose’s (which has half of LA’s population density) would mean a 40-member City Council for LA, while a per capita representation comparable to San Francisco (which has one and a half times LA’s population density) would mean 53 members; 

Therefore the Green Party of Los Angeles County supports a substantial increase in the size of the Los Angeles City Council, with study and consideration of per capita ratios of representation comparable to San Jose and San Francisco, leading to a City Council of up to potentially up to a similar size as Chicago and New York, and with study and consideration of both multi-seat and single-seat districts with ranked choice voting

Approved by consensus

12: Action: Adopt the position that the members of the Los Angeles City, School District and Community College should be elected by ranked choice voting
Sponsor/Presenter: Feinstein

Proposal (Feinstein): That the GPLAC adopt the following resolution, and send it to all of the Neighborhood Councils in Los Angeles and to the elected officials of City, School District and Community College District:

Resolution that Los Angeles City, School District and Community College elections should be elected by ranked choice voting

Whereas by moving to ranked choice voting (RCV) for Los Angeles City elections in place of two-round run-off elections, $5 to $9 million dollars would be saved in each election cycle for Los Angeles City Council, Mayor, Controller, City Attorney, School Board and Community College Board

Whereas having to contest only one election instead of two would decrease the amount of money candidates for those offices have to raise; and

Whereas as a result of holding only one election instead of two, the City's fund for public financing of campaigns would have to pay for only one election, not two; and

Whereas under elections by ranked choice voting, candidates may need the second or third rankings from the supporters of other candidates to reach a majority under RCV, and therefore have an incentive to speak to the issues, build coalitions and find common ground; and

Whereas having only one election doesn’t require people to have to vote twice to be heard; and

Whereas under ranked choice voting, voters have enhanced abilities to express their preferences, and are not hindered by the less-of-evil disincentives inherent in the existing voting system; and

Whereas under ranked choice voting, voters preferences are more clearly expressed and therefore more clear public policy signals are sent to the eventual winners;

Therefore the Green Party of Los Angeles County supports the use of ranked choice voting to elect the members of the Los Angeles City Council and the Los Angeles Mayor, Controller, City Attorney, School Board and Community College Board

Approved by consensus

13. Discussion: Endorsement for City Council, Districts 3, 7 and 15. Preparation for 2017 Los Angeles City Elections
Sponsor/Presenter: Feinstein

Proposal for endorsement (Feinstein): That the GPLAC endorse Caney Arnold, Los Angeles City Council, District 15

Approved by consensus

14. Action: Voter Registration list sharing with candidates
Sponsor/Presenter: Rai

Proposal (Rai): That (1) the GPLAC donate to each endorsed candidate for Los Angeles City Council, the list of all registered voters the GPLAC receives for that City Council district

Approved by consensus

15. Action: Amend Section 5-4 Database Access in GPLAC Rules and Procedures
Sponsor/Presenter: Rai

Proposal (Rai): That Section 5-4 Database Access of the GPLAC Rules and Procedures be amended as follows:

5-4.1 General Access

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.

5-4.2 General Use

Voter registration information in the Contact Data Base shall not be used for any personal, private, or commercial purpose (as per the California Elections Code http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=elec&group=02001-0...), including, but not limited to:

5-4.2(a) The harassment of any voter or voter's household.

5-4.2(b) The advertising, solicitation, sale, or marketing of products or services to any voter or voter's household.

5-4.2(c) Reproduction in print, broadcast visual or audio, or display on the Internet

5-4.2(d) No one convicted under the Megan's list law may have access to the data base

5-4.2(e) Anyone with access to the data base, and anyone to whom data base content is exported, shall be governed by these rules, and shall make such a declaration in writing to the County Council.

5-4.3 Use in Support of Endosed Candidates

Candidates endorsed by the GPLAC County Council shall have an email announcing their endorsement sent by the GPLAC to all registered Greens in their district for whom the GPLAC has email addresses. Endorsed candidates shall may have a minimum of at least one additional email sent on their behalf to registered Greens in the GPLAC database in both the primary election and the general election (where there are both). The County Council shall retain the option to send to send additional emails at its discretion. - once per primary election and once per general election. The County Council shall develop a plan for how often this opportunity will be provided.

Approved by consensus

16. Action: Authorize email outreach to support re-formation of Long Beach Greens, South Bay/Harbor Greens
Sponsors: Arnold, Bruhnke, Gaskins, Kermani

Background: Green local groups have historically existed in Long Beach and in the South Bay/Harbor area; but in recent years have gone dormant.  This proposal would authorize the GPLAC co-coordinators to work with Green county councilmembers in those areas to establish a meeting date and location, to which the GPLAC would send an email blast to all registered Greens in the area, with the intent of formenting the re-formation of Greens locals in Long Beach and the South Bay/Harbor areas.

Proposal (Arnold): Authorize the GPLAC co-coordinators to work with Green county councilmembers in those areas to establish a meeting date and location, to which the GPLAC would send an email blast to all registered Greens in the area, with the intent of formenting the re-formation of Greens locals in Long Beach and the South Bay/Harbor areas.

Approved by consensus

17. Discussion: Debriefing on Stein campaign in LA County
Sponsor: Feinstein

Discussion occured among all present

18. Discussion: GPLAC involvement/sponsorshop of marches opposing/resisting Trump
Sponsor: Feinstein

Discussion occured on how the Eastside Greens endorsed and participated in the November 12 march opposing/resisting Trump in downtown Los Angeles and about the capacity of the GPLAC to respond quickly to future such marches and other related efforts