Minutes, GPLAC County Council meeting, December 11, 2016

Green Party of Los Angeles County - County Council Meeting Minutes
Sunday, December 11, 2016
3:30pm - 6:30pm: Teleconference

County Councilmembers in attendance (11): Daniel Alvarado, Caney Arnold, Doug Barnett, Justine Berne-Akley, Marla Bernstein, Rachel Bruhnke, Mike Feinstein, Ava Kermani, Cordula Ohman, Linda Piera-Avila, Ajay Rai
County Council alternates (0):
County Councilmembers not in attendance (6): Tom Bibiyan, Helen Gaskins, Annie Goeke, Cris Gutierrez, Julia Russell, Adia Williams
Other Greens in attendance (5):  Kenneth Mejia, Faramarz Nabavi, Angel Rolland, Lisa Salvary, Lisa Taylor

Note: Some County Councilmembers reported difficulties accessing the teleconference call-in number and/or reported that they would have to pay toll charges and therefore were not able to participate.  Given this, the following caveat is added to the minutes, and if the minutes are approved by a 2/3 vote, this caveat text will serve as a one-time bylaws interpretation

"The GPLAC finds that for the purposes of attendance requirements of County Council members under GPLAC Bylaws 8-1.6, because the teleconference number required toll calls that several County Council members were not aware of, and hence prohibited them from participating, lack of attendance on this teleconference shall not be counted towards the attendance requirements under 8-1.6"

Quorum reached at 3:51 with Alvarado, Arnold, Berne-Akley, Feinstein, Kermani, Ohman, Piera-Avila, Ajay Rai
Bruhnke joined at 4:43

Co-Facilitators: Marla Bernstein and Ajay Rai
Minutes: Mike Feinstein
Time Keeper:  Linda Piera Avila
Vibes Watcher: Cordula Ohman

1. Welcome and Introductions - All attendees

Those in attendance introduced themselves

2. Opportunity to amend agenda and/or add emergency items
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.

Note: all items were submitted after the three week submission deadline and hence needed to be added by a 2/3 vote.

Proposal (Rai): Approve agenda as ordered below

Approved by consensus

3. Decision: Endorsement for Los Angeles City Council, District 3
Sponsor/Presenter: Feinstein

Los Angeles City Council, District 3: Angel Rolland
https://twitter.com/AngelRolland
https://www.facebook.com/angel.rolland
https://www.instagram.com/angelrolland/

Rolland presented on his campaign and took and answered questions.

Proposal for endorsement (Feinstein): That the GPLAC endorse Angel Rolland, Los Angeles City Council, District 3

Approved by consensus

4. Report: Treasurer’s report
Sponsor/Presenter: Doug Barnett, GPLAC Treasurer

Barnett reported upon the current balance, noted an upcoming annual $50 bill from the California Secretary of State

5. Action: Approval of Minutes of November 13, 2016 County Council meeting 
Sponsor/Presenter: Feinstein

Proposal (Feinstein): Approve minutes as submitted losangeles.cagreens.org/county-council/minutes/2016-11-13

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
Sponsor/Presenter: Piera-Avila

Piera-Avila reported that the Los Angeles Planning Comission denied an appeal of a lower level approval of the EIR, in contradiction to the GPLAC's position opposing the EIR losangeles.cagreens.org/documents/2016-07-14/GPLAC-EIR-comments-4051-Alameda ; and reported about efforts to convince the PIMA group to sell the parcel so that the South Central Farm could be restored

7. Presentation: Greens holding elected office in Los Angeles County

Jessica Ceballos, Highland Park Neighborhood Council http://www.jessicaceballos.com

Item not heard because Ceballos was not on the teleconference

8. Action: Taking GPLAC positions on March 2017 ballot measures in the City of Los Angeles (forty minutes)
Sponsors/Presenters: Feinstein

8(a) Decision: Los Angeles Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act / Cannabis Activity Permits and Regulation initiative
Presenter: Feinstein

Official text of the measure as it will appear on the ballot http://clkrep.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2016/16-1274_ORD_184558_11-14-16.pdf
Official link to all City Council action on this item https://cityclerk.lacity.org/lacityclerkconnect/index.cfm?fa=ccfi.viewre...
Link to the Los Angeles City Attorney staff report on the measure http://clkrep.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2017/17-1100-S2_rpt_ATTY_11-04-2016.pdf

Proposal (Feinstein): That the Green Party of Los Angeles County endorse the Los Angeles Cannabis Activity / Regulation and Taxation. Initiative Ordinance

Approved by consensus

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8(b) Discussion: Building Moratorium / Restriction on General Plan amendments / Required Review of General Plan. Initiative Ordinance (i.e. Neighborhood Integrity Initiative)
Presenter: Feinstein

Official text of the measure as it will appear on the ballot http://clkrep.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2016/16-1054_ORD_184534_10-18-16.pdf
Official link to all City Council action on this item https://cityclerk.lacity.org/lacityclerkconnect/index.cfm?fa=ccfi.viewre...
Background from sponsors http://2preservela.org/the-initiative/ • Full text of measure from sponsors http://2preservela.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/NII.pdf

Proposal (Feinstein): That the Green Party of Los Angeles County oppose the Building Moratorium / Restriction on General Plan amendments / Required Review of General Plan. Initiative Ordinance, but not publish/publicize its decision until it approves a explanation of its position

Approved by consensus

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8(c) Discussion: Harbor Department / Maximum Allowable Lenght of Leases / Charter Amendment
Sponsor/Presenter: Feinstein

Official text of the measure as it will appear on the ballot http://clkrep.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2017/17-1100-s1_ORD_184560_11-14-16.pdf
Official link to all City Council action on this item https://cityclerk.lacity.org/lacityclerkconnect/index.cfm?fa=ccfi.viewre...

Initial discussion held, no one on teleconference had intimate knowledge yet of the measure, item to be heard at January 29 County Council meeting

9. Discussion: Endorsement for Congessional District 34 Special Election
Sponsor/Presenter: Feinstein

Congressional District 34: Kenneth Mejia
http://kennethmejiaforcongress.nationbuilder.com
https://www.facebook.com/kennethmejiaforcongress
https://twitter.com/25forcongress
https://www.crowdpac.com/campaigns/130842/continuing-our-revolution-in-l...

Mejia presented on his campaign and took and answered questions.

Proposal for endorsement (Feinstein): That the GPLAC endorse Kenneth Mejia, Congressional District 34

Approved by consensus

10. Discussion: Debriefing on Stein campaign in LA County
Sponsor: Feinstein
Presenter: Duenas

Angelica Duenas (Los Angeles) was Stein,/Baraka 2016 campaign staff member for Southern California and reported on the campaign's organzing efforts in Los Angeles County and Southern California overall.

11. Decision: Endorse Presidential Vote Recount sponsored by Jill Stein campaign
Sponsor: Feinstein

Proposal (Feinstein): That the GPLAC endorse the Stein 2016 campaign led recount in Michigan, Pennnsylvania and Wisconson and the following declaration about it (which would include additional edits by Feinstein post-meeting):

Whereas in a true democracy every vote should be counted; and

Whereas Grassroots Democracy is one of the Green Party's Ten Key Values (http://www.cagreens.org/ten-key-values); and

Whereas the Green Party of California (GPCA) platform calls for "Voting System Integrity - Make voting systems secure, reliable and verifiable" (http://www.cagreens.org/platform/electoral-reform#voting-system-integrity); and

Whereas the Green Party of the United States platform calls to "Develop publicly-owned, open source voting equipment and deploy it across the nation to ensure high national standards, performance, transparency and accountability; use verifiable paper ballots; and institute mandatory automatic random precinct recounts to ensure a high level of accuracy in election results" (http://www.gp.org/democracy_2016#Voting-Equipment-Ballots-Recounts): and

Whereas the Green Party of the United States platform calls to "Establish guarantees that every citizen's vote counts, and that all U.S. voting systems—including electronic ones—are verifiable, transparent and accurate" (http://www.gp.org/democracy_2016#Voting-Equipment-Ballots-Recounts); and

Whereas in the wake of widespread complaints about disqualification and obstruction of legitimate voters in the 2004 presidential campaign, it was the 2004 Green Party presidential campaign of David Cobb and Pat LaMarche that led investigations and demanded recounts in Ohio and New Mexico ; and

Whereas this 2004 Green Party candidate led effort led to uncovering evidence that led to the conviction of two Republican operatives in Cuyahoga County and to greater caution in many states regarding computer voting (including the decision in some states not to use Diebold machines in future elections); helped accelerate the growth of the "Election Integrity" movement (which is largely responsible for the halt of the proliferation of "Black Box Voting" Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) machines; and provoked a "top to bottom" review of the California voting systems by then-Secretary of State Debra Bowen, leading to DREs being outlawed in the state (http://www.jill2016.com/why_do_recounts_matter); and

Whereas soon after the November 2016 presidential election, several nationally renown election integrity activists and computer security experts raised substantial concerns about voting irregularities in the presidential resutls in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin; and

Whereas in reponse, on Novmeber 22 the 2016 Stein for President campaign began raising the substantial funds needed to file the recounts and pay the substantial filing fees, legal fees and recount observers costs (http://www.jill2016.com/why_does_it_cost_so_much); and 

Wheras this effort demonstrated broad grassroots support - with over 10,000 recount volunteers, and with over 160,000 small donors averaging less than $50 per donation; and

Whereas recount efforts have been filed in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin; and 

Whereas the recount efforts have exposed widespread voting machine issues around accuracy and transparency in all three states,

Whereas the recount revealed a large number of machine-caused (de facto Jim Crow) undervotes in primarily African-American Detroit, that are several times margin of victory in the state; and where In Detroit and Milwaukee election officials are refusing to hand count the paper ballot; and

Whereas in Pennsylvnia, 80% of votes were cast on electronic touch screen machines with no paper trail, so that a hand recount of paper ballots is not possible.

Whereas the recount is being virgorously opposed by local and state election officials, Republican Party officials and Trump related SuperPACs; and

Whereas the public has a right to know the accurate vote count and whether its votes are being counted; and

Whereas the 2016 Stein not only has legal standing as a ballot-qualified candidate to bring about such recalls, but also has electoral consequence in trying to achieve 5% of the popular vote to qualify for 2020 public financing of the Green Party presidential convention and nominee

Whereas efforts to shut down the vote remind of Florida 2000;

Whereas election integrity is a fundamental, good government and non-partisan issue; and

Whereas the recount efforts has elevated the ssue of election integrity, garnering substantial press coverage and popular debate; and 

Wheres as recount 2016 is growing the election integrity movement, and connecting it to electoral reforms like ranked-choice voting, proportional representation and a national popular vote for president;

Therefore the Green Party of Los Angeles County supports and endorses the 2016 recount efforts of tje 2016 Jjill Stein for President campain in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Approved by Consensus

12. Discussion: GPLAC endorsement procedures, candidates and active Green locals (twenty minutes)
Sponsor/Presenter: Arnold

In the interest of time, and in response to on-line discussion of this item before the teleconference, Arnold withdrew this item.