DRAFT Minutes, GPLAC County Council meeting, January 20, 2019

DRAFT Green Party of Los Angeles County County Council Meeting Minutes
Sunday, January 20, 2019, 2-5pm Teleconference

Co-Facilitators: Julia Russell
Minutes: Mike Feinstein
Time Keeper:  Diana Brown
Vibes Watcher: none

County Councilmembers present (10): Doug Barnett, Marla Bernstein, Diana Brown, Rachel Brunhke, Mike Feinstein, Melissa Guevara, Linda Piera-Avila,  Julia Russell

County Councilmembers alternates (1): Rohan Sabnis (for Ajay Rai)

County Councilmembers not present (1): Annie Goeke, Ava Kermani, Ajay Rai

Other Greens present (3): David Bond, Cesar Flores, Danielle Mead, Amy Tyler

Meeting began at 2:03 with quorum - County Councilmembers and Alternate Brown, Feinstein, Guevara, Piera-Avila, Russell, Sabnis present; as well as Mead
Meeting concluded at 5:15

Bond joined called at 2:15
Brunhke joined call at 2:15pm, left call at 3:15
Tyler joined call at 2:19pm, left call at 2:29
Mead left call at 2:20pm
Barnett and Bernstein joined call at 2:28
Flores joined call at 4:45

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

Those in attendance introduced themselves

2. Reviewing our process  (two minutes)

Russell read revelvant bylaw  Section 9.3 Participation

3. Opportunity to amend agenda and/or add emergency items (five minutes)

Amendment (Feinstein): Remove approval of November minutes
Amendment: (Brown): Add Discussion: Cesar Flores for State Senate at end of agenda
Amendment (Guevara): Remove climate change item

All three amendments were considered together

Approved by consensus

4. Discussion: Treasurer's Report  (item heard after #6 because Barnett arrived at 2:28)
Presenter: Barnett

Barnett and Bernstein presented status of GPLAC finances.  Feinstein and Piera-Avila reported on in-kind donations they made that will be included with GPLAC campaign finance reportings,.

5. Decision:  Endorse Danielle Mead for Neighborhod Council
Sponsor/Presenters: Piera-Avila

Proposal (Piera-Avila):  Endorse Danielle Mead for Neighborhood Council, send an email blast to Greens in her Neighborhood Council district appraising them of the GPLAC's endorsement.

Approved by consensus

6. Discussion: Meeting Amy Tyler, Global Greens Secretary

Tyler presented her background working for Tasmanian Green Member of Parliment Kim Booth, including onn issues of energy, forestry, housing, fisheries and others. She then explained her role as Global Greens Secretary, including to build Global Greens organizational capacity, abilty for Greens to communicate each other locally and to translate that into votes.

7. Decision: Endorse Cynthia Santiago livestream on immigration issues under Trump and Obama
Sponsors/Presenters: Feinstein, Piera-Avila

Proposal (Feinstein, Piera-Avila: That the GPLAC co-sponsor and promote a Livestream workshop with Green Party member and immigration attorney Cynthia Santiago, on a time and date in February to be worked out with Ms. Santiago, possibly co-sponsoring with other levels of the Green Party (e.g. GPUS Internatioanl Committee, Outreach Committee, GPUS Latinx Caucus,  perhaps others) including presentations on

1) Conditions at the Texas Detention Center for immigrants seeking asylum in the US
2) Her experiences in Tijuana with the Central American migrants in the so-called ‘caravan’
3) Her experiences fighting deportations under the Trump and Obama administrations, and how laws and practices under those administrations affect communities on both sides of the border
4) Her personal knowledge of White House staff advisor Stephen Miller, who she went to high school with
5) Why she is a Green Party member and how that relates to her immigration work

Approved by Consensus

8) Discussion: Update on GPLAC Nationbuilder capability and outreach to promote Greens running in 2019 Los Angeles Neighborhood Council elections
Sponsors/Presenters: Feinstein, Rai

Feinstein provided update on the latest importation of Green registration data and GPLAC email blasts sent.

9) Decision: Planning Workshop: Think Globally, Run Locally for Los Angeles Neighborhood Council, Saturday, February 9
Sponsor/Presenter: Feinstein, Piera-Avila

Proposal (Feinstein, Piera-Avila): That the following schedule and agenda be approved

11:00 - 12:00: Presentation from Department of Neighborhood Empowerment staff
12:00 -  1:00: Presentation from Greens on Neighborhood Councils
  1:00 -  1:45: Lunch (asking people to 'brown bag it'
  1:45 -  2:30: Discussion of potential Green candidacies in Los Angeles County in 2019 and 2020

Approved by consensus

10) Decision: Planning for additional 2019-2020 Neighborhood Council candidate training events
Sponsor/Presenter: Brown

Proposal (Brown):  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.

Approved by consensus

11) Decision: Endorse Letter to Los Angeles Ethics Commission
Sponsor/Presnter: Feinstein

Background: The electoral reform/good government organization Common Cause is proposing that to require that Los Angeles city council candidates seeking public financing must appear at candidate forums hosted by the neighborhood councils in their district  www.commoncause.org/california/democracy-wire/how-to-ensure-la-matching-funds-candidates-appear-in-town-halls-and-debates. It would be heard by the Los Angeles Ethics Commission (https://ethics.lacity.org/) at their February 19th meeting

Proposal (Feinstein): That the GPLAC conceptually endorse the proposal by Common Cause that that Los Angeles city council candidates seeking public financing must appear at candidate forums hosted by the neighborhood councils in their district, but that sufficent infrastructural support be provided so that candiates forums can be put on viably and fairly; and that Feinstein is designated to speak at the February 19 Los Angeles Ethics Commission meeting to communicate the GPLAC's position.

Approved by consensus

12) Decision: Picking Next GPLAC Meeting Dates
Sponsors/Presenters: Rai, Russell

Proposal (Brown, Guevara): That the next two meetings dates will be Sunday, Feburary 24 and Sunday, March 31; that the February 24th meeting will be at a no cost location in the downtown Los Angeles area identified by Brown, and that the March 31 location will be voted up at the February 24 meeting.

Approved by consensus

13) Amendment: GPCA Bylaws regarding duties of Liaison to CA Secretary of State
Sponsor/Presenter: Feinstein

Proposal (Feinstein): That the GPLAC sponsor the following proposal to amend GPCA Bylaws to create a new Article XIV: Liaison to the Secretary of State, as follows:

Article XIV: Liaison to the Secretary of State

14-1 Duties and Authority

14) Amendment: GPLAC Rules and Procedures regarding social media
Sponsor/Presenter: Feinstein

Proposal (Feinstein): That the GPLAC amend its Rules and Procedures to establish a new Article 8: Social Media

Article 8 Social Media

Section 8-1 Purpose

The County Council may establish official GPLAC social networking pages and policies governing their content. The purpose of such pages shall be to primarily focus on issues and events in Los Angeles County relevant to the Green Party of Los Angeles County and its members, including to

8-1.1 Promote and publicize the successes and achievements of the GPLAC, its candidates and officeholders, its leadership and its rank and file members.

8-1.2 Provide a source of objective, official information about the GPLAC, including its press statements, positions on ballot measures, platform and organization.

8-1.3 Promote publication of writings about Green Party issues by Green Party members within Los Angeles County

8-1.4 Provide opportunities for interaction and involvement in the GPLAC, as well as with GPCA, GPUS and international Green Party events and opportunities open to GPLAC members.

Section 8-2 Administration

8-2.1 GPCA social media pages (including groups, pages and similar such venues), shall include the following statement, and shall be moderated upon that basis:

This [page, group] is for members and supporters of the Green Party of Los Angeles County, with a focus on candidates, officeholders, issues and organizing of the Green Party of Los Angeles County./Este [pagina, grupo] es para los miembros y simpatizantes del Partido Verde del Condado de Los Ángeles, con un enfoque sobre los candidatos, los funcionarios, los temas y la organización del Partido Verde del Condado de Los Angeles. Participants in this group are politely asked to follow these guidelines when posting to this group./Los participantes de este grupo se les pide amablemente que siga estas directrices cuando envío mensajes a este grupo."

8-2.2 The County Council shall appoint administrators for the official GPCA social networking pages, whose responsibility shall be to post content in keeping with 8-1 and otherwise administer the pages in keeping with 8-1.  The administrators shall make periodic reports to the County Coucnil and shall follow committee decisions regarding their work.

Amendment (Brown, accepted by Feinstein): Pin this to the top of the social media group

Amendment (Guevara, accepte by Feinstein): Add Guevara as moderator of GPLAC Facebook group

Approved by consensus

15) Discussion: Report back from GPCA General Assembly, November 2018
Sponsors/Presenters: Brown, Rai, Russell

Brown and Sabnis reported on the GPCA General Assembly and responded to questions about their partication, general discussion of General Assembly followed.

16) Discussion: Next Steps with GPCA Governance concerns
Sponsors/Presenters: Feinstein/Russell

Brown presented background on removal of Erik Rydbert as GPCA spokesperson.  Others presented options on follow up on remainder of GPCA Governance proposal: https://losangeles.cagreens.org/gpca/gpca-governance

17)  Discussion: Cesar Flores for State Senate
Sponsor/Presenter: Brown, Guevara

Flores presented on his candidacy for California State Senate, District 33 in a March 26, 2019 special election and responded to questions.

18) Discussion: GPLAC 2019 Workplan
Sponsors/Presenters: Brown, Guevara

Brown and Guevara agreed to return to February 24 County Council meeting with written text