DRAFT Green Party of Los Angeles County, County Council Meeting Agenda, Sunday, December 19, 2021

DRAFT: Green Party of Los Angeles County, County Council Meeting Agenda, Sunday, December 19, 2021
Check in/socializing: 1:45pm to 2pm
Business meeting: 2pm to 5pm
Facilitators: Timeka Drew, Ajay Rai
Minutes: Mike Feinstein
Time Keeper:  Linda Piera-Avila
Vibes Watcher: Ava Kermani

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

2. Reviewing our process (five 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)
Proposal (Feinstein): Add the late items below with an *, in the order presented below.

4. Discussion: Treasurer's Report (ten minutes)
Sponsor/Presenter: Doug Barnett, GPLAC Treasurer

5. Decision: Election of GPLAC Co-Coordinators (ten minutes)
Presenters: Drew, Rai
Background: Under GPLAC Bylaws 6-1.1 , the County Council Co-coordinators serve one-year terms, without term limits. All GPLAC officers serve until replaced, even if their one year terms have ended.  The terms of the current Co-coordinators expired as of April 2021, but no one came forward to run until November 28, when Ajay Rai was elected to serve the remainder of the April 2021 to April 2022 term. That leaves the female seat still open for election. Until a new person is elected to fill this seat, the current Co-coordinator Timeka Drew will remain in place.
Nominations may be taken from the floor. Each nominee will have three minutes to make a candidate statement about how they will carry out the duties and responsibilities of Co-coordinator as described in GPLAC bylaws. The voting procedure is by ranked-choice voting, using a simple majority threshold, and including No Other Candidate as an option.
• Relevant Bylaw: Section 7-1 Co-Coordinators
7-1.1 The Council shall elect two Co-Coordinators, one male and one female. Within each four-year County Council term, there shall be four consecutive one year Co-Coordinator terms. The first one year term shall commence with the first meeting of the newly elected County Council and the last one shall end when the subsequent newly elected County Council holds it first meeting. The voting procedure shall be by Ranked-Choice Voting, using a simple majority threshold, and including a No Other Candidate option.
7-1.2 The Co-Coordinators shall be responsible for the production of the County Council draft agenda. This includes the prioritization of and the assigning times to agenda items, as well as the appointment of a meeting facilitator(s) and vibes-watcher. The Co-Coordinators shall consider the need for sufficient time for participation and discussion on each item.
7-1.3 The Co-Coordinators shall be responsible for the distribution of the County Council draft agenda.  Distribution shall include Council members via the County Council email list and GPLAC members at-large via the GPLAC Forum email list (or its replacement), and shall be published on the GPLAC County web site. Co-Coordinators may work with and authorize the Secretary to accomplish this task.
7-1.4 The Co-Coordinators shall be responsible for maintaining and updating the GPLAC website and may work with and authorize Secretary to accomplish this task.  The web site shall include the names and official contact information of all County Council members, County Council officers; the official contact information for Active Green Locals in Los Angeles County; GPLAC Bylaws and GPLAC Rules and Procedures, and agendas and minutes of County Council and County Council committee meetings.
7-1.5 The Co-Coordinators shall be responsible for managing the posting of proposals to the GPLAC Voting Page and may work with Secretary to accomplish this task.
7-1.6 The Co-Coordinators, in conjunction with the Secretary, shall be responsible for posting notice of County Council vacancies as provided for in these bylaws.
7-1.7 The Co-Coordinators shall be responsible for validating nomination petition signatures from applicants seeking appointment to fill County Council vacancies and may work with Secretary to accomplish this task.
7-1.8 The Co-Coordinators shall serve as Co-Liaisons to the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk (hereafter referred to as the County Registrar)  and may work with Secretary to accomplish this task.
7-1.9 The Co-Coordinators shall be responsible for notifying the County Registrar and the GPCA Coordinating Committee of any changes to the GPLAC Bylaws to change the method of election and/or the number of Council members, no later than 135 days before the Direct Primary election in presidential election years.
7-1.10 The Co-Coordinators shall be responsible for notifying the County Registrar and the GPCA Coordinating Committee of any changes to the County Council, including the name and official contact information for any County Council appointees.
7-1.11 The Co-Coordinators shall be responsible for official communications on behalf of the GPLAC with the GPCA, the Green Party of the United States (GPUS), other state Green Parties, other national Green Parties, international  Green Party federations and the Global Greens. The Co-Coordinators may work with and authorize the Secretary to accomplish this task.
7-1.12 The Co-Coordinators shall be responsible for notifying the GPCA of the names of the GPLAC’s General Assembly and Standing General Assembly delegates, and for doing so within the deadlines set by the GPCA; and may work with and authorize the Secretary to accomplish this task.
7-1.13 The Co-Coordinators shall be responsible for communicating to the GPCA that the GPLAC would like to obtain the donor and volunteers lists for Los Angeles County in the GPCA's possession; and may work with and authorize the Secretary to accomplish this task.
7-1.14 The Co-Coordinators may speak on behalf of the GPLAC, consistent with GPLAC policy, the Green Party of California state platform, and the Ten Key Values.  No other Council member may speak on behalf of the County Council, without County Council authorization.

6: Decision: Questionnaire on local electoral reform for June 2022 Los Angeles City Council candidates (ten minutes)
Sponsors: Feinstein, Rai
Background:  At its November 28. 2021 meetings the County Council approved the following questionnaire (https://losangeles.cagreens.org/elections/los-angeles-2022-questionnaire) to be sent to candidates for Los Angeles Mayor and City Council, to post their answers on the GPLAC website and send the responses to Greens in Los Angeles, and to use these answers to inform whether the GPLAC will issue statements of support for any of the candidates.

Proposal: That the proposal be amended so that the answers are also sent to the member of the Neighborhood Councils in Los Angeles and that the GPLAC will seek to publish a column about the answers in the local press.

7. Decision:  Setting 2022 GPLAC meeting dates (fifteen minutes) *
Sponsor: Drew, Feinstein, Rai
Background: GPLAC Bylaws Section 10-2 Scheduling Meetings state:
10-2.1 On an annual basis, the County Council shall sets its meeting dates and times. Meetings may be in-person or via teleconference. Where a meeting location can be determined in advance, it shall be included in this calendar. When not, it may be delegated to the Co-coordinators to identify the location and added thereafter.
10-2.2. Meeting dates shall be set with a goal of meeting approximately every six weeks, and for no more than three hours. Meeting dates shall not conflict with the dates of GPCA General Assemblies, GPUS Annual National Meetings, GPUS Presidential Nominating Conventions, nor Global Greens Congresses. Meeting date shall take into account conflicts with local, state and federal elections, and public holidays.
10-2.3 The County Council reserves the right to amend its meeting schedule.

Proposal: That the County Council adopt or amend the following schedule for 2022

8. Decision: GPLAC endorsement policy 2022 endorsements (fifteen minutes) *
Sponsors: Timeka Drew, Mike Feinstein
Background: The GPLAC made candidate endorsements for the June 2022 statewide elections at its October 24 and November 28 meetings. It also has submitted a draft endorsement policy bylaw to the GPCA.  The draft bylaw it submitted to the GPCA states ‘Any GPCA member seeking GPCA endorsement for statewide office shall be considered for endorsement by the SGA’. This agenda item provides the GPLAC the opportunity to discuss whether it’s own endorsement policy should reflect this same approach, or whether if a candidate seeks GPCA is enough for the GPLAC to consider making an endorsement, without its endorsement being sought directly.

Proposal: Decide upon a policy, or perhaps only a provisional policy, and modify any 2022 endorsements depending upon the policy and whether it should apply retroactively or prospectively.

9. Discussion: Support for GPLAC endorsed 2022 candidates (fifteen minutes) *
Sponsors: Mike Feinstein, Ajay Rai

Background: The Luis J. Rodriguez campaign will be kicking off its campaign officially. This is a opportunity to discussion GPLAC support

10. Decision: Report back from GPCA General Assembly (twenty minutes) *
Sponsors: Feinstein, Rai

Background: The recent GPCA General Assembly occurred December 4-5. This agenda item will provide an opportunity to discuss the meeting results by those in attendance, and to consider any formal GPLAC response.

Proposal: That the GPLAC authorize a written response.

11. Decision: Sponsoring new GPCA email list  (fifteen minutes) *
Sponsors: Mike Feinstein, Ajay Rai

Background: In June 2011, the GPCA established the gpca-forum@cagreens.org email list at the request of the GPLAC, with list administration and moderation handled primary by GPLAC members. In recent years, the GPCA Coordinating Committee took over direct administrative control of the list and in the last year, have banned members from participating, and otherwise issued intimidating statements towards other members  who were raising concerns about how the GPCA operates.  The result is that the gpca-forum email list can no longer serve its purpose as an open forum for GPCA members to discuss party business. ‘

Proposal: That the County Council direct the GPLAC Co-coordinator and Secretary to establish an email list on RiseUp with the following description and to authorize email ad other outreach to GPCA members statewide to join:

The Green Party of California (GPCA) Members Open Forum is designed to promote communication and dialogue among GPCA members about the Green Party in California and issues affecting it. The target audience includes, but is not limited to present and past members of County Councils, GPCA Working Groups and Standing Committees, present and former GPCA candidates and officeholders, present and past General Assemblies and Standing General Assembly delegates and other active and interested party members. It is based upon the premise that people participate in Open Forum in a respectful manner in order build the GPCA and advance the Ten Key Values.

The Green Party of California (GPCA) Members Open Forum is open to GPCA members only. By subscribing, one agrees to follow Green Party Rules of Decorum. Subscribers who are no longer GPCA members are expected to unsubscribe immediately.

11. Discussion: GPLAC Nationbuilder account finances  (twenty minutes) *
Sponsors: Mike Feinstein, Ajay Rai

Background: Discussion of funding of the GPLAC Nationbuilder account

12: Discussion: GPLAC Fundraising (ten minutes)
Sponsors: Mike Feinstein, Ajay Rai

Background: LA County Green Shannel Pittman has asked to the speak to the County Council about GPLAC fundraising.