Draft Minutes, GPLAC County Council meeting, October 2, 2016

Green Party of Los Angeles County - County Council Meeting Minutes
Sunday, October 2, 2016
Eco-Home, 4344 Russell Ave., Los Feliz (Los Angeles), north of the 101 fwy on Vermont
3pm: Pot luck vegetarian potluck
4pm - 7pm: Meeting

County Councilmembers in attendance (10): Justine Akley, Doug Barnett, Marla Bernstein, Mike Feinstein, Annie Goeke, Ava Kermani, Cordula Ohman, Linda Piera-Avila, Ajay Rai, Julia Russell
County Council alternates (2): Helen Gaskins (for Daniel Alvarado), Lisa Taylor (for Cris Gutierrez)
County Councilmembers not in attendance (4): Daniel Alvarado, Tom Bibiyan, Cris Gutierrez, Adia Williams
Other Greens in attendance (8): Caney Arnold, Mike Bievenouer, Monica Chang, Gabe Gabrielsky, Faramarz Nabavi, Omar Paye, Will Reagan, Mende Smith

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 (ten minutes)

All attendees introduced themselves

2. Opportunity to amend agenda and/or add emergency items (ten minutes)

Proposal (Piera-Avila):  Add at end of agenda

Action: Support Standing Rock Sioux

Approved by Consensus

Proposal (Feinstein): Add at the end of the agenda

Discussion: Update on planning for Jill Stein event at Pershing Square
Discussion: Update on South Central Farm EIR
Discussion: Two potential bylaws changes - Appointments to County Council, Length of Term for GPLAC Officers
Discussion: Moderation of GPLAC Facebook group
Discussion: GPCA Coordinating Committee dispute

Approved by Consensus

3. Report: Treasurer’s report (Doug Barnett, GPLAC Treasurer)

Post Office recently paid, Barnett working on re-linking PayPal to GPLAC account

4. Action: Approval of Minutes of August 21, 2016 County Council meeting (Feinstein)

http://losangeles.cagreens.org/county-council/minutes/2016-08-21

Approved by Consensus

5. Action: Consideration of appointment to County Council to fill unfilled seats from June primary election
http://losangeles.cagreens.org/county-council/members

District 35  - Rachel Brunhke
Approved by Consensus

District 35  - Caney Arnold
Approved by Consensus

District 32 -  Helen Gaskins
Approved by Consensus

6. Action: Set Future Meeting Locations (Bernstein, Rai) (ten minutes)

Proposal: (Feinstein): Hold the November 13 meeting at a location on the Eastside if the Eastside Greens have a place to recommend; and if not available, Beyond Baroque in Venice as a backup.

7. Action: Taking GPLAC positions on municipal, county ballot measures (Feinstein)

The GPLAC takes postions to endorse, oppose or take 'no position' on ballot meausures. The following positions were all takenby consensus, in the following order

Santa Monica - Measure G             Endorse
Santa Monica - Measure GSH        Endorse
Santa Monica - Measure SM          Endorse
Culver City - Measure CW              Endorse
Los Angeles - Measure HHH          Endorse
Los Angeles - Measure RRR          Oppose
Long Beach - Measure MA             Endorse
Long Beach - Measure MM             Endorse
Santa Monica - Measure LV            Oppose

8. Presentation: Greens holding elected office

Item not heard, as the one officeholder present (Arnold, Harbor City Neighborhood Council), already spoke during the introduction and when seeking appointment to the County Council

9. Discussion: Preparation for 2017 Los Angeles City Elections, including recruiting Green candidates

Item not heard, as the one declared candidate present (Arnold, City Council District 15), already spoke during the introduction and when seeking appointment to the County Council

10. Action: Support Standing Rock Sioux

Proposal (Piera-Avila): That the GPLAC approve a resolution based upon the presentation made by Piera-Avila and that Piera-Avila return with final language, to be presented in the draft minutes. 

Approved by consensus

That language is:

The Green Party of Los Angeles County stands in solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux nation and the hundreds of other indigenous nations who have joined them in their stance to protect the water of the Missouri River from the desecration of the proposed Dakota Access Pipeline. We affirm indigenous peoples' sovereignty and the respect due sacred sites. We call for the U.S. Government to honor the treaties made with indigenous nations, including the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie.

Water is life, both in North Dakota and in Los Angeles County. Greens affirm the wisdom of valuing its importance over profits from extreme extractive practices. In Los Angeles County ground water is threatened by fracking and industrial pollution, and ocean water by oil spills. The time is now to transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources to protect the water, as well as to stop contributing to climate change.

Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein and vice presidential candidate Ajamu Baraka visited the Sacred Stone Camp -- the only 2016 presidential candidates to do so -- and participated in a direct action on a pipeline construction site in solidarity with the water protectors http://www.jill2016.com/north_dakota. Also playing an important ongoing support role  at the Camp is Winona LaDuke, the Green Party's 1996 and 2000 vice-presidential nominee.

11. Discussion: Update on Jill Stein event at Pershing Square

Gaskins presented on the organizing efforts for this event

12. Discussion: Update on South Central Farm FEIR

Piera-Avila reported that the Final Environmental Impact Report was approved for the warehoust project on the South Central Farm land.  The GPLAC is on record of opposing a warehouse there and of restoring a farm/urban food hub there http://losangeles.cagreens.org/documents/2016-07-14/GPLAC-EIR-comments-4....

13. Discussion: Two bylaws changes - Appointments to County Council, Length of Term for GPLAC Officers

Feinstein presented amending the terms of Co-Coordinators from eight months to one year in response to the lengthening of County Council terms by state law from two years to four years, and asked whether County Council members were comfortable with voting on this question on-line or at the November 13, and Feinstein stated he felt the sense of the group was that would be appropriate to vote on this on-line

Feinstein presented extending the period in which new County Councilmembers can be appointed by an 80% vote of the County Council without gathering the normally required twenty signatures, and asked whether County Council members were comfortable with voting on this question on-line or at the November 13 meeting, and Feinstein stated he felt the sense of the group was the November 13 meeting.

14. Discussion: GPLAC Facebook group

Feinstein reported that he has been moderating the GPLAC Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/114542358579795/ to focus on Los Angeles County-focused issues and that state and national Facebook groups were more appropriate for topics on those levels, and a discussion ensued over how this plays out in practice on various issues.

15. Discussion: GPCA Coordinating Committee dispute

Bernstein, Feinstein and Rai - who are all GPCA state Coordinating Committee members and also live in Los Angeles County - reported on a dispute over eligibility to run for the state Coordinating Committee.