Proposal
for GPCA General Assembly, May 26th-27th, 2007
Subject:
Updating GPCA Bylaws Section 7-1 Coordinating
Committee -
Noticing, Conducting, Reporting and Filing of CC Election
Results and Procedures; Establish beginning and ending times for
CC terms
Sponsor: Bylaws
Committee
Presenters: Tim
Morgan (415-706-9827, blkcloud@sonic.net) and Mike Feinstein (Santa
Monica, 310-392-8450, mfeinstein@feinstein.org)
Background
and Purpose: This proposal standardizes noticing and reporting
requirements for CC regional representative elections and defines
beginning and ending dates for CC terms, including providing for
grace periods. Current Bylaws provide allow regions to choose their
own process for choosing regional CC representatives, yet are vague
about what noticing and reporting should occur.
Current Bylaws also allow CC representatives to stay in theirs seats
far beyond
the end
of
their two-year term, which
creates a lack of clarity and standardization about terms, including
allowing for situations
where CC representatives have stayed almost two years longer than
they were elected.
Additional Background: At the June 2006 Moorpark General Assembly,
earlier versions of the text contained in this single proposal was separetly
presented as two distinct proposals, one dealing with noticing
and reporting, and second dealing with beginning
and ending times for CC terms.
Among the outstanding concerns expressed
at that time was that those two proposals should be combined into one.
This updated draft combines the two. In
addition, other concerns expressed at tha time were addressed in the
following manner:
a)
Regarding the initial proposal around noticing and reporting, the following
changes were made:
- more clearly and explicitly including the election and
terms for alternates
- providing a 30-day minimum notice for CC elections, rather than a 21-day
minimum notice
- providing a 21-day minimum, rather than a 13-day minimum, for filing
new alternate regional CC processes with the GPCA Bylaws Committee and
Coordinating Comittee
These changes seek to
provide clarity about expectations and make the process more transparent
in the
following four ways:
1)
the 30-day minimum establishes a uniform minimum standard of noticing
of election for CC seats
2)
the 21-day filing standard gives the Coordinating Committee and Bylaws
Committee the ability to comment on a region's process
3) the 7-day period to report CC election results helps establish
transparency of information and standardization for reporting
4) establishing "basic
questions and criteria a region's procedure needs to address" fills
a void in the current Bylaws (7-5.1) which speak only about being “consistent
with the ten key values, GPCA bylaws, and California law, but do
not list any specific criteria a region must address as part of that
process.
An additional advantage of this proposal is that, in addition to applying
to regions that have alternative procedures for electing CC regional
representatives outside of
General Assemblies, this proposal also applies to regions that choose
to elect
their representatives at General
Assemblies, which is the current 'default' practice. Requirements
for the default practice are just as vaguely defined as
are those for alternative regional procedures. By requiring
a
region
that chooses
to
use the default to address these same questions, the default process
will be improved as well.
b) Regarding the initial proposal around beginning and ending dates for
CC terms, the primary outstanding concerns heard in Moorpak revolved
around a lack of a grace period to pick CC members, and a perceived arbitrariness
around
the
dates
chosen to begin/end at-large terms. This updated draft responds to those
changes by:
-
providing
a 30-day grace period for regions that elect CC members outside of
General Assemblies; and
-
for regions that elect CC members at the what in the bylaws is currently
called "the
first General Assembly of the year", provide for that election
to occur at the meeting within the first five months of the year at
which the
GPCA budget is passed; and if that budget meeting is not held within
the first five months, provide a grace period until the next General
Assembly
is held
In
addition to these grace periods, the perceived arbitrarines in choosing
begin/end dates has been addressed by tying the date to the GPCA fiscal
year, by
-
defining the beginning and ending dates of CC at-large terms to coincide
with the beginning and ending of the GPCA fiscal year.
Committee
Decision: Approved on Bylaws Committee Conference call,
March 8th, 2007.
Timeline: Approval
at San Francisco General Assembly.
Resources: If approved, Bylaws Committee would update
bylaws on web site www.cagreens.org/bylaws
Proposal: Approve
Bylaws Language Presented Below (Approval Threshold - any
proposal that receives any objection shall be removed from the consent
calendar before approval as per GPCA Bylaw 5-8.11)
7-1.4
Selection of Regional Members
Regional
members and alternates shall be selected by each region, according
to their own process. Each region’s process must be consistent
with the Ten Key Values, GPCA bylaws, and California law. The process
must be approved by all the County Councils of the active counties
of a region;and shall include a minimum 30-day advance notice of
the election to all County Council members of the active counties
of a region.
The process shall
also include
- what body and/or group of individuals is responsible for convening and
conducting the selection process
- what body and/or group of individuals is empowered to make the Regional
Member selection
- what voting process is used
- what decision-making threshold is used
- how votes are allocated among counties in multi-seat regions
- what the quorum is for decision-making, and
- whether there are mandated noticing requirements over and above the 30-day
notice required by the GPCA
The process shall be filed with the Coordinating Committee and the Bylaws
Committee at least 21 days prior to any alternative process
election notice is to go out. Regions with two or more seats are encouraged
to strive for diversity and gender balance.
Election results, as well as resignations for a region's member(s) and
alternate(s), shall be reported to the Coordinating Committee and the County
Councils from the region's active counties within seven days; except in
the case where a decision-making process of the Coordinating Committee
occurs before seven days. In such cases, if a newly elected Coordinating
Committee member is to participate in such a decision-making process, the
reporting must occur before such participation can begin.
Reporting of election results shall include a record of
- what type of notice was given for the meeting at which the election was
held, to whom did it go and when it was given
- how was quorum reached for the election in question
- who ran for each position
- who participated in the decision-making process
- what were the votes of each person who participated in the decision-making
process
- what were the results of each election held
7-1.5 Length
of Term for Regional Members
The term of office for regional members shall be twenty-four months. If
a regional member is chosen by the end of an existing twenty-four month
term, that person shall assume their position at the beginning of the next
twenty-four month term.
Regions that elect regional members at GPCA General Assembly meetings
that were previously identified in GPCA Bylaws as "the first General Assembly
meeting of the year", shall hold their election at the General Assembly
meeting within the first five months of the calendar year at which approval
of the GPCA fiscal year budget is scheduled. The term of office for regional
members elected in this manner shall run concurrently with the beginning
and ending dates of the GPCA fiscal year, unless otherwise specified by
a region's alternative process. If the GPCA does not conduct such a General
Assembly meeting within the first five months of a calendar year, the regional
member may remain in office until the next General Assembly, at which an
election must be held or the seat becomes vacant. If the election is held
at such a meeting, the regional member shall serve the remainder of the
twenty-four month term, however it is defined.
Regions that have an alternative process to elect regional members outside
of such GPCA General Assembly meetings shall make a best faith effort to
conduct their election prior to the end of the twenty-four month term.
If a region that uses such an alternative process is not able to conduct
its election by end of the twenty-four month term, there shall be a 30-day
grace period, in which the existing regional member may remain in office.
If a new regional member is chosen during this 30-day grace period, then
the new member shall serve the remainder of the new twenty-four month term.
If a new regional member is not chosen by the end of the 30-day grace period,
the seat shall be considered vacant until filled, at which point the person
elected shall serve for the remainder of the twenty-four month term.
7-1.7.1 Length of Term for At-Large Members
The term of office for at-large members shall be twenty-four months. The
term shall run concurrently with the beginning and ending dates of the
GPCA Fiscal Year.
At-large members shall be elected at GPCA General Assembly meetings within
the first five months of the calendar year at which approval of the GPCA
fiscal year budget is scheduled. If the election occurs before the end
of the fiscal year, the at-large member(s) elected
shall assume their position at the beginning of the ensuing fiscal year.
If the election occurs after the beginning of said fiscal year, the existing
at-large member(s) may serve for up to 30 days, after which their seat
becomes vacant; and the at-large member(s) elected shall assume their position
upon election and serve the remainder
of
the twenty-four
month term. In any case, if the election fails to fill any of the seats
to be elected by virture of either too few candidates running or too few
candidates achieving the required threshold number of votes, the seat shall
be considered vacant as of the election until filled, and the at-large
member(s) elected shall assume their position upon election and serve the
remainder
of
the twenty-four
month term.
Text of Proposed New Language -
with deletions from old language in strikeouts in red, new
language in green and holdover language in black
7-1.4 Selection of Regional MembersCC
Elections and Term of Office
At the first General Assembly meeting of each year,
elections shall be conducted for CC seats whose terms are scheduled
to expire within the calendar year including two at-large seats
and any expiring regional seats not filled by an alternative
regional process (see selection of regional members, paragraph
7-1.5). CC representatives shall serve for a nominal term of
two years or until their successors are elected. In any event,
at-large representatives shall vacate their seats at the end
of the term unless reelected, and regional representatives shall
retain their seats beyond the end of the term unless replaced
or recalled.
7-1.5 Length
of Term for Regional Members Selection
of Regional Members
Regional
members and alternates shall
be selected by each region, according to their own process. Each
region's process regional
caucus of delegates at General Assembly meetings, unless the active
counties of a region select another process. Any such alternative
process must be consistent with the ten Ten key Key valuesValues,
GPCA bylaws, and California law. and The process must be approved
by all the County Councils of the active counties of a region and shall include a minimum 30-day
advance notice of the election to all County Council members of the active counties of a region.
The process shall also include
- what body and/or group of individuals is responsible
for convening and conducting the selection process
- what body and/or group of individuals is empowered
to make the Regional Member selection
- what voting process is
used
- what decision-making threshold is
used
- how votes are allocated
among counties in multi-seat regions
- what the quorum is for
decision-making, and
- whether there are mandated
noticing requirements over and above the 30-day notice required by the
GPCA
and The
process shall be filed
with the Coordinating Committee and the Bylaws Committee at least 221 days prior to any
alternative process election. Regions with two or more
seats are encouraged to strive for diversity and gender balance.
Election results, as well as resignations for a region's
primary or alternate member(s), shall be reported to the Coordinating
Committee and the County Councils from the region's active counties
within seven days; except in the case where a decision-making
process of the Coordinating Commttee occures before seven days.
In such cases, if a newly elected Coordinating Commitee member
is to participate in such a decision-makingporcess, the reporting
must occur before such participation can begin.
Reporting of election results shall include a record of
- what type of notice was given for the meeting at which the election
was held, to whom did it go and when it was given
- how quorum was reached for the election in question
- who ran for each position
- who participated in the decision-making process
- what were the votes of each person who participated
in the decision-making process
- what were the results of each election held
7-1.5
Length of Term for Regional Members
The term of office for regional members shall be
twenty-four months. If a regional member is chosen by
the end of an existing twenty-four month term, that person
shall assume their position at the beginning of the next twenty-four
month term.
Regions that elect regional members at GPCA General
Assembly meetings - that were previously identified in GPCA
Bylaws as 'the first General Assembly meeting of the year" -
shall hold their election at the General Assembly meeting within
the first five months of the calendar year at which approval
of the GPCA fiscal year budget is scheduled. The term of office
for regional members elected in this manner shall run concurrently
with the beginning and ending dates of the GPCA fiscal year,
unless otherwise specified by a region's alternative process.
If the GPCA does not conduct such a General Assembly meeting
within the first five months of a calendar year, the regional
member may remain in office until the next General Assembly,
at which an election must be held or the seat becomes vacant.
If the election is held at such a meeting, the regional member
shall serve the remainder of the twenty-four month term, however
it is defined.
Regions that have an alternative process to elect
regional members outside of such GPCA General Assembly meetings
shall make a best faith effort to conduct their election prior
to the end of the twenty-four month term. If a region that
uses such an alternative process is not able to conduct its
election by end of the twenty-four month term, there shall
be a 30-day grace period, in which the existing regional member
may remain in office. If a new regional member is chosen during
this 30-day grace period, then the new member shall serve the
remainder of the new twenty-four month term. If a new regional
member is not chosen by the end of the 30-day grace period,
the seat shall be considered vacant until filled, at which
point the person elected shall serve for the remainder of the
twenty-four month term.
7-1.7.1 Length of Term for At-Large Members
The term of office for at-large members shall be
twenty-four months. The term shall run concurrently with the
beginning and ending dates of the GPCA Fiscal Year.
At large members shall be elected at GPCA General
Assembly meetings within the first five months of the calendar
year at which approval of the GPCA fiscal year budget is scheduled. If the election occurs before the end of the
fiscal year, the at-large member(s) elected shall assume their
position at the beginning of the ensuing fiscal year. If the
election occurs after the beginning of said fiscal year, the
existing at-large member(s) may serve for up to 30 days, after
which their seat becomes vacant; and the at-large member(s)
elected shall assume their position upon election and serve
the remainder of the twenty-four month term. In any case, if
the election fails to fill any of the seats to be elected by
virture of either too few candidates running or too few candidates
achieving the required threshold number of votes, the seat
shall be considered vacant as of the election until filled,
and the at-large member(s) elected shall assume their position
upon election and serve the remainder of the twenty-four month
term.
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