ARTICLE 14        NON DISCRIMINATION

ARTICLE 15        AMENDMENT OF BYLAWS

BYLAWS OF THE GREEN PARTY OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY

ARTICLE 1                  NAME

The name of this organization is the "Green Party of Los Angeles County" (hereafter referred to as the GPLAC).

ARTICLE 2                  TEN KEY VALUES

The GPLAC adheres to the Ten Key Values of the Green Party of California:

2.1         Ecological Wisdom
2.2         Social Justice
2.3         Grassroots Democracy                        
2.4         Non-violence
2.5         Decentralization
2.6         Community-based economics
2.7         Post-patriarchal values
2.8         Respect for Diversity
2.9         Personal and Global Responsibility
2.10       Future Focus

ARTICLE 3                  STATEMENT OF PURPOSE    

The GPLAC will act to affect policies, laws, and activities on local, state, national and international levels, as a means to promoting positive change in society in keeping with the Ten Key Values.

ARTICLE 4                  MEMBERSHIP

Section 4.1 Party Members

4.1.1      All voters registered as Green Party members in Los Angeles County, pursuant to the Elections Code of the State of California, are eligible to participate in the functions of the Party, as provided by these bylaws, the by-laws of the Green Party of California and the laws of the State of California

4.1.2      Residents of Los Angeles County, 14 years old or older, who are not eligible to vote in the State of California may participate in all functions of the Party (except as County Council Officer, County Council member alternate or state Coordinating Committee representative), so long as they demonstrate commitment to the Ten Key Values, are active in the work of the GPLAC and/or with Active Locals in the County, and state in writing to the County Council that they would register Green if legally permitted to do so.

ARTICLE 5                      COUNTY COUNCIL

Section 5.1      Coordinating Body

The County Council shall be the coordinating body of the GPLAC and shall fill the role served by the County Central Committees within the Green Party of California (hereafter referred to as the GPCA), pursuant to Division 7 of the California Election Code.

Section 5.2      Duties of the Council

The Council's responsibilities include:

              5.2.3      Meetings and Internal Communications

                            5.2.3.2          Information about additional GPLAC events in the County

                            5.2.3.3          How to run for County Council

                            5.2.3.4          How to become apply for appointment to the County Council in case of a County Council vacancy

                           5.2.3.5          Upcoming issues requiring study, thought and/or action by the GPLAC, Active Green Locals, the GPCA and the Green Party of the United States

                            5.2.3.6          Updates on Council projects in progress

              5.2.4      Internal Elections

             Elect Officers of the County Council, delegates to the Green Party of California General Assembly, representatives to the Green Party of California Coordinating Committee, and new County Council members to fill vacant County Council seats.

              5.2.5       Legal Counsel

              Retain legal counsel on behalf of the GPLAC and undertake legal action as necessary.

              5.2.6      Dispute Resolution and Mediation

              Establish internal Dispute Resolution and Mediation procedures and/or refer such matters to external Dispute Resolution and Mediation.

              5.2.7      Employees

              Employ staff

              5.2.8       External Communications

                            5.2.9.1            Develop an overall Green electoral strategy for Los Angeles County.

                            5.2.9.2            Develop candidates for partisan and non partisan elective and appointive office.

                            5.2.9.3            Endorse candidates for public office.

                            5.2.9.4            Provide financial, volunteer and other support to endorsed candidates.

              5.2.10     Ballot Measures

              Endorse or oppose ballot measures appearing on the ballot in Los Angeles County.

              5.2.11     Censure

              Censure a member of the GPLAC. Any Censure resolution must include the reasons for Censure, including how such an action relates to the role, duties and responsibilities of the GPLAC.  Approval of a Censure resolution requires a 2/3 vote.

              5.2.12      Rules and Procedures

              Establish additional Rules and Procedures to accomplish its work. GPLAC Rules and Procedures shall be published in one place on the GPLAC web site, together with the GPLAC Bylaws.

Section 5.3        Authority and Accountability of Council

              5.3.2         Accountability 

              The Council is accountable to the membership of the GPLAC and the Ten Key Values, and must enact its decisions in accordance with the bylaws of the GPLAC.

ARTICLE 6                       OFFICERS

              The County Council shall appoint Officers of the party. The Co-Coordinators must be members of the County Council.  Other officers do not have to be members of the County Council.  But all Officers must be registered as Greens in Los Angeles County.

Section 6.1.         Co-Coordinators

              6.1.1    The Council shall elect two Co-Coordinators, one male and one female. The term for each shall be eight months. The voting procedure shall be by Instant Run-Off (IRV), using a simple majority threshold, and including the No Other Candidate option, as referenced in the GPCA Bylaws (Section 7).

              6.1.2      Co-Coordinators may not serve for more than three consecutive eight-month terms (nor their equivalent) nor shall any person shall serve for more than twenty-four months total out of every forty, with one exception: at any election with a 2/3 IRV vote, the County Council may elect a Co-Coordinator, regardless of how many prior months that person has served.

              6.1.3     The Co-Coordinators shall be responsible for the production of the Council agenda.  This includes the prioritization of and the assigning times to agenda items, as well as the appointment of a meeting facilitator(s), minutes taker and vibes-watcher. 

              6.1.4     The Co-Coordinators shall be responsible for the distribution of the Council agenda.  Distribution will include Council members and Active Green locals, and will appear on the County web site. Co-Coordinators may work with the Secretary to accomplish this task.

              6.1.5     The Co-Coordinators shall be responsible for updating the GPLAC website and may work with Secretary to accomplish this task.  The web site shall include the names and official contact information of all County Council members, County Council officers, and GPLAC representatives to the GPCA Coordinating Committee; the official contact information for Active Green Locals in Los Angeles County; GPLAC Bylaws and GPLAC Rules and Procedures, and minutes of County Council and County Council committee meetings.

              6.1.6     The Co-Coordinators will serve as Co-Liaisons to the office of the Registrar/Recorder of Los Angeles County.

              6.1.7     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.

Section 6.2.        Treasurer

              6.2.1     The County Council shall select a Treasurer. The term shall be for the same term of office as the County Council, unless otherwise specified by the County Council. The voting procedure shall be by Instant Run-Off (IRV), using a simple majority threshold, and including the No Other Candidate option, as referenced in the GPCA Bylaws (Section 7).

              6.2.2      The Treasurer shall maintain the bank account of the GPLAC, keep financial records and produce financial reports to the Council, and file all necessary documents with governmental agencies as required by law.  The Treasurer shall also receive and disburse funds as directed by the County Council.     
             
              6.2.3      The Treasurer may recommend an Assistant Treasurer to the County Council for affirmation. The Assistant Treasurer is authorized to carry out the duties and responsibilities of the Treasurer as outlinded in 6.2.2, upon the direction and with the approval of the Treasurer.

Article 6.3      Secretary

              6.3.3      The Secretary shall send correspondence on behalf of the Co-Coordinators and/or as otherwise instructed by the County Council, including to distribute the County Council agenda and to provide notice of County Council vacancies.

              6.3.4      Upon request of the Co-Coordinators, the Secretary will work with the Co-Coordinators to verify nomination petitions signatures for County Council appointment and take minutes at County Council meetings.

              6.3.5      Upon request of the Co-Coordinators and/or the County Council, the Secretary shall update the GPLAC web site.

ARTICLE 7         ELECTION AND TERMS OF COUNTY COUNCIL MEMBERS

Section 7.1        Election of County Council members

              7.1.1            Time of Election

GPLAC members will elect Council members at the Direct Primary election held by the State of California in even-numbered years.

              7.1.2            Election by Districts

Council members will be elected by State Senate district and must be registered to vote in the district from which they are elected.

              7.1.3            Number of Council Members to be Elected 

The number of Council members will be forty-four. Every State Senate district will have at least one representative, except Districts 19 and 32, which will be combined with Districts 17 and 29, respectively.  

              7.1.4            Number of Seats Per District

Each district will have at least one seat. The total number of seats shall be apportioned proportionally among the districts according to each district's percentage of registered Green Party voters in the County. 

The Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk will calculate these proportions four months prior to the Council election according to the most recent registration totals issued by their office.

The number of members from any district shall be rounded to the nearest integer.  The total resulting from this method may be different than forty-four.  The greater number of the two shall be the number to be elected.

              7.1.5            Review of This Formula

At any point at which the legislative districts referenced herein are modified in size or number, the Council shall review this formula and make changes needed to ensure that all Greens in Los Angeles County have the ability to vote for elected representation on the Council. 

              7.1.6            Notice of modification of election rules

If the Party modifies these bylaws to change the method of election or the number of Council members, the Co-Chairs must notify the County Registrar and the Coordinating Committee of the Green Party of California of these modifications no later than 135 days before the Direct Primary election in order for the changes to be effective at the following election.

              7.1.7            Write-in Candidacy

To be elected to the County Council as a write-in candidate, in addition to receiving enough votes to be elected, any write-in candidate must also meet the same Green Party registration requirements, as would have any Green candidate who could have filed to run on the ballot.

Section 7.2   Terms of Office

Council Members will serve until a new County Council is elected (at the Direct Primary election in even-numbered years) and convenes its first meeting.

Section 7.3       Alternates

              7.3.1     A County Council member may appoint an Alternate in her/his absence by written authorization, specifying the meeting for which it is to be effective.  A separate authorization is needed for each meeting for which an Alternate will appear.

              7.3.2     An Alternate must be a registered Green in the County Council members' State Senate district or in an adjoining State Senate district.

              7.3.3     An Alternate shall have the same rights and privileges as other Council members at those meetings, shall be subject to the rules of the Council, and may serve for one member per meeting. 

ARTICLE 8    COUNTY COUNCIL VACANCIES

Section 8.1                Vacancy

A vacancy on the County Council shall be said to exist whenever any of the following has occurred:

              8.1.1     A County Council seat was not filled in an election; or
              8.1.2     A County Council member has submitted a written statement of resignation; or
              8.1.3     A County Council member is no longer registered in the district from which he or she was elected
              8.1.4     A County Council member is no longer registered Green;
              8.1.5     A County Council member fails to maintain an accurate current voter registration
              8.1.6     A County Council member misses two consecutive regularly scheduled Council meetings without being represented by an alternate, and who, after receiving written notice from the Secretary or Co-Coordinators, fails to attend, or to be represented by an alternate, at the next Council meeting. Such notice must be sent to the Councilmember's official contact address, no later than the time of release of the agenda for that meeting.
              8.1.7      A Councilmember dies or becomes incapacitated to act.

Section 8.2         Notice of Vacancy

Within five days of a vacancy occurring, the Council Co-Coordinators or Secretary shall give notice of the vacancy to all County Council members in the County, as well to Active Green Locals in the State Senate District where the vacancy has occurred. Notice shall include when and how the vacancy can be filled, and shall also appear on the County's web site.

Section 8.3         Nominations

              8.3.1     At its next meeting after a vacancy has occurred and notice been given, the Council will accept nominations for Council membership, as long as the nominations have been submitted by the agenda-submittal deadline.

Section 8.4            Nomination Signature Petition

Nomination signatures must be collected on a document that contains the following words at the top of the page: "We, the undersigned registered Green Party members in District ________ support the appointment of __________ to the Los Angeles County Green Party County Council."

Section 8.5             Validation of Nomination Signatures

Nomination signatures must be validated before a nominee can be considered for appointment.  Signatures must be delivered personally or sent by certified mail to a Co-Coordinator; or in lieu of this, a fax, .PDF or other image format may suffice, if the original is then presented at the next Council meeting to a Co-Coordinator or the Secretary.

Section 8.6             Voting upon Nominees

The County Council will vote upon each vacancy separately using Instant Run-Off Voting. County Council members may cast votes for qualified nominees and may exercise the 'No Other Candidate' (NOC) option. In the event of a tie, a new election may be held.

Section 8.7         Notice of Appointment

Within five days of an appointment, the Council shall notify the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, the Coordinating Committee of the Green Party of California, and all Active Green Locals within the district, of the name and official contact information for the Council appointee.

Section 9.1          First Meeting of New County Council

A newly elected County Council shall hold its first meeting following the Direct Primary Election. 

             9.1.1   The County Council may choose to convene in a non-decision making, "gathering-style" manner first, in order to facilitate communication and understanding, before undertaking any business. 

             9.1.2   Once the County Council's formal business meeting commences, the County Council shall as set as its first order of business, votes upon the positions of Co-Coordinator(s), Treasurer and Secretary. 
             
                            9.1.2.1    If no one is elected to fill the positions of Co-Coordinators and Treasurer, the Council must choose someone on an interim basis to fill these roles until the next meeting. 

Section 9.2         Quorum

A quorum for decision-making meetings of the County Council shall require the presence of a simple majority of the current County Council members, or their duly designated Alternates. The one exception shall be when voting upon items requiring a 2/3 vote for approval.  In those cases, a quorum shall consist of at least 3/5 of the current County Council members.  Absent a quorum, discussion may continue but no decisions shall be made.

Section   9.3        Participation

             9.3.1     All GPLAC members may participate in the 'Consensus-seeking Process', but only County Council members can hold 'unresolved concerns' and participate in any vote, should one become necessary.

             9.3.2       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.

             9.3.3     A County Council member, when recognized by the facilitation team, may yield the floor to a non-County Council member rather than speaking himself or herself, and in do doing, foregoe his/her turn on the item.

             9.3.4     When establishing the agenda, the Co-Coordinators shall consider the need for sufficient time for participation and debate on each item.

             9.3.5     In addition to participation at face-to-face meetings, the County Council shall provide for pre-meeting discussion, open to any GPLAC member, on the GPLAC web site.

Section 9.4 Consensuses Seeking and Voting

The Council will follow the "Consensus-seeking process" for reaching decisions. Failing consensus, the issue will move to a vote.

             9.4.1     Consensus Seeking

             Consensus shall be sought through a process of

             a)   hearing and responding to clarifying questions first and responding to them, then
             b)   hearing concerns and affirmations about the proposal, and hearing responses to the concerns
             c)    testing for any further outstanding concerns
             d)   asking if those with concerns would be willing to stand aside, with their concerns recorded succinctly
             e)   going to vote if there are still outstanding concerns remaining
             f)   succinctly recording outstanding concerns in the minutes, if a proposal passes

             9.4.2     Voting

Votes that require 2/3 for approval are

a)   bylaws changes
b)   candidate endorsements
c)   censure resolutions,
d)   certain Co-Coordinator appointments (as specified in Article 6)
e)   adding a new item to a County Council agenda at the meeting.

Votes that require 3/5 for approval are modifying the time and/or order of the agenda at the meeting, and recognizing Active Green Locals. For other decisions, a simple majority is required.

Section 9.5          Submitting and Prioritizing Agenda Items

              9.5.1     Any County Councilmember may submit a proposed agenda item to the Co-Coordinators. To be considered for inclusion, an item must be received by at least one Co-Coordinator no later than 17 days before the upcoming County Council meeting.

              9.5.2     Agenda items shall be prioritized and assigned times by the Co-Coordinators. The County Council may also direct the Co-Coordinators to prioritize an item or items, as long as that to prioritize decision is made before the 17 day deadline for submitting agenda item submissions.

              9.5.3      All agenda items shall include a description of the item and identify the anticipated presenter(s).

              9.5.4     Items requiring a decision of the County Council must include cost estimates, time-lines and personnel requirements as necessary.

              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.

Section   9.6        Setting Meeting Date

The Council shall set its meeting dates, places and times.

              9.6.1     The Co-Coordinators shall agendize the setting of meeting dates as needed, to ensure there is always at least meeting set in advance. The Co-Coordinators may place this item at any place on the agenda, in order to ensure that it be heard. 

              9.6.2      If the next meeting date is not decided upon during a meeting, the Co-Coordinators shall conduct a post-meeting vote by email, teleconference, or other process determined by the County Council.

Section 9.7                Agenda Distribution

Council meeting Agendas shall be distributed to County Council members via email, fax and/or postal mail no later than 10 days before the next County Council meeting. Agendas shall also be posted on the County web site and sent to Active Green Locals. Once distributed, the Agenda may not be changed until the meeting.

ARTICLE 10          COMMITTEES

Section 10.1             Establishment

              10.1.1     The County Council may establish Standing Committees and Ad Hoc Committees. 

              10.1.2     A Standing Committee shall continue unless dissolved.  An Ad Hoc Committee is established for finite, pre-defined period.

10.1.3     All Committees shall have a scope, purpose and mission statement approved by the Council, , and shall have a County Council member approved as a liason by the County Council, as part of its formation and approval.

10.1.4     The County Council shall approve Rules and Procedures of operation for each committee.

Section 10.2             Standing Committees

             10.2.1     Media Committee

                            10.2.1.1 The Media Committee is charged with facilitating GPLAC communication with media outlets. The Media Committee will develop and distribute media releases that express GPLAC positions that are consistent with GPLAC policy, the GPCA state platform, and the Ten Key Values; coordinate press conferences around significant party issues and figures; and draft and distribute notifications of significant, newsworthy events relevant to party issues, figures, platform and growth.

                            10.2.1.2 The Media Committee will recommend two gender-balanced GPLAC Media Spokespersons to the County Council for affirmation.

                            10.2.1.3 The Media Committee will assist Active GPLAC locals to develop media resources and in their media work.

             10.2.2     Tabling Committee

                           10.2.2.1 The Tabling Commitee is charged with facilitating tabling on behalf of the GPLAC, including through working with Active Green Locals.

             10.2.3     Locals Support Committee