[GPSCC-chat] Locals (was Re: monthly meetings & critical mass)

Wed Dec 26 22:23:26 PST 2012

P.S.:

If we don't want to amend the bylaws, another way of reaching the 5-person "critical mass" required for locals is to recruit additional people (who don't necessarily attend monthly business meetings) who are interested in forming a local.  Recruitment should be high on the "to-do" list no matter what structure things take.

Valerie

---------- Original Message ----------
From: "Valerie D. Face" <vdf at juno.com>
Date: Thu, 27 Dec 2012 05:45:17 GMT
To: sosfbay-discuss at cagreens.org
Subject: [GPSCC-chat] Locals (was Re:  monthly meetings & critical mass)

Hi folks,

FYI, our bylaws (http://www.cagreens.org/santaclara/bylaws.shtml) say the following about forming county locals:

-  -  -

ARTICLE 5 COUNTY LOCALS 

5.1 Consistent with Green Party values supporting decentralization and personal responsibility, individual members may form locals of the Green Party of Santa Clara County in the various subregions of the county. 

5.2 To be duly recognized as an official GPSCC Local, such a group must: 

a) Be approved as a County Local -- either by the County Council or at a general meeting of the GPSCC -- after submitting a written request signed by at least five (5) Members describing their intent to form a Local and the boundaries of the proposed Local. 

b) Minutes will be recorded for all official meetings and a copy will be made available to the County Council on request. 

c) Duly elect a contact person who will facilitate communication between the local and the county organization. 

d) Have clearly defined geographic boundaries and notify the Council in writing of any subsequent changes of those boundaries. 

e) Conduct Local activities in accordance with the spirit and intent of the Green Party's 10 Key Values. 

5.3 A GPSCC Local shall not take any public position on county-wide or state-wide issues contrary to that taken by the GPSCC or the California Green Party, without receiving consensus at a County general meeting. A Local shall not assert any authority expressly reserved to the GPSCC in these Bylaws or to the California Green Party in the state party's bylaws. 

-  -  -

If we're serious about creating locals we need to follow these rules (or amend the bylaws as described in Article 8).  I'm in favor of forming any sub-groups that enable us to work more effectively, but as things stand the bylaws have their own version of a "critical mass" clause with respect to locals (i.e. you need 5 people to form one).  If we can't make the distribution work, perhaps we should change the bylaws and/or form committees as needed (short- or long-term) around common interests, needs and issues.  If we change the bylaws, please let's make sure that we follow the process and update the website so that everyone knows what's going on.

Best wishes,
Valerie

~*~*~*~
"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?"
    - from "The Summer Day" by Mary Oliver
      http://www.loc.gov/poetry/180/133.html

---------- Original Message ----------
Date: Wed, 26 Dec 2012 13:35:59 -0800
From: Jim Doyle <j.m.doyle at sbcglobal.net>
To: sosfbay discussion group <sosfbay-discuss at cagreens.org>
Subject: [GPSCC-chat] monthly meetings & critical mass

I agree wholeheartedly with Drew's comments (see below.)

He mentions the need to be creating semi autonomous locals.

Let's rephrase that and turn it into a proposal:
be it proposed athat we create semi autonomous locals.

Upon approval of the proposal the details of its implementation
such as who is going to do what when must be worked out and
agreed upon, i.e., volunteers needed.

Jim Doyle

P.S.  La Raza meeting agendas (agendi) list ten two minute reports
on issues pertinent to them, e.g., immigration and its friends such as
ice raids, drivers licenses, and the dream act.  Two minutes to give
an update of what has transpired in the last month.

Such an approach would help to streamline our meetings.
-------
Drew had posted

Happy Holidays all.

The mistaken premise of this discussion is that the only Greens that could possibly participate are the few that come to our business meetings. I don't believe in requiring people to come to our business meetings in order to participate. i rather think that without serious reformation of our business meetings to make them much, much more productive and engaging it is a severe mistake to ask people to come to our business meetings!!! Yes I do say that!

So while the business meeting and the Council need to guide the direction its completely counterproductive and anti-Green to insist on centralization of our work. One of our 10 Key Values is Decentralization and another is Local Control and another is Personal Responsibility. So these values run counter to trying to control all party functions via the county party apparatus. 

Instead we need to be creating about 5 semi autonomous Locals to cover the work of the party throughout the county. Sure there are some functions like media, treasury and perhaps tabling that need to be done at the county level. But local events and actions along the lines of house parties, running local events campaigns Get Out the Vote (GOtV) and city politics by nature must be decentralized. We are not and will never be that functional and competitive as a party until we are really decentralized and operating at a more localized way, below the county level.

Green is GO!

Drew

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