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BY-LAWS
BY-LAWS OF THE WESTSIDE GREENS
(Last amended 06 May 2006)
Embracing our responsibility to our community to create a more just and sustainable society, we, the Green
Party members of Santa Monica, West Los Angeles, and surrounding neighborhoods, establish these bylaws to
govern the operations and functions of The Westside Greens. The Westside Greens is a General Purpose Committee
as defined by the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC)
of the State of California.
Article I: Statement of Purpose
The Westside Greens is a grassroots progressive political organization that seeks to build a society based
on the Green Party's "Ten Key Values":
- Ecological Wisdom
- Social Justice
- Grassroots Democracy
- Nonviolence
- Personal and Global Responsibility
- Respect for Diversity
- Gender Equality
- Decentralization
- Community-based Economics
- Future Focus/Sustainability
Article II: Geographic Boundaries
The Westside Greens serves residents of the loose geographic boundaries bordered by the Santa Monica Mountains
to the north, Los Angeles Airport to the south, La Cienega Boulevard to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the
west. We foresee a number of additional Green locals forming within these boundaries, particularly in incorporated
cities.
It is fundamental to grassroots democracy that citizens should participate in the Green local where they live
and/or work. However anyone may participate with the Westside Greens.
Article III: Administrative Membership
All are welcome to participate in Westside Greens meetings and activities. A person who wishes to participate
in the leadership of the Westside Greens may become an administrative member by meeting all of the following criteria:
- The person is registered as a Green Party member in the County of Los Angeles or the person would register
Green if eligible to vote in national, state, and local elections;
- The person has signed in at at least two (2) of the past six (6) Administrative Meetings of the Westside Greens;
- The person has paid their membership dues for the month.
Should any interested person be unable to meet the above criteria, their case shall be brought to the Administrative
Membership for an immediate vote at an Administrative Meeting.
Article IV: Meetings and Activities
The Westside Greens is an events-based activism group. In addition to Westside Greens' events, a monthly Administrative
Meeting shall be held. The Administrative Meeting shall consist of decision making on administrative items concerning
the Westside Greens, including the following:
- Treasurer's report
- Planning activities and events
- Endorsing local, statewide, national, and global campaigns, candidates, and ballot measures
- Electing officers
- Amending Bylaws and Rules and Procedures
- Campaigning for candidates and ballot measures
Quorum for Administrative Meetings shall exist when at least fifty percent (50%) of Administrative Members or five
Administrative Members, whichever number is greater, are present.
Article V: Officers and Elections
The administrative membership shall elect the following officers:
* A Treasurer who shall be responsible for all financial matters including the budget, the bank account,
necessary FPPC filings, monthly dues. In addition the Treasurer shall draft a financial policy, to be
approved by the Administrative Membership, for the Rules and Procedures document. The Treasurer shall
convene a financial group if and when needed, and
* Two (2) officers who shall serve as co-chairs of the Westside Greens [see Rules and Procedures, Section 2
for job responsibilities].
Officers should represent our diverse population.
Only administrative members shall be permitted to run for officer. Nominations for officer shall only be made
at an Administrative Meeting. Candidates for officer must be nominated by an Administrative Member and another
Administrative Member must second that nomination. The election will then become an agenda item for the next
Administrative Meeting. The candidate receiving a simple majority of the votes cast shall be the winner. For
purposes of officer elections, "No Other Candidate" shall be considered a candidate. In a race consisting of
three (3) or more candidates, the instant runoff voting procedure [see Rules and Procedures, Section 4] shall
be followed until a majority is reached. Only administrative members shall be allowed to vote in elections.
All officers shall serve one-year terms. The terms for the two (2) co-chairs shall be staggered by six (6) months
so that the elections for each co-chair are held six (6) months apart. If an officer is not able to complete
his/her term, an election will be held to elect a new officer to serve out the remainder of the original term.
Whenever possible, the election for Treasurer shall be held at the same time as one (1) of the co-chairs.
If an officer is not able to complete his/her term, an election will be held to elect a new officer to serve out
the remainder of the original term.
To initiate the staggering of the co-chair terms, and to offset officer elections from the November election season,
all three officers shall be elected in the Westside Greens' May 2003 election, one co-chair for a term of fourteen
(14) months, the other co-chair for a term of eight (8) months, and the treasurer for a term of fourteen (14) months.
Rules and Procedures of the Westside Greens
- The Consensus-Seeking Process. The Westside Greens Administrative Meetings shall follow the
consensus-seeking process used by the Green Party as follows:
- Proposal
- Clarifying Questions
- Statement of Concerns and Affirmations (or friendly amendments; presenter accepts or denies. If no concerns,
consensus achieved!)
- Addressing of Concerns and Affirmations
- Unresolved Concerns (If none, consensus achieved!)
- Addressing of Unresolved Concerns
- Stand Asides (If there are unresolved concerns, will concerned stand aside? If yes, consensus achieved!)
- If those with unresolved concerns will not stand aside, the item goes to a vote.
Voting Procedure: Only Administrative Members of the Westside Greens shall be allowed to vote. Amendments to
the Bylaws of the Westside Greens or Rules and Procedures of the Westside Greens shall pass with eighty percent
(80%) of the vote. All other items shall pass with two-thirds (2/3) of the vote.
- Co-Chair Responsibilities. The Westside Greens co-chairs' responsibilities include the following:
- Attend and facilitate the Administrative Meeting. The co-chairs shall be responsible for facilitating the
meeting and utilizing the Consensus-Seeking Process [see Section 1] for decision-making. Alternatively, the
co-chairs may appoint a volunteer to facilitate the meeting. One co-chair shall function as minute taker and
record in the meeting's minutes the outcome of all decision-making items, including all unresolved concerns,
as well as all pertinent announcements. Alternatively, the co-chairs may appoint a volunteer to take minutes.
- Conduct the business of the Westside Greens between Administrative Meetings. This includes:
- Updating the database or appointing a volunteer Database Manager to update the database, and
- Updating the website or appointing a volunteer Webmaster to update the website, and
- Writing and distributing press releases as directed by the administrative membership or appointing a
volunteer Media Contact to write and distribute these press releases, and
- Approving or denying support for only those events that are too time sensitive to wait for action at the
next Administrative Meeting, and
- Forwarding a copy of the Administrative Meeting's minutes to the appropriate Green Party of Los Angeles
County contact.
- Communicate with the membership. This includes:
- Emailing the monthly newsletter and other email notices, and
- Emailing the agenda for the upcoming Administrative Meeting at least seven (7) days in advance, and
- Posting the minutes from the Administrative Meetings on the website (or delegating this task to the Webmaster), and
- Submitting announcements of Administrative Meetings to the local media, and
- Public posting of the announcement of the Administrative Meeting at the Administrative Meeting location.
- Dues. Membership dues shall be paid monthly in the amount of $5, $10, or through volunteer hours. Those wishing to
utilize the volunteer hours option must petition the Treasurer in writing and schedule volunteer hours with the
Treasurer. Administrative Members shall have paid their dues for six months or since the commencement of their
Administrative Membership.
- Instant Runoff Voting Procedure: Each Administrative Member shall be provided a written secret ballot containing
the names of the candidates in random order. The ballot shall also include a "No Other Candidate" ("NOC") option. The
Administrative Members shall vote by ranking the candidates along with the NOC options in order of preference. The ballots
shall be tabulated using Instant Runoff Voting.
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