from the 'internet wayback machine' (no, not *that* one):
BYLAWS OF THE GREEN PARTY OF MENDOCINO COUNTY
This organization shall be known as the Green Party Of Mendocino County, or
GPOMC, and is ultimately responsible to the registered voters of the Green
Party of Mendocino County
1. Membership
a.)All persons registered as Green Party voters, residing in the
b.)Non-citizens, non-residents of
otherwise unable to vote may be regarded as members if they have been
actively engaged in the work of the Green Party of Mendocino County.
2. General Membership Meeting
Here after known as the General Meeting or GM
a.)General Meetings are gatherings of Greens to consult together, make
decisions, share knowledge and information, communicate and otherwise
maintain the cohesiveness of the GPOMC.
b.)The General Membership Meeting is open to all registered Greens and
interested observers.
c.)All registered Green Party voters who are present at the current
meeting can vote and participate in the decision-making of the Green Party
of Mendocino through General Meetings or present concerns that require a
vote.
d.) General Meetings will be held every third month. on the second Monday
in rotating order between Ukiah, Willits,
time and place shall be noticed at the previous GM and noticed in the county
media.
Local meetings will be held at the convenience of local groups at an interval and
location decided on by each group. Monthly meetings are recommended.
d.)General Meetings will be held every month on the second Monday in
rotating order between Ukiah, Willits,
time and place shall be noticed at the previous GM and noticed in the
county media.
e.)If there is reason to call a meeting out of sequence this may be
done by the previous General Meeting or by a quorum of the County Council.
f.)A quorum necessary to make a decision that concerns the whole
membership at a General Meeting shall be eleven (11) active members.
g.)As the main deliberative body of the Green Party of Mendocino
County, the General Meeting shall:
` 1) Define general goals, policy, strategy, and priorities of the GPOMC
2) Make endorsements of candidates and ballot measures
3) Direct the spokesperson to make statements in the name of the GPOMC
4) Make recommendations and proposals to the County Council
5) Elect delegates to the General Assembly of the Green Party of California
6) Elect treasurer and secretary of GPOMC
7)Review the decisions and actions of any other body of the Green Party of
Mendocino County
8) Amend these bylaws
9) Elect County Council Member(s) to fill vacancies in between primary
elections. The State Coordinating Committee must be notified immediately by
the Secretary if such action takes place.
10) Delegate any work necessary to expedite a decision by the GM to a
Working Group
11) Choose a facilitator for the next General Meeting who will then
collect items and establish the agenda for said meeting.
3. Elections:
a.)All internal elections of the Green Party of Mendocino County shall
be governed by the rules covered in this article.
In elections a preferential voting system shall be used.
1)If, in any election, the number of candidates or options is less
than or equal to the number to be selected, then the Meeting may choose to
elect by consensus.
2)If, in this case, there is any objection to electing by consensus,
then the election will proceed by secret ballot.
b.)All active members will be permitted to cast ballots for any or all
candidates; any candidate not receiving a majority of all votes cast will
not be elected.
c.)Delegates to the General Assembly of the Green Party of
are to be elected at a General Meeting preceding the next State General
Assembly.
d.)The County Council may canvass the active membership before the
meeting, and may present a slate of nominees to the meeting.
e.)At the General Meeting, nominations may also be made; the General
Meeting shall then proceed to elect the delegation according to the
procedures set down in this article.
f.)The General Meeting may also delegate the election of delegates or
a portion of the delegation to the County Council or to a Working Group.
4. The County Council
a) The registered membership of the GPOMC shall be represented by
the County Council, which shall meet monthly in person or by telephone.
a.)The registered membership of the GPOMC shall be represented by the
County Council.
b.)The number of County Council members shall be seven (7).
c.)Members of the County Council of the GPOMC shall be elected at
large for two-year terms in each general primary election and shall take
office at
d.)Members of the County Council must be registered members of the
Green Party of California and live in the
e.)The name of each candidate for member of County Council shall
appear on the ballot only if she or he has filed a nomination paper
pursuant to Division 6 (commencing with Section 6000) of the Elections
Code, signed in the candidates behalf by twenty (20) active members
(sponsors). These sponsors may reside in any district within
in which they reside.
f.)Care should be taken to assure when possible that all supervisorial
districts are represented and there is a racial and gender balance.
g.)The County Council shall act upon or communicate the deliberations,
decisions, and actions and shall do the business of the General Membership
of the GPOMC.
h.)County Council duties are:
1)To propose agenda items, and to make recommendations and proposals for
General Meetings, subject to its revision by majority vote of the GM.
2) To see that the records of the Green Party of Mendocino County are
maintained.
3) To set dates for General Meetings, if not otherwise decided at the
previous General Meeting, and to take adequate steps to see that the
membership is informed of those dates.
4) To ask for and receive reports and recommendations from the Working
Groups and to make comments on above to GM;
5) To make every reasonable effort to see to it that decisions of General
Meetings are faithfully carried out
6) To make such decisions as are normally reserved to a General Meeting,
but cannot be delayed until the next scheduled General Meeting session.
Decisions may be subject to revision or rejection at the next General
Meeting. However, the implementation of controversial decisions must
require calling a General Meeting ASAP.
7) To be ultimately responsible for seeing that the legal and fiscal
responsibilities of the Green Party of Mendocino are met.
8) To authorize individuals (spokesperson(s) to speak for the GPOMC
General Meeting, within the general parameters of established GPOMC policy,
the State Platform, and recognized green values.
9) To carry out any duties required of it by the Green Party of California.
h.) The County Council may delegate any of its duties and powers to
committees. These committees may contain non council members and may act
in all other respects as Working Groups of the GPOMC but remain responsible
to the CC.
i.)It may elect delegates if the General Meeting failed to elect or
provide for the election of sufficient delegates to the State of
General Assembly
number of delegates present, then the delegates present may choose
alternates from any members of the Green Party of Mendocino County who are
present.
j.)The County Council shall distribute the individual duties described
in this Section to volunteers among its membership and inform the General
Membership about the various internal appointments and responsible contact
persons. After the installation of at least three new Council members, the
Council shall redetermine this distribution and inform the General
Membership of any changes. Note: These are "duties" not "offices".
k.)A council member may appoint an alternate in her/his absence.
Alternates shall have full consensus and voting rights only with the
written authorization of their appointing Council member. An alternate
member shall be subject to the rules of the Council and may vote only while
the elected member is absent.
l.)A Council member automatically resigns if s/he:
1) Moves out of
2) Is no longer a registered Green.
3) Misses three consecutive Council meetings, without appointing an
alternate.
m.)A sitting council member can be recalled by the process stated here:
1)Three members of the GPOMC present a written statement to the
Council member specifying why they would like the Council member recalled.
2)The statement must be presented to the County Council member at a
Council or General meeting or by certified mail. The agenda of the next GM
shall allot equal times for the two positions. If that meeting results in
a consensus (minus the member being recalled) or in a 75% fall back vote at
a following General meeting (at least seven days apart) in favor of recall,
the Council member is recalled.
n.)Any member of the County Council may be removed if they:
1) Register as a member of another political party.
2) Violate the bylaws of the GPOMC.
3) Behave in a manner blatantly not in keeping with the 10 Green Values.
4) Misuse of funds of the GPOMC or of any working group or of any
campaign of the GPOMC.
5. Secretary Duties:
a. Take the minutes of both G.M. and CC meetings or assign someone to
do so in the secretary's place. May appoint an additional note taker.
b. Keep all official GPOMC documents including bylaws, standing rules,
position papers, meeting minutes, financial records, membership lists, etc.
c. Act as the conduit for all reports to the County Council not
assigned to another contact person.
6. Treasurer Duties:
a. Maintain the financial accounts of the GPOMC.
b. Keep the party checkbook and be responsible for acceptance and
dispersal of all party funds.
c. Shall be responsible for reporting the GPOMC finances to the G.M.
at every monthly meeting or appoint someone to do so if unable to attend.
d. Shall be responsible for submitting all legally required government reports to proper agencies
7. Amending Bylaws
These bylaws may be amended at any time through the following process:
a. Proposals for an amendment must be submitted to the GM.
b. If it is agreed that the amendment is necessary, then a bylaws
working group shall draft a proposed amendment.
c. The proposed amendment may be adopted at the next GM by consensus
or if necessary a 75% vote.
ADDENDUM to GPOMC Bylaws:
Affirmative Action.
The membership of the Green Party of Mendocino shall take affirmative
action to reach goals of sexual, racial, and social diversity and balance
in the allocation of responsibilities among its members. The Green Party of
Mendocino shall also work to ensure that the diversity of local Green
groups interested in participation are included.
Freedom to Speak and Caucus Around Political Views.
Members in the minority on a decision may publicly dissent from that
decision, and organize caucuses to promote their views, provided they
clearly distinguish their position from that of the majority.
Freedom of Information.
All financial records, membership lists, meeting minutes, and other
official Green Party of Mendocino records shall be open for inspection by
any active member. To facilitate this capability, all official records must
be filed with the responsible Council member in both 'hard-copy' and
electronic-format'.
Green Conduct
No individual member, Working Group, Committee, or Green Local recognized by
the Green Party of Mendocino shall:
a) commit the Green Party of Mendocino or any of its affiliates (other than
themselves) to actions, endorsements, or other policy positions outside the
decision-making process described within these Bylaws;
b) misrepresent the decisions and policies of any Green Party body;
c) commit financial irregularities with Green Party funds;
d) advocate or practice racial, sexual, national, or religious discrimination;
e) advocate or practice violent political action;
f) violate any other provision within these Bylaws.
Violations.
The responsibilities described in this Section shall apply to all
individual members, Working Groups, Committees, and Green Locals recognized
by the Green Party of Mendocino Violations may be cause for sanctions
including (as appropriate) reprimand, suspension , recall or expulsion.
These sanctions, except for reprimand, result in either a temporary or
permanent loss of 'standing' (or voting rights) within the Green Party of
Mendocino.
All such sanctions must be voted on by secret ballot at any meeting of the
General Membership and require prior notice and a "high threshold" vote
(75%>>majority) for approval. The accused shall be given prior notice and
shall have the opportunity to present a defense before the vote.
Proposals
Proposals to be considered by the General Membership may be submitted by
the County Council, or any Committee or Working Group.
Proposals to be considered by the General Membership may be submitted by
any individual member to the County Council or appropriate Committee or
Working Group for evaluation before submission to the General Membership.
alternately, such proposals may be submitted directly to the General
Membership but, in this case, will require consensus for approval
Working Groups
The Green Party of Mendocino is both a political party and a grass roots
political activist Organization. The work of the activist members of the
GreenParty of Mendocino is organized through Working Groups. Working Groups
are voluntary associations of Green Party of Mendocino activists carrying
out that aspect of the work of the Green Party of Mendocino to which they
are dedicated or interested. The Working Groups, along with the membership
the County Council, comprise the Green Party of Mendocino, as it exists as
an activist organization. Working Groups may be established by either the
County Council or by a General Meeting/Plenary. The purpose of the Working
Group, its duties, responsibilities, and delegated powers (if any), should
be clearly stated at the time of its formation. The establishing body may
name a coordinator for the Group. An individual shall be designated to
serve as a liaison to the County Council. Working Groups may be executive or
deliberative, or both, depending on the nature of their work. Decision
making within Working Groups shall be by consensus. WG¼s may establish
their own rules of procedure, or may use an informal decision-making
process, according to the specific needs of the Group. The County Council
will be responsible for keeping track of which Groups are active, and which
are not.
Working Groups will be responsible for keeping a list of ongoing, active
members and supplying the County Council with that list, as well as with
meeting dates and times. Working Groups are required to remain active, if
their work is ongoing, or they will be dissolved. The County Council has
discretion to dissolve inactive Groups, or to merely suspend them, if the
Group¼s work is periodic, Working Groups are not to be maintained if
interest in their work has failed, of if their functions are obsolete.
Active Working Groups may be dissolved with the consent of both the County
Council and the General Meeting/Plenary, or a Working Group may dissolve
itself. Working Groups may establish and dissolve committees to which they
may assign or delegate specific tasks. No Working Group may make any
financial commitment on behalf of the Green Party of Mendocino without the
prior consent of the County Council, unless financial powers have been
specifically delegated to it, or unless specific arrangements have been
made for the Group's independent financial responsibility. No Working Group
may make any endorsement, or claim to speak on behalf of the Green Party of
Mendocino without prior approval or delegation by the appropriate body.
Consensus
All bodies of the Green Party of Mendocino shall seek consensus in all
decision-making. Any item or resolution presented to a body of the Green
Party of Mendocino which has not chosen another process as provided for
under these bylaws, must be passed through the following formal process of
consensus: Any item presented to the Meeting will be given adequate time,
within the judgment of the Facilitator and the limits of the agenda, for
discussion and consideration. When satisfied that the proposal is
sufficiently understood by the membership, the Facilitator will ask for,
and recognize members to present.
Concerns. Each Concern may be addressed by further discussion and proposals
to amend the item. When, in the judgment of the Facilitator, Concerns have
been addressed as well as may be, the Facilitator shall call for consensus
by asking for unresolved Concerns. If there are no unresolved Concerns,
then the proposal has passed; but if unresolved Concerns remain, then the
Facilitator shall ask if the member presenting the Concern will stand
aside. If the member is willing, then the proposal has passed; and the
Concern will be recorded verbatim in the journal of the Meeting. If,
however, the member is unwilling to stand aside, then the Meeting shall
proceed to vote on the proposal. The total number of votes for and against
the proposal, and the number of abstentions, shall be recorded in the
journal of the Meeting; and at the request of any two members, the vote
shall be taken by secret ballot. If the proposal is a policy-making
decision, then 80% approval of the members voting is required for the
proposal to pass; but if the proposal is a business item, then a 2/3 vote
of the members voting will be sufficient to pass the proposal. If, however,
the number of members abstaining is more than 25% of the number of members
voting yes and no, then the proposal has not passed.
A policy item shall be defined as any proposal which sets official Green
Party of Mendocino policy, makes endorsements of candidates or ballot
measures, establishes a process, or amends bylaws.
A business item shall be defined as any proposal which executes a policy
already established, establishes or dissolves committees or Working Groups,
chooses an established process, makes statements or non-ballot endorsements
that are in accordance with established Green Party of Mendocino positions,
or otherwise makes no fundamental changes in the structure or positions of
the Green Party of Mendocino only active members may present unresolved
Concerns or vote on proposals in any meeting of the Green Party of Mendocino
Fiscal policy:
Green Party funds are to be used only for party building, electoral and candidate
support. Special purpose fund raising will be allowed.
Revisions:
Approved
Section 2.
Replace: d.) General Meetings will be held every third month. on the second Monday in rotating order between Ukiah, Willits,
Local meetings will be held at the convenience of local groups at an interval and location decided on by each group. Monthly meetings are recommended.
Section 4. The County Council
Replace: a) The registered membership of the GPOMC shall be represented by the County Council, which shall meet monthly in person or by telephone.
Approved
Section 6. Treasurer Duties;
Add "d. Shall be responsible for submitting all legally required government reports to proper agencies."
Add: Fiscal policy: Green Party funds are to be used only for party building, electoral and candidate support. Special purpose fund raising will be allowed.
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