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Bylaws

Link to this page: https://dxe.io/bylaws

Preamble

These Bylaws aim to:

  1. reduce conflict between and within operational teams, by creating a coherent decision-making and staffing process;
  2. allow us to move forward even in the face of disagreement, by providing democratic legitimacy to decisions and leadership;
  3. promote accountability in our commitments to ourselves and organizational partners by empowering the leadership team to align our work with our roadmap and annual strategic plan; and
  4. provide for transparency and checks and balances by which leadership can be selected, recalled, and decisions revisited.

1. Name

The name of this Chapter is DxE SF Bay Area.

2. Purposes

The Chapter organizes activities for Direct Action Everywhere within San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, and the surrounding areas.

3. Members

3.1. Membership Classes

The Chapter has 2 classes of members: Chapter Members and Organizers. The standards for Chapter Members and Organizers are maintained by the Development Working Group.

Unless explicitly stated otherwise, any rule applying to Chapter Members also applies to Organizers.

All members may attend the Chapter’s regular, annual, and special meetings.

3.2. Chapter Members

To be eligible to vote, a Chapter Member must have been a Chapter Member for the past 6 full months, on the Movement-Power Index for 8 of the past 12 full months months at the time of the vote, and have signed the voting agreement.

3.3. Organizers

To be eligible to vote, an Organizer must have been on the Movement-Power Index for 2 of the past 3 full months or 8 of the past 12 full months at the time of the vote.

4. Officers

4.1. Officers and Duties

The officers of the Chapter are the Lead Organizer, 4 Core Members, and the Secretary. These officers perform the duties prescribed by these bylaws and by the parliamentary authority adopted by the Chapter. Within the parliamentary authority, the offices of Lead Organizer and Core Member correspond to President and Director, respectively.

4.2. Lead Organizer

The Lead Organizer is responsible for making decisions on and executing the previously-approved DxE annual strategy and budget, proposing agendas for Chapter and SF Bay Core meetings, staffing/removing people from Working Groups and projects (including the DxE website, DxE Facebook page, DxE email lists, Facebook groups, and any other resources operated by the DxE SF Bay Area chapter, including any resources operated by the DxE SF Bay Area chapter by virtue of its role on the Global Steering Committee), ensuring compliance with these bylaws, and fulfilling DxE’s values.

The Lead Organizer commits to seeking others’ perspectives among the relevant body of people in staffing and financial decisions before making any unilateral decisions. Their actions are subject to the advice and consent of the SF Bay Core and the members at large.

The Lead Organizer will hold regular open discussions with updates on progress on strategic roadmap and opportunity for all Chapter Members to ask questions or comment on network matters. These will most often take place during the regular Chapter meeting.

4.3. Nomination Procedure, Time of Elections

Any Organizer who has been an Organizer for the last 6 months and is an eligible voter at the time of election is eligible for office.

Officers will be nominated at the February regular Chapter meeting. The election will then take place at a special meeting held 2 weeks later.

4.4. Ballot Election, Term of Office, Removal from Office

Officers will be elected by ballot using Reweighted Range Voting. Officers will serve for 2 years or until their successors are elected, and their term of office will be begin at the close of the meeting at which they are elected. Officers may be removed from office at the will of the membership as provided in the parliamentary authority.

4.5. Office-Holding Limitations

A member cannot hold more than 1 office at a time.

5. Meetings

5.1. Regular Meetings

The Chapter will hold regular meetings on the first Tuesday of each month on Zoom from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., unless ordered otherwise by the Chapter or the SF Bay Core. Notice must be sent to all members at least 1 week before the meeting.

At each meeting, the SF Bay Core will update members on progress, obtain feedback, and answer questions about the past month’s projects.

5.2. Annual Meetings

An annual meeting must occur with 30 days notice at which the SF Bay Core will propose a strategic plan for the following year. The strategic plan will be adopted at the end of meeting by majority vote of current eligible voters. If a majority threshold is not secured, the SF Bay Core will make necessary modifications and announce a new meeting (with at least 2 weeks’ notice) within 30 days.

5.3. Special Meetings

Special meetings may be called by the Lead Organizer or by the SF Bay Core and must be called upon the written request of 1/4 of either:

  1. all eligible voters or
  2. all Organizers eligible to vote.

The purpose of the meeting will be stated in the meeting announcement, which must be sent to all members at least 3 days before the meeting.

5.4. Quorum

Quorum is a majority of either:

  1. all eligible voters or
  2. all Organizers eligible to vote.

5.5. Notice

Notice of meetings will be sent to the chaptermembers@dxe.io mailing list.

6. SF Bay Core

6.1. Composition

The SF Bay Core consists of the Lead Organizer and the 4 Core Members.

6.2. Duties and Powers

The SF Bay Core has full power and authority over the affairs of the Chapter between its business meetings. They will also set the hour and place of meetings, make recommendations to the Chapter, and perform any other duties as specified in these bylaws.

6.3. Meetings

The SF Bay Core will hold regular meetings every week, unless ordered otherwise by the SF Bay Core. Special meetings of the SF Bay Core may be called by the Lead Organizer and must be called upon the written request of 2 Core Members.

Meetings are normally open to the public, but advanced request is required. Anyone interested in visiting an SF Bay Core meeting should email sfbay@directactioneverywhere.com with the request. The final 30 minutes of each regular meeting are reserved for executive session.

7. Working Groups

7.1. Working Groups

The Lead Organizer has final say over the composition of official Working Groups. Working Groups will determine their own processes and meeting schedules, and will coordinate with other Working Groups through Core. Where there is no request for funds/resources or conflict between Working Groups or conflict with the chapter strategy, Working Groups can continue to work autonomously.

Working Groups can choose to remain unofficial and therefore completely independent if they do not seek DxE resources and mailing lists. The DxE SF Bay Area chapter will work with unofficial Working Groups on the basis of free association. Conflicts between Working Groups will be resolved by the Lead Organizer in consultation with Core.

7.2. Membership Standards

The point person for a Working Group may impose reasonable requirements for training, agreements, work standards, and rules of order for that Working Group.

7.3. Resources

Requests for resources must be directed to the Lead Organizer or Core. The Lead Organizer has final say over allocation of resources.

7.4. Removal of Working Groups

An official Working Group will be dissolved or become unofficial if the group fails to meet the relevant standards, violates DxE’s values, or for any other good faith reason (e.g. redundancy, conflict with other Working Groups) set out by the Lead Organizer or Core.

7.5. Removal of Working Group Members

Members of official Working Groups may be removed due to violations of DxE’s values, code of conduct, failure to meet relevant standards, or any other good faith reason (e.g. redundancy, conflict with other Working Groups) set out by the Lead Organizer, Core, or relevant Working Group point person.

7.6. List of Working Groups

The SF Bay Core must keep a list of official Working Groups, Chapter Members, and Organizers.

8. Parliamentary Authority

The rules contained in the 12th edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised will govern the Chapter in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these bylaws and any special rules of order the Chapter may adopt.

9. Amendment of Bylaws

These bylaws may be amended by a motion to Amend Something Previously Adopted.