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Proposal Details

Proposal ID44
ProposalBylaws Interpretation regarding length of discussion period for GPCA position on propositions 41 and 42
PresenterCoordinating Committee
Floor ManagerMike Feinstein
PhaseClosed
Discussion04/08/2014 - 05/04/2014
Voting05/05/2014 - 05/11/2014
ResultAdopted
Presens Quorum11 0.5001
Consens Quorum30 0.6666 of Yes and No Votes

Background

The Campaigns and Candidates Working Group met via Teleconference on Tuesday, April 1 and authorized an SGA vote on Propositions 41 and 42 to begin Monday, April 7.

With the primary election being held on Tuesday, June 3, if the Standing General Assembly takes the standard six week discussion period and then one week vote, the GPCA's position would not be taken until May 25, right before the election.

In order that the GPCA's position can be taken with time to publicize it before the election, and still provide a not insignificant amount of time for discussion, the Campaigns and Candidates Working Group asked that the discussion period be shortened to four weeks, so that the result could be known as of May 11th.

The reason that the Campaigns and Candidates Working Group did not vote to start the discussion period earlier, is that this beginning date was the soonest possible where both Title and Summary, and the pro/con arguments on the propositions would be available from the Secretary of State's office, and a recommendation on the propositions from inside the Green Party, provided by the Green Party of Alameda County.

Under GPCA Bylaws, Committees and Working Groups can not by themselves change the length of the discussion period. However under GPCA Bylaws 13-3 Bylaws Interpretation (http://www.cagreens.org/bylaws/2013-06-23#Article_13-3_Bylaws_Interpretation), "In cases of ambiguity or procedural disagreement, the General Assembly shall decide for itself the meaning of its governing documents, the appropriate procedure to be followed and what amendments are necessary to resolve any further ambiguity or disagreement."

The procedural ambiguity here is how to deal with ensuring the party can make its positions known on the propositions on the June 2014 ballot, as provided for under GPCA bylaws 7-6.2(a) Endorsement/opposition of qualified statewide ballot measures (http://www.cagreens.org/bylaws/2013-06-23#Section_7-6_Standing_General_Assembly) and to do so in timely manner, given the limitations on when the information was available for the Campaigns and Candidates Working Group to submit consideration of the propositions to the Standing General Assembly.

On its April 7 teleconference, the Coordinating Committee approved the following bylaws interpretation below, that would provide for a four week discussion period for consideration of the GPCA's position on Propositions 41 and 42. As per GPCA bylaws 13-3, affirmation or rejection of that interpretation is now placed before the Standing General Assembly

Proposal

That the Standing General Assembly confirm the following bylaws interpretation, as approved by the Coordinating Committee on April 7:
 
Whereas, the Campaigns and Candidates Working Group met via Teleconference on Tuesday, April 4 and authorized an SGA vote on Propositions 41 and 42 to begin Monday, April 7; and
 
Whereas, with the primary election being Tuesday, June 3, if the Standing General Assembly holds its standard six week discussion period and then one week vote, the GPCA's position would not be taken until May 25, right before the election; and
 
Whereas, if the GPCA is going to go through an internal endorsement process to take a position, it stands to reason that the position should be taken in sufficient time before the election, so that the position could be known by the party's members and the interested public; and
 
Whereas, GPCA bylaws 7-6.3(a0 states that the normal discussion period for proposals before the SGA is six weeks; and
 
Whereas, if the discussion period for Propositions 41 and 42 is shortened from six weeks to four weeks, four weeks is still four weeks, and there will still be a teleconference for SGA delegates as prescribed in GPCA bylaws 7-6.3(b) to discuss the two measures within those four weeks; and
 
Whereas the text for the SGA proposals contains not only the official pro and con arguments from the bills official sponsors and opponents, but also recommendations from the Green Party of Alameda County, which traditionally has done ballot measure recommendations for their official voter guide, and from which voter guide, the GPCA has often drawn much of its analysis for its own statewide positions; therefore
 
The Coordinating Committee finds that it is justified and appropriate that in the case of taking the GPCA position on Propositions 41 and 42 for the June 2014 primary election, and only the June 2014 primary election, that the discussion period be four weeks, instead of six weeks.

Resources

None

References

GPCA Bylaws 13-3 http://www.cagreens.org/bylaws/2013-06-23#Article_13-3_Bylaws_Interpretation

GPCA proposal ID 40 - GPCA position on Prop 41: Veterans Housing and Homeless Prevention Bond Act of 2014 http://files.cagreens.org/vote/irvdetail?pid=40

GPCA proposal ID 41 - GPCA position on Prop 42: Public Records Open Meetings State Reimbursement to Local Agencies Legislative Constitutional Amendment http://files.cagreens.org/vote/irvdetail?pid=41

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