First Draft Proposal of the Green Party of California (3/14/07 version)

SUBJECT: Diversified General Assembly

SPONSORSHIP Green Issues Working Group

PRESENTER: to be determined by the Coordinating Committee

CONTACT: info@green247.org

BACKGROUND A functioning party requires an active decision-making body. Eventually, the GPCA may grow to a point where it needs a standing general assembly (the proverbial midnight roll-call). However, it requires a bylaw amendment. And, grassroots democracy requires that such amendment include all registered Green Party members in the election of delegates. Funding for such an election may arrive upon increased functioning of the GPCA and decreased expenditures on procedural activities.

Need for Diversity: One of our most active contributors can only be present online. It is hardship for another Green to travel long distances. The GPCA can encourage these contributors to become members of working groups and delegates to the General Assembly by making these bodies accessible to them.

With free weekend minutes, many Greens can provide cell phones to maintain the teleconference throughout the plenary. With hot spots and airport cards, some Greens can provide an Internet connection to maintain an online chat throughout the plenary.

PURPOSE: By diversifying the General Assembly, the GPCA minimizes pollution and other travel expenses. It facilitates the location of venues for state meetings. It decreases the hardships of attending distant state meetings. It enables participation in the decision-making process by Greens of diversity. The General Assembly (GA) needs to hear all sponsored proposals. So, it needs more state meetings.

Thus, the General Assembly need not have time at a plenary to consider all of the General Assembly committee draft proposals, as required by bylaw 5-3.3. The General Assembly may consider many lower-priority proposals at the diversified General Assembly. Thus, the General Assembly may table all proposals that are not time-sensitive for the diversified General Assembly. The agenda team need not await a full timeline cycle, as all proposals (or links thereto) would be in the package sent to the locals.

PROPOSAL: In place of causing carbon emissions, the GPCA supports

(a) videoconferencing,

(b) video streaming with closed captioning

(c) teleconferencing

(d) chat room and/or

(e) email as a component of every plenary. Thus, delegates and audiences who cannot travel [shall OR may] participate from their county council meeting places.

Therefore, a teleconference and online chat shall be conducted in concert with each plenary. By teleconference and online chat, delegates may fully participate in the consensus process.

At a future plenary, a video stream and caption [shall OR may] be securely transmitted to computers of participating county council members by Information Technology standing committee members. Therefore, county councils [shall OR may] verify that participants are registered Green Party members.

The GPCA shall hold a Special Meeting for all of the proposals that the GA did not have time for.

The identities of the delegates may remain the same, at the discretion of the locals.

Locals may elect new delegates, if time permits.

Thus, the GPCA may hold 3 or more state meetings per year.

Thus, the GPCA [shall OR may] hear all proposals sponsored per bylaws. The GPCA shall allocate one minute per proposal for non-emergency proposals like impeachment, just to see if they pass immediately or should be tabled for the end of the plenary or for the following plenary.

Details:

The first diversified General Assembly is a Special Meeting, within the meaning of bylaw 5-2.1. To pass, it requires a 2/3 vote of the GA at the May 26 or 27 plenary. All proposals that the GA did not have time for at the May 26 & 27 plenary shall be placed on the agenda for the diversified GA. They shall be discussed or decided, as appropriate for each proposal, at the diversified GA.

During the first diversified General Assembly, the GPCA shall use a variety of means to maintain full participation by all delegates.

Internet: Those who can be present by Internet can post on a chat room at a future diversified General Assembly. However at the first, a delegate who wishes to speak shall enter that speech as email message text, then read that text aloud, then send that message to the listserv (not Yahoo, as it is unreliable). Those who cannot type shall speak aloud so that a notetaker can transcribe the speech. The notetaker shall enter all spoken words onto the listserv.

Reliability: A second listserv shall be available in case the first fails. All delegates are asked to subscribe to both listservs before the plenary.

Telephone: Those who can be present by phone with free weekend minutes can use “free conference call”. We shall have 2 such calls set up in case one malfunctions. Those who can be present by phone and need a toll-free number can use a toll-free conference call at a future diversified General Assembly. However at the first, a caller at the venue with free minutes shall call that delegate.

Reliability: A second cell phone shall be set next to each connected cell phone. It shall have the number of that delegate or conference call programmed into it. At least 2 cell phones at the main venue shall be connected to each conference call at such a distance that prevents feedback. Those monitoring cell phones shall redial as soon as a signal is lost and restored. All attendees shall be notified that they must transmit a message with the word “stack” followed by their name only before they may be called upon to transmit their speech.

COMMITTEE DECISION: At the spring of 2006 State GIWG meeting, GIWG pledged to focus on increasing diversity within the GPCA as a way to diversify the Green Party and the issues upon which it develops the platform and campaigns. On 1/6/07, the official Westside Greens meeting brainstormed this proposal. During the 1/14/07 GIWG teleconference and online before 2/7/07, a GIWG quorum (Ellen, Elisabeth (Consuelo's counterpart outside of plenary) and Wes (acting for S.KCM)) achieved consensus with friendly amendments added by Wes. No bylaw change is necessary.

TIMELINE The first diversified General Assembly shall take place as soon as a venue is established.

RESOURCES: Considerable savings in travel, accommodation and venue costs. Savings in time and preparation costs. Benefits of greater and more diverse participation. The diversified General Assembly adds hours to any plenary planning effort. It brings the GPCA into compliance with Bylaw 5-1.1.

The diversified General Assembly provides a more relaxed environment for the Bylaw 5-1.1 strategy sessions. It saves the GPCA $1,200 that it would otherwise spend on a retreat in place of a plenary.

Writing a speech before delivering it hopefully provides the General Assembly with short and well-reasoned speeches.

The diversified General Assembly saves counties time electing delegates. The identities of the delegates are likely to remain the same as they were in the previous plenary.