To: GPCA Cocos The minutes from the San Diego general assembly are now available at http://cagreens.org/plenary/archives/. All are invited to review these minutes. But any committee that sponsored a proposal should consider it mandatory to review the record of that item. Please send your comments to agenda-team@cagreens.org. ============================================= The next Green Party General Assembly will be in Dana Point, Orange County on Aug. 23-24. More details will be posted at http://cagreens.org/plenary/ as they become available. The draft minutes for the April General Assembly are now available at http://cagreens.org/plenary/archives/. The common password is required, and remember that it has changed since April General Assembly. ================================================================= Dear Greens, The next General Assembly of the GPCA will be April 4,5-6 at the UC Berkeley campus in Alameda County . The agenda packet is planned for distribution no later than March 15. Along with regular party business, this General Assembly will decide the annual budget and deal with issues involving the National Presidential Nominating Convention (July 10-13 in Chicago ). As more information becomes available it will be posted on the plenary web site at http://cagreens.org/plenary/. Another message will be sent to you when online registration is open. If you have questions or comments, please forward them to agenda-team@cagreens.org. An election will be held for the we will be discussing the deadline for submission shortly. Two elections will be held at this GA: Coordinating Committee at-large seats. Please submit bios to agenda-team@cagreens.org ============================================== The proposal packet for the October 10-11 General Assembly in Cotati, Sonoma County is now available for downloading from the plenary web site: http://www.cagreens.org/plenary/ This packet contains proposals, meeting schedule and county delegate allocation. Please read it ASAP. If you have concerns about any proposal, please send them to the people listed as the contact persons and/or sponsors *before* the meeting begins. You will need the common password for access to the proposal packet. Please contact your County Council or Regional Representative if you don't have it. The logistics packet will be available within two weeks. The logistics packet contains information on the meeting site, housing, registration and host contacts. Online registration and delegate pages will open when the logistics packet is released. Contact the Agenda Team (agenda-team@cagreens.org) with any questions. Counties are required to submit their list of General Assembly delegates online. Use the Delegates link on the plenary page cited above. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- IMPORTANT: All delegate names must be submitted online before the meeting. Due to past problems, the Accreditation Committee will no longer accept delegate name submissions at the meeting. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Online registration and delegate submission pages will close on Wednesday Oct. 7. You may participate in this important event in a number of ways: At the General Assembly -- as a delegate or a observer in the decision-making plenary sessions and/or =- as participant in working group, standing committee and/or caucus meetings Before the General Assembly -- with a working group or standing committee that is generating a proposal -- discussing the agenda proposals in your county and on-line. We hope to see you in Cotati! =============================================================== The logistics packet for the Sept. 11-12 General Assembly in Orange County is now available for downloading from the plenary web site: http://www.cagreens.org/plenary/ The proposal packet was previously posted to the site. The logistics packet contains information on the meeting site, housing, registration and host contacts. You will need the common password for access only to the proposal packet. Please contact your County Council or Regional Representative if you don't have it. ---------------- Online registration is now open. Use the Registration link on the plenary page cited above. Please register as soon as possible to help the host committee prepare the event. Counties are also required to submit their list of General Assembly delegates online. Use the Delegates link on the plenary page cited above. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- IMPORTANT: All delegate names must be submitted before the meeting. Due to past problems, the Accreditation Committee will no longer accept delegate name submissions at the meeting. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Online registration and delegate submission closes at midnight on Wednesday Sept. 8. ------------------------- You may participate in this important event in a number of ways: At the General Assembly -- as a delegate or a observer in the decision-making plenary sessions and/or =- as participant in working group, standing committee and/or caucus meetings Before the General Assembly -- with a working group or standing committee that is generating a proposal -- discussing the agenda proposals in your county and on-line. We hope to see you in Dana Point! ============================================================= We are looking for people with note taking skills for the upcoming plenary. This is a paid position and a valuable service to the GPCA. The skills of a good note taker include being a good listener and a competent typist. Familiarity with the Green meeting process is also helpful. Having previous note-taking experience in your Local or in a GPCA committee is advantageous. There is a Note Taker Guidelines document available at http://cagreens.org/gap/NoteTaker.rtf. (Somewhat out of date, but still a good reference) The note taker job can be shared among several people. You can serve for a morning or afternoon session, a whole day, or the entire weekend. The note taker position is budgeted for $250. This breaks down to $50 per morning/afternoon session for each day plus $50 for the final editing of the raw notes. If you are interested, please send your name and phone number to agenda-team@cagreens.org. Thank You, The Agenda Team ======================================================== Online registration will close in one week. Please register now to help the host committee with their final preparations. http://cagreens.org/plenary/ County Councils - Don't forget to submit your list of delegates (and alternates) online. =============================================================== Please circulate as appropriate. REGISTRATION FOR THE APRIL GENERAL ASSEMBLY CLOSING SOON Registration for the Green Party's April 5-6 General Assembly in Alameda County will close this Wednesday, as will the delegate submission page. Registration is currently sparse. Early registration helps the host committee and the CC prepare the event. Please help create a successful meeting by registering online at http://www.cagreens.org/plenary/ County Councils please remember to submit your delegate list online, also. We no longer accept delegate lists at the door. ================================================================= The Coordinating Committee (CC) is accepting applications for the at-large seats on the CC. There are four at-large seats and the term of office is two years. We normally elect two seats each year. Candidates must submit an application to the CC that includes a bio and what they hope to accomplish. The application form can be downloaded at http://www.cagreens.org/cc/co-cos/application cc at large.rtf. Bios will be posted on the web. The web address will be in the plenary packet. The deadline for submission is March 22, 2008 Serving on the CC requires a minimum of ten hours of long-distance teleconferencing and email work per month. Members are expected to serve on committees and working groups as active members or CC liaisons. It is recommended that one have an adequate email connection and telephone service. The CC recommends that women, young people and people of color apply to achieve gender, age and ethnic balance for diversity. The job description for at-large rep is in the bylaws and copied below. The election process is in the bylaws and may be found copied below the job description. ------------------------------------------------------------------ At-Large Representative Green Party of California Coordinating Committee Job Description The duties of the Green Party Of California - Coordinating Committee GPCA-CC) At-Large Representatives include: All activities to do with maintaining a pro-active role as a voting member of the GPCA-CC, not limited to and including GPCA bylaws Art.7 Sec.1.3. Specific duties: 1. At-large GPCA-CC positions supplement the tasks of the CC beyond those required of regional representatives. Those tasks of brief, intense or sustained work periods, such as: agenda committee, database updates, maintenance of rosters, ad-hoc committees, etc. At-large rep. should be prepared to assist CC/SC/WG co-coordinators as needed. 2. At-large CC positions supplement regional rep. positions as needed. To assist, or take a leading role of a regional representative as absences, emergencies, and work-loads dictate. 3. Provide pro-active guidance and assistance to ad-hoc committees, SCs and WGs and locals whose organization is in need of support, restructuring oris malfunctioning. 4. Attend all GPCA-CC meetings, teleconferences, voting sessions, and GPCA General Assemblies. Inform co-coordinators of impending absences or scheduling changes in a timely manner, so that any necessary adjustments may be made promptly 5. Be attentive to, and participate if necessary, in the GPCA-CC listserve at a minimum of twice a week. Those participating without online capabilities will require additional communication effort (shared computer, library computer, telephone). 6. Inform the GPAC-CC co-coordinators when communication is interrupted, e.g. computer failure, vacation, resignation, so that any necessary adjustments may be made promptly. 7. Maintain a working knowledge of the GPCA bylaws and platform, and perform Coordinating Committee duties accordingly. 8. Encourage personal responsibility, and cultivate truly interested greens, by actively recruiting and training GP members who indicate interest in future GPCA-CC regional rep or at-large rep, standing committee or working group positions. -------------------------------------------------------------- ELECTION PROCESS (from bylaws) 7-1.8 Choice Voting Each delegate 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 delegates shall vote by ranking the candidates along with the NOC option in order of preference. The ballots shall be tabulated utilizing a Choice Voting system with fractional transfers and a Droop threshold, 1/(n+1) (1/3 threshold with two open seats). No candidate shall be seated who does not cross the threshold before NOC. Choice Voting is the Single Transferable Vote (STV) form of proportional representation described in the International IDEA Handbook of Electoral System Design. (Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA). First published 1997. Second edition. Stockholm, Sweden). 7-1.10 Single Candidate Election: Approval Voting When only one candidate seeks office, an Approval Voting election shall be held. Each delegate shall be provided a written secret ballot containing the name of the candidate seeking office. The ballot shall allow the opportunity to indicate a "yes" or "no" preference on the seating of the candidate. The candidate must receive "yes" votes on at least two-thirds (2/3) of ballots cast to be seated.