Omni Commons - User contributions [en]

Event:2019/03/21 Delegates Meeting

2019-03-29T16:34:27Z

Lynnhowe: Created page with "Omni Delegates' Meeting - 21 March 2019 7pm-9pm for instructions on preparing and archiving these notes, please see the bottom === Agenda === * Introductions, Meeting Roles..."

Omni Delegates' Meeting - 21 March 2019 7pm-9pm

for instructions on preparing and archiving these notes, please see the bottom

=== Agenda ===
* Introductions, Meeting Roles, and Delegates Count [10 minutes]
* Access Check-in [5 minutes]
* Brief Announcements [5 minutes]
* Working Group Report-Backs [15 minutes]
* Member Collective Updates (10 minutes)
* Ban Report (if any) [5 minutes]

=== Introductions ===

Introduce yourself: Name; Preferred Pronoun; Affiliation; any brief announcements; say whether you're a delegate; let us know about any access needs you have†
* Ken CCL delegate
* Julian BAPS delegate
* Robb sudoroom
* Yar sudo delegate
* Rachel GWS delegate
* Mary Anne CSC delegate
* Helen FNB delegate
* Dennis LL delegate
* Laura
* Marcus
* Almaz GCEA delegate

=== Access Check In ===
Is everybody able to participate fully in this meeting? Do people have unmet needs or concerns?

=== Meeting Roles ===
* Facilitator/s: Marcus
* Explanation of hand signals: "deaf applause", "raised hand", "point of process", "direct response"(wildcard), etc.
* Stacktaker: robb
* Timekeeper: rachel
* Notetaker/s: yar, laura, julian
** URL of this pad: https://pad.riseup.net/p/omninom
* Vibe Reader: helen
* Next meeting's facilitator(s): rachel

=== Delegates ===
* BAPS: Julian
* CCL: Ken
* CSC: Mary Ann
* FNB: Helen
* GWS: Rachel
* LL: Dennis
* Sudo: Yar
* GCEA: Almaz
* Quorum: yes 8/8

==Brief Announcements==
* OC is having a catered event Friday 3/22 and three more events next week that will need BETTER ACCESS to the shelves and spaces behind the ballroom bar. Please look there tonight and remove anything that belongs to you or a member of your ollective. It is important for renters using the bar to have as much space as possible. Thank you, Booking W.G.

== Working Group Report-Backs ==

=== Building & permits ===
Meetings: Kitchen WG has been meeting on MOST! saturdays!
* electricity party at 12pm on Saturday. goal: fill gaps in knowledge of electrical circuitry; its documented on the wiki. focus this time on the basement
** don't need many skills to participte
** no competing events
* have been having productive Saturday Kitchen meetings lately; may have kitchen by year's end but need more money to meet that goal
*
* This group needs help; https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/building

=== Commons ===
Meetings: Meets 2nd and 4th Mondays at 5pm; join the 'Commons' list
*
* This group needs help:
** https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/commons
** https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/booking

=== Communications ===
Meetings: Not currently meeting
*

=== Finance ===
Meetings: Currently conjoined with Fundraising, 2nd & 4th Mondays at 6pm
* Laura - there are some issues developing with the Cafe. too many details to enumerate, but will report via consenus email. could undermine the future of this project, contingent on factors including paperwork.
** 2 people have quit the cafe saying the others are trying to turn it from a "worker coop" to something where they wouldn't get paid, and stalling progress on construction
** Lease is with 4 individuals, not an org. Jesse says if 2 back out we'd need to redo the lease.
** Disagreement over how people will be paid. There's a feeling of wage theft.
** Statement of solidarity should preclude contracting with wage thieves
** Yar wonders whether the folks who've quit are actually ready, willing & able to follow through with taking over the cafe project
** one couple already has a successful cafe. the other couple do not have experience but are very enthusiastic,

=== Fundraising ===
Meetings: Currently conjoined with Finance,, 2nd & 4th Mondays at 6pm
*

== Member Collective Updates ==
What is going on with your collective? What are you working on? What have you accomplished? Any events coming up? Any difficulties you are encountering that you need help with?

=== BAPS ===
* no new updates, same classes (Writing group, Beat Aesthetic)

=== CCL ===
* lots of classes, projects going well

=== CSC ===
* 3/30 - Waffles and Zapatismo discussion on Zapatista's principles of autonomy as they relate to Oakland; in CSC office

=== FNB ===
* started taking food to east oakland (vs just peoples park)

===GCEA===
* doing fine, lots of events and classes happening at different places

=== GWS ===
* poor peoples hearing 4/26 taylor memorial church

=== LL ===
* Just finished showing 2nd film in the 400 years of Black History Series. 3rd film on Easter, a documentary called Struggles and Steel. the overall theme of the series has been black labor.

=== Sudo ===
* not much, people are working on projects

== Ban Report (if any) ==
* Add to list of people [https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Asked_to_Leave asked to leave]

= Proposals =

==Hire Jenny as the bookkeeper==
* Jenny with support of Finance Working Group
*I am now incapable of continuing to engage on this level with Omni’s bookkeeping and operations on a volunteer basis. I enjoy this work, and have been studying nonprofit bookkeeping and law generally over the past three years, obtained Quickbooks certifications, attended webinars and workshops, and have already begun doing nonprofit bookkeeping as a paid position for other clients. However, I have bills to pay and will soon need to find full-time paid employment or the equivalent - which means I won't have time to work on Omni. This work adds up to minimally 20 hours/month and is reliant on skilled labor that has been consistently out of reach for Omni Commons since its inception. Starting March 1st, all of our community loans - totalling over $100K with monthly average repayments to the tune of $3,200 - will have been repaid! We are now in a position, financially, to afford professional bookkeeping and administrative services (see Feasibility). Paying for skilled labor is not unprecedented: since our beginnings, we have readily paid the hourly or project-based rate for legal assistance, city permitting and inspection fees, and building and maintenance work (including electrical, plumbing, fire safety, and roof repair) - as well as supporting paid A/V for events. Traditionally, those we hire have been people aligned and familiar with Omni’s vision and structure, or recommended by comrades within our community. Summary/Proposal: It seems to me that Omni has the following options: Hire an accountant and train them in the structure and history of Omni and its collectives (probably expensive); Hire another Omni volunteer and train them in bookkeeping, taxes, etc; (who will do the training?); Attempt to find someone else to do this work for free; Pay me to continue doing the work I've been doing for free over the past 3+ years.

==Mediation Proposals==

===Revised Alternate proposal===
* Laura, Mary Ann, Rachel, Xian, Jenny, with support of CSC and GWS
* Revised Alternate Mediation proposal:

** Pay up to $1500 to Melissa Merin to facilitate a process to resolve current major conflict at Omni Commons.
** Hold sessions on 3 Saturdays in April or May based on responses to the survey. Mediation must begin by May 31, 2019 and end by June 30, 2019.
** No one who is banned from Omni will be invited or allowed to participate.
** Any confirmed member of any collective or active participant in any working group can participate in the mediation but must fill out the participation survey in advance.
** Participants in the mediation will be expected to speak about their own personal experiences, rather than speaking on behalf of others.
** The scope of the mediation should be defined in advance such that it is reasonable to accomplish in the 3 proposed sessions. The proposed purpose of the mediation will be:
To restore trust between GCEA and OC and their members:
If trust is restored, to negotiate a new agreement for GCEA to become a member collective;
3. If there is time, identify the policies and practices that have the most negative impact on participation of people of color at Omni and, since there is not likely enough time to deal with them fully, to at least reach an agreement on next steps to do so.

=== Yar's Revisions ===
* Yar: thank you for addressing our concerns about the last amendment. After meeting with Julio and Katrina, the compromise we reached looks roughly the same as yours, with a few exceptions:
** We don't accept the premise that GCEA is not currently a member collective. Let's phrase 1 & 2 more generally as something like: "To restore the relationship between GCEA and Omni, and any closely related topics that arise from that discussion"
*** but we are willing to bend on this and keep the language of 1 & 2 in order to pass the proposal tonight
** We don't know what you mean by "confirmed member". Do projects like the Village count? People who regularly use the space for events? We think it'd be better if you let us and Melissa go on a case by case basis when people fill the survey
*** Laura: my main concern is the presence of people who have not been active at or with OC, who have no personal relationship to the issues of the mediation, and who are unlikely to contribute to OC going forward. There were several people like this during the Becoming Omni process.
** Not everybody has re-filled the form with April & May dates, so I (Yar) am going to try reaching out to people individually about that, and we will also start including Sundays as a flex option if that's what's necessary to make it work
** If you're willing to accomodate these changes, then hopefully we've reached consensus!

=== Discussion ===
* Mary Ann - there was an agreement that a CSC member & Laura would speak to the mediator. the reportback: they do agree with Melissa as mediator, there's still the issue of "he will not direct me to approve of any proposal in which the issue of GCEA being a member collective is muddy." our collective believes the Omni is a 501c3 instutiton w/ legal rights and responsibilities. CSC believes we must excersise the rights we have as party to the lease, which has been abandoned totally. we have to go in with a clear cut termination of the relationship, and the mediation should be about what it takes to restore the relationship.
** I don't understand the difference of opinion; GCEA came to delegates asking for a renegotiation; that effeectively terminates the lease. we cannot allow someone who has no lease to continue using space at the Omni commons. our lawyer has said in one of our communications, we could actually be faulted for giving a benefit to a group that's not a member by virtue of not having a lease, non-profit status, or fiscal sponsorship status.
*** the Omni Common's rights are not subject to a mediator's decisions. our legal rights cannot be mediated.
*** we (CSC) are willing to participate in mediation and to pay the money.
*** we worry that this could set a negative precedent for the future if we do not enforce this lease now.
* Yar - the language I proposed as a revision is not a good enough scope?
** Mary Ann - I heard you say, I want to you to go into the mediation taking a stance that GCEA is not a member collective
** Yar - no, our point is that we should enter mediation neutral on this.
*** Mary Ann - our point is that a member collective is defined by our rules and by our lease. and we feel we should
*** Yar - no laws concern the status as "member collective". member collectives have always been definited extra legally.
*** Mary Ann - this changed when we became a 501c3.
* Laura - the definition of a member collective is defined internally. but we decide a couple months ago that onboarding new memer collectives
** Yar - we only approved that for new member collectives.
** Laura - I don't think we can have different standards for different collectives
* Ken - obviously this is getting complicated. my understanding is that we are doing this mediation because there is some unfairness goign on. I do see, even as a old white guy. that there are some unfair rules enforce hear along lines of race. we've made allowances in the past. my feeling is that we should progress with the mediation, make sure Almaz and everyone is happy. we should start by assuming GCEA is a legitimate collective. I'm reserving objectivity nonetheless, we shouldn't be so concerned about yes or no, they are exactly a collective or not.
* Rachel - my collective's view is similar to CSC. the legal issues are clear cut. if we hold Almaz's collective to a different standard, then this is racism. people in my collective were outraged at the expense of $1500 for a mediation. as a grassroots group, we were shocked. but nonetheless. we agree that the legal issues ought not be mediated.
* Yar - I regret going into the weeds about member collectives defined. point is - my revision is that we should take the stance out one way or the other. the proposal being agnostic on this topic
* Marcus - I want to summarize this proposal and close this discussion. What do we need to move forward? are we voting on this now?
** Yar - I hope so.
** Laura - my comment on here about the "confirmed member" -
*** Laura: my main concern is the presence of people who have not been active at or with OC, who have no personal relationship to the issues of the mediation, and who are unlikely to contribute to OC going forward. There were several people like this during the Becoming Omni process.
*** we face an issue like this with Becoming Omni - we don't want randos who will waste time.
*** Yar - none of the people interested in participating are randos. there's no issue here.
* Almaz - first of all; our proposal has not been that we're not paying rent, but that there are financial issues - the fundraising we did was to pay the rent. other things, the legal issues - we don't have any legal issues. you've seen the response. we have a bank, ein, in process of incorporating, waiting for tax exempt letter, etc. our proposal is actually that we can do more than the rent through labor exchange project, etc. so i don't understand how GCEA's legality is relevant to the discussions of other member collectives with consideration of the mediation proposal. FNB, has agreements that arrangements for paying less.
* Robb - I'm just curious how behind on rent has GCEA been. this shoudn't be a difficult question to answer.
* Almaz - the proposal was on February 7th. instead of discussing that, the mediation proposal came.
* Yar - it's not appropriate to bring up for mediation matters that are under discussion for mediation.
* Almaz - we paid rent until we had the money, something like September. then we did fundraising for the Out of the Blue event, but there were issues about the contract being done in a way that led to the money from that event to go toward the backrent.
* Laura - August 2018. The delegates have already received a full report on this matter.
* Almaz - GCEA's proposal is clear on what happened with the rent, and how we intend to deal with this.
* Julian - why is the question of GCEA's legal status relevant if we can't and shouldn't mediate legal issues?
** Mary Ann - what we do not want mediated is the standing of the lease. We need to have the lease
*** Mary Ann - we definitely voted on the requirement to be either fiscally sponsored or a tenant; we didn't agree to the member number requirement
* Laura - considering that the Lease Termination proposal is up as a separate issue, do you think
* Rachel - this is going to go on and on and on, if we don't terminate this. we need to establish a new standard
** you couldn't even respond when the rent was paid; this is all wrong.
* Marcus - timewise, this feels like we're running around in circules, and there is a lack of clarity. I feel like we need to move on, to cover other subjects first. if we're really close, let's return to this later.
* Yar - if we remove our block on the topic of the "member collective" can we come to agreement on this? ie if we agree to the alternate
* Julian - I can't support a proposal that presumes GCEA is not a member collective. Our stance has been clear that GCEA is a member collective.
** Laura - what if we strike the phrase "to become a member collective" from point 2?
*** Julian - I think that works for BAPS.
*** Mary Ann - I think I would need to step aside.
*** Rachel - we would need to oppose.
* Marcus - I honestly don't think this can be solved right now.
* Yar - can the delegates agree to resolve this single sticking point over email?
* Ken - you can ask your collective memembers to represent themselves over email - that's important, that way delegates don't have to
** Mary Ann - I am representing exactly my member collective's perspective right now. I can't promise that this issue will be resolved over email.

== GCEA Lease Termination Proposal ==

*This proposal was developed with input from Chiapas Solidarity Committee and Global Women’s Strike, and represents GWS consensus. Laura and Jenny also contributed. It was placed on the pad before the previous Delegates meeting.

* OC will send a 3 day notice (prepared by Jesse Palmer) to GCEA and to Oakland Public Education Fund advising them that they have 3 days to remedy the unauthorized signature on the lease, any other breaches of the lease, and pay all back rent - or vacate the Omni.

*This step is necessary for several reasons:

The pattern of misrepresentation of GCEA’s legal status and finances, and failure to pay its agreed-upon rent, undermines the spirit of trust and cooperation that is necessary for collective sustainability.
To protect OC from a situation in which the lack of a legal agreement with a resident unincorporated organization leads to inadequate insurance coverage, or threatens OC’s 501c3 status (via Jesse: “Omni has an obligation to use its assets exclusively for charitable purposes and if parties are using space but not paying rent, that may be conferring a benefit on private persons unless they are using the space exclusively for charitable purposes. This is one of the required provisions in Omni's articles of incorporation, which read (in relevant part): ‘The property of this corporation is irrevocably dedicated to charitable purposes and no part of the net income or assets of the organization shall ever inure to the benefit ... any private person.’” ). Given GCEA’s false claim of being a 501c3, lack of transparent accounting, and Almaz’s possible use of GCEA funds for personal expenses, this is a real issue.
To clarify that GCEA has no right under our policies and bylaws to delegate a representative to the OC board as it has no legal contract with OC.
To reduce conflict during the day to day operation of OC until the proposed mediation has concluded.

*Until a new lease is negotiated, GCEA may have events and classes at OC by reserving space through the normal event request and scheduling process. Almaz and other members of GCEA are welcome to participate in Omni activities as individuals.

*UPDATE: Laura and Yar met with Almaz last to try to clarify some of the unresolved issues regarding GCEA's incorporation status, etc. I emailed Almaz prior to the meeting to let her know specifically what was needed. I sent the following report on that meeting to the consensus list. I have received no other documentation from Almaz since that meeting.

**If you can present the following documents at our meeting on Thursday, that would be a step toward remedying some of the risks and ambiguity the Finance WG has raised. However, showing these does not mean that the GCEA lease is valid or that GCEA's proposal is acceptable, or that delegates are willing to make another lease with GCEA. Going forward there may also be other documentation we will need to see.
Letter of incorporation or registration from the State of California ALMAZ STATED THAT GCEA DID FILE INCORPORATION DOCUMENTS AS A CHARITABLE ORGANIZATION WITH CA BUT UNDER THE NAME GLOBAL COMMUNICATION SERVICES. THEY HAVE RECENTLY AMENDED THAT FILING WITH THE NAME GCEA BUT HAVEN'T RECEIVED A NEW LETTER. SHE IS GOING TO SACRAMENTO NEXT WEEK TO GET THE NEW LETTER. SHE WAS UNABLE TO SHOW US THE OLD LETTER UNDER GCS. NEITHER NAME APPEARS IN THE STATE CHARITABLE ORG SEARCH.
Letter from IRS with GCEA EIN#. I HAVE PLACED A PHOTO OF AN IRS LETTER WITH GCEA'S EIN NUMBER IN THE DRIVE. 81-3599363. THIS IS NOT A 501c3 APPROVAL LETTER, JUST AN EIN ASSIGNMENT.
Copy of your IRS form 1023 (Application to be a 501c3) ALMAZ WAS RELUCTANT TO SEND ME A COPY OF THIS BECAUSE OF PRIVACY CONCERNS ABOUT THE INFORMATION ON BOARD MEMBERS AND BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T ASKED OTHER OC GROUPS FOR THEIR 1023S. SHE WILL ASK IF GCEA MEMBERS AGREE TO THIS AT THEIR MEETING ON SUNDAY.
Current certificate of insurance (last one we have is expired). If you applied for the insurance as a fiscally sponsored project of OPEF, or if you made any statements on your application that no longer apply, you must communicate your current legal status or any other changes to the insurer. I HAVE PUT GCEA'S COI IN THE DRIVE. THE POLICY WAS OBTAINED ON 3/12/19 FROM RUTH STROUP.
**In addition to showing these documents, you must change the GCEA website to state that your 501c3 status is pending until you receive an approval letter, and provide OC with a code to the lock on the small classroom. OC must be able to access all spaces within the building. WITH ALMAZ'S PERMISSION, YAR TOOK THE PARAGRAPH CLAIMING 501C3 STATUS OFF THE WEBSITE. ALMAZ SAID SHE DIDN'T KNOW THAT WAS ON THERE BECAUSE THE PERSON WHO MADE THE WEBSITE WROTE IT. SHE ALSO GAVE ME THE CODE FOR THE LOCK ON THE SMALL CLASSROOM THAT I FILED IN THE DRIVE AND WILL SHARE IN PERSON IF NEEDED.
**When we meet on Thursday I also want to go through the GCEA proposal to make it clear why it is unacceptable to most people in its current form. I SENT ALMAZ A DOC WITH AN EXPLANATION OF THE OPPOSITION TO EACH ITEM IN THE GCEA BACK RENT PROPOSAL.
**I also want to make clear that, (if and when any agreement about rent is reached) in order to sign to sign a new lease, GCEA needs to have a fiscal sponsor until it is legally incorporated. Finance WG would also require that GCEA have a bank account since lack of an account seems to have been an obstacle to paying rent. ALMAZ SAYS THEY NOW HAVE A BANK ACCOUNT.

== Proposal to Immediately Terminate Bay Area Public School Fiscal Sponsorship Contract and Member Collective Status ==
* Placed on the pad today by Laura
*Bay Area Public School was fiscally sponsored by OC to:
● enlarge movement and collective understanding of the structures we face;
● place our present activities in their relevant history;
● understand the forces of evolution acting on our actions and organizations;
● study the extant literature addressing political forms and structures, varieties of party and organization forms, the archive of movement politics and principles, and strategies of organizing;
● organize classes, seminars, workshops and educational events on the above topics;
● coordinate space for these activities in the Omni and elsewhere;
● develop syllabi, outlines, focus topics, lists of references, etc.
*Since January 2018, BAPS has only held the following 4 classes:
Marx was Right Reading Group - 2-6/2018
Poets’ House - Intermittent events 2-11/2018
The East: Solo Performance Laboratory - 5-10/2018
Writing with World Stuff - 10/2018 to the present.

* BAPS has made little to no effort to recruit new classes, research what kind of classes would be of interest and benefit to OC or the neighborhood community, or otherwise use OC fiscal sponsorship to develop the activities for which it was sponsored.
* BAPS has made no effort to ask for donations from class participants or do any other fundraising and has made no material contributions to OC in over a year.
* BAPS has had only between 1-5 active members for at least 2 years. Only 2 people have consistently attended BAPS meetings. With usually only 2 members from similar backgrounds discussing and deciding upon any proposal or issue, they only hear a very limited range of opinions. Most collectives have to reach some level of agreement between many more people from more diverse perspectives.
*Currently, BAPS and its delegate are blocking the proposal to hire Jenny Ryan as bookkeeper on a temporary contract. This proposal is urgent and supported by everyone else in the organization. This block shows that BAPS does not take seriously the main duty of a Delegate to support sound, ethical, and legal governance and financial management of Omni Commons as an organization.
*Given BAPS minimal activities at OC, it’s lack of any unified organizing effort, its lack of support by participating members, it’s failure to fulfill its responsibility to support the continued healthy functioning of the organization, and its lack of need for fiscal sponsorship (since they collect no donations), BAPS’ fiscal sponsorship agreement should be discontinued. Per the agreement:
8. The board retains the right to terminate collection of funds for the Project at any time upon giving written notice to the Committee.
* Taking into account the large workload of the Treasurer, bookkeeper, and Finance Working Group over the next several months, and the length of time the proposal to hire Jenny has been stalled, this decision should be made and enacted immediately.
* Since member collectives are required to be either fiscally sponsored projects of OC or tenants of OC, termination of the fiscal sponsorship contract also ends BAPS status as a member collective.
* Current or future classes that members of BAPS would like to hold can be scheduled at OC through event contracts via the Commons working group.
* Should an actual collective come together to undertake similar activities to BAPS in the future, it is welcome to apply to be a member collective or for fiscal sponsorship.

=== Discussion ===
* Almaz- you can't terminate a collective just like that
* Marcus - clarifying questions?
** Laura - I think it's urgent, so I'm proposing its done immediately
** Helen - there is the problem of consultation, but also I think part of the proposal has to do with the size of the collective. so i have a question about the size of the other collectives. what is the size of other collectives?
*** Marcus - is this listed?
*** Yar - this came up in our conversations around
**** Marcus - could member collectives report on # of active members via email?
***** Dennis (LL) - I would say 8.
***** Helen (FNB) - 10
***** Mary Ann (CSC) - 10
***** Rachel (GWS) - 5-10
***** Yar (sudo) - conservative estimate is like 30
***** Ken (CCL) - our recent meeting had a quorum w/ about 20 members, but maybe about 40.
***** Almaz (GCEA) - we have more than 75 members volunteering
***** Julian (BAPS) - 2 decision makers, ~15 class participants
* Yar - Julian has been a major contributor via taking notes regularly
* Julian - see also email re: other material contributions
* Marcus - you've participated in a fairly neutral way.

== Example Proposal Title==
* Name of person, and/or, collective. and/or working group making this proposal; Date the proposal was sent to the consensus email list
* Text of proposal

= Discussions =

== Example Discussion Item ==
*

== Last Meeting Notes ==
https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Event:2019/MM/DD_Delegates_Meeting

= End of Meeting =
* please archive these meeting notes by copying the entire pad contents onto the omni wiki
* then please erase the contents of this pad
* then please cut & paste a blank template from here: https://omnicommons.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Delegates_Meeting_Notes_Template&action=edit
* previous notes are archived here: https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Meetings

[[Category:Delegates Meeting]][[Category:Delegates Meeting]]

Event:2019/03/07 Delegates Meeting

2019-03-12T19:49:52Z

Lynnhowe: Created page with "Omni Delegates' Meeting - 07 March 2019 7pm-9pm for instructions on preparing and archiving these notes, please see the bottom === Agenda === * Introductions, Meeting Roles..."

Omni Delegates' Meeting - 07 March 2019 7pm-9pm

for instructions on preparing and archiving these notes, please see the bottom

=== Agenda ===
* Introductions, Meeting Roles, and Delegates Count [10 minutes]
* Access Check-in [5 minutes]
* Brief Announcements [5 minutes]
* Working Group Report-Backs [15 minutes]
* Member Collective Updates (10 minutes)
* Ban Report (if any) [5 minutes]
* Facilitation Proposal
* Hiring Jenny as bookkeeper
* GCEA 3 Day Notice Proposal

=== Introductions ===

Introduce yourself: Name; Preferred Pronoun; Affiliation; any brief announcements; say whether you're a delegate; let us know about any access needs you have†
* yar sudo delegate
* robb sudo
* julian baps delegate
* Ken, CCL delegate
* Lynn
* Laura
* Marcus
* Joe FNB delegate
* Almaz GCEA delegate
* habiba FNB
* jenny sudoroom
* dennis liblens delegate
* mary ann, chiapas, she/her
* rachel gws delegate

=== Access Check In ===
Is everybody able to participate fully in this meeting? Do people have unmet needs or concerns?

=== Meeting Roles ===
* Facilitator/s: Phil
* Explanation of hand signals: "deaf applause", "raised hand", "point of process", "direct response"(wildcard), etc.
* Stacktaker: Lynn
* Timekeeper: Yar
* Notetaker/s: Yar, Laura, Jenny
** URL of this pad: https://pad.riseup.net/p/omninom
* Vibe Reader: Marcus
* Next meeting's facilitator(s):

=== Delegates ===
* BAPS: julian
* CCL: ken
* CSC: Mary Ann
* FNB: joe
* GWS: Rachel
* LL: Dennis
* Sudo: yar
* GCEA: almaz
* Quorum: full!!

==Brief Announcements==
* Joe- starting Saturday at 6pm there is a homeless artists showing opening at Expressions Gallery
* Rachel - tomorrow is international women's day and there is an event at Oscar Grant Plaza, 5:30-7:30, speakers

== Working Group Report-Backs ==

=== Building & permits ===
* Meetings: Not currently meeting
* stuff to do to finish bathroom, yar's been too busy, hoping to start again in april
* This group needs help; https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/building

=== Commons ===
Meetings: Currently ad-hoc; join the 'Commons' list
* Next meeting will be on the 18th at 5:00 instead of the 11th
* lots of events on the schedule!
* This group needs help:
** https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/commons
** https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/booking

=== Communications ===
Meetings: Not currently meeting
* Physical sign up sheet is not longer in the entrance hall because of the cafe. Mailing list has been getting smaller. We shold think about where to have a signup sheet.
* Monthly events announcement is going out on this list.

=== Finance ===
Meetings: Currently conjoined with Fundraising, 2nd & 4th Mondays at 6pm
* Maintenance supplies are now being delivered automatically - if you see packages out front from office depot, feel free to unwrap and put away cleaning supplies! still a lock on the cleaning supplies closet becasue of theft of supplies. Ask if you want the combo.

=== Fundraising ===
Meetings: Currently conjoined with Finance,, 2nd & 4th Mondays at 6pm
*

=== Kitchen ===
* Cleanup party this Saturday 3/9 11am-2pm, to clean up kitchen area and do some other preparatory work for the kitchen remodel

== Member Collective Updates ==
What is going on with your collective? What are you working on? What have you accomplished? Any events coming up? Any difficulties you are encountering that you need help with?

=== BAPS ===
* writing group & beat aesthetic continue.

=== CCL ===
* still having lots of classes

=== CSC ===
* busy writing grant proposals

=== FNB ===
* Ppls park 50th anniversary on 13th & big party on 28th. country joe coming back.

===GCEA===
* no updates

=== GWS ===
* intl womens day actions tomorrow - will be there as part of int'l women's strike
* Tuesday March 12th at sf city hall, Safety For Sex Workers 20th anniversary / proclamation reading starts at 1pm
* April 6th Poor People's Hearing at Taylor Memorial Church in Oakland

=== LL ===
* Dennis: we're continuing the 7 film series relating to 400 years of black history in America. Next film is called Drylongso made in West Oakland. Free
** facebook event https://www.facebook.com/events/772270916480193/

=== Sudo ===
* still a mess, still working on it

== Ban Report (if any) ==
* none it seems
* Add to list of people [https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Asked_to_Leave asked to leave]

= Facilitation/Mediation Proposal =
* Pay $1500 to Melissa Merin https://melissamerin.com
* Hold sessions on 3 Saturdays in April or May based on peoples' responses to the survey
* We will NOT invite anybody who is banned from Omni - there is too much else to do here
* The exact set of people will be based on everybody's responses to the survey
* People will be expected to speak about their own personal experiences, rather than speaking on behalf of others
* Please fill out the survey if you're considering going - we'd really like at least one person from each collective. If you already filled it out, please look at the updated questions. In particular, we've added dates in April since not enough people are available in March: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeeKpM-FS4qcRCOjoHugyyztf9-3CtmUAyEHFPS5e8wNDvJfw/viewform

== Amended Mediation Proposal==

**Julio, Katrina and Yar have modified their proposal to pay a professional mediator to help us talk through some major problems at Omni. We support mediation and suggest the following modifications that were developed with input from Chiapas Solidarity Committee and Global Women’s Strike, and represent GWS consensus. Laura and Jenny also contributed.

** Pay up to $1500 to a professional facilitator chosen by Yar, Julio, and Katrina. Any Omni collective member or working group member may suggest a specific mediator. Alternate suggestions we have heard at this point are Osha Neumann (East Bay Community Law Center), and the Center for Efficient Collaboration (a project of Bay Area Nonviolent Communication).
** Hold sessions on 3 Saturdays in April or May based on responses to the survey. Mediation must begin by May 31, 2019 and end by June 30, 2019.
** No one who is banned from Omni will be invited or allowed to participate.
** Any confirmed member of any collective or active participant in any working group can participate in the mediation. Advance expression of intention to be present is encouraged.
** Participants in the mediation will be expected to speak about their own personal experiences, rather than speaking on behalf of others.
** The purpose of the mediation will be:
1) if trust can be restored between GCEA and OC, to negotiate a new agreement for GCEA to become a member collective;
2) if there is time, identify the policies and practices that have the most negative impact on participation of people of color at Omni and, since there is not likely enough time to deal with them fully, to at least reach an agreement on next steps to do so.

* previous proposal & discussion here: https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Event:2019/02/21_Delegates_Meeting#Proposal:_Addressing_Structural_Issues

=== discussion ===
* Yar: your phrasing of the "purpose" of mediation is not appropriate and not a friendly amendment. you can't go into a mediation while blaming one party. the conflation of "almaz/gcea" is itself offensive and I hope the delegates will not accept it.
* Joe - there is a substitute propoposal being brought forward that should be discussed before the main proposal. If the makers of the original proposal don't see the ammendments as friendly to their proposal, then it's not an amendment, its a substitute. following Robert's Rule of order, it should be addressed first.
** Lynn - procedurally - this is a new proposal, so in terms of our consensus process
* Laura - our intention w/ the ammendment is to take into account concerns from members of two collectives - CSC and GWS.
** Yar - the biggest differences - there are new people being identified as alternate facilitators. we did not agree at the last meeting on anything except Melissa.
*** we designed this updated proposal in the interest in getting this passed quickly, I see a lot of delays in this. I see Oshua Neuman as a new idea, but has anyone screened this person?
*** there are problems in terms of the propoal of allowing participants to the mediation. we really need to have a cap to the participants in this mediation. we are trying to actually do this the best way in terms of participatin.
**** but it also seems to exclude non-members and non-working group participants. it's important to be more flexible than that.
**** this also goes into detail with the purpose of this mediation, and makes accusations etc. if the delegates passes the proposal as written, the delegates are taking a position on this conflict. also treating GCEA as Almaz, is a big problem.
**** this new ammendment is not productive.
** [Julian - twinkle fingers]
* Ken - CCL highly respects the work of the ad hoc committee here. all the things that the group has been doing is what I recommend, unless there are major objections.
* Joe - I suspect that one reason that this alternative proposal has been introduced - if you look at all the variations of the proposal that has gone on. with one after another of succeeding proposal, things have gotten changed.
** the previous proposal leaves no room for discussing the concerns around lease violations, etc.
* Rachel - I felt frustrated at the last meeting. The proposal was wooly. It doesn't get to the core issues. 9 hours is a lot of time. To not be specific and to not go into a specificity about the proposa.
** This proposal is frank, it's not some airy fairy thing - to go into the mediation w/out focus. we're being realistic and facing the music. If that's showing a way about putting down on paper.
* MaryAnn - I met with some of the members of my collective. I have been forwarding all the emails regarding mediation and the issues the sides are presenting. What the people in my group said is that they don't want to go into a mediation where the issues are not defined, so that we don't need to.
* julian: part of the process of the mediator is to examine the survey responses - which contains the question "why do you want this to happen?" and craft an agenda based on those.
* Lynn - I don't see this as the friendly amendment. I think some of these problems as raised in this alternate proposal are problems but they aren't the only problems at hand here. there have been for years hostility, there is a racist element to the way things have been happening. Is our racism coming out in the way we do business - yes, absolutely. These legal responsibilities are important, but they aren't what's been tearing us apart. We need people in a room that address the depth of concern. we need more of the burdens to be represented fairly. People have also been making decisons and influencing things outside of the assembly. the new proposal takes a biased position, and impedes a meaningful mediation.
* Yar - for those who have expressed specific concerns about what should happen in the mediation - those people could meet in person with Melissa and Yar.
** Laura - I would be willing to do that. my main concerns aren't about her, there are doubts about other elements.
*** yar - were those concerns related to her previous work facilitating the transition from hldoutk
** Rachel - I didn't understand that we had agreed to find other facilitators by now... I think we should be open to other possibilities that might also be good. the expense is great.
*** laura: as a facilitator, $100/hr is pretty standard
*** Yar - this isn't a hard deadline, but we've been going through this for some time. $100/hr is reasonable. there is a lot of prep time.
* Habiba - I see these meetings go back and forth on making decisions. But I've been to the meeting with
** Rachel - I agree that it's ridiculous that we're willing to pay $1200 out the door, but not to hire Jenny.
* Laura - Katrina was orignally a person proposing this. My first recommendation was Roxy Manning from Bay Area Non-violent Communication.
** Yar - we did talk about BANVC, and talked to a number of them. Melissa was the best fit from our perspective.
* Dennis - similar reaction from LL about the $. But, underandably sometimes this cost is serious. Some people were not happy with Melissa as a person - one specifically opposed her. Do people want that?
** Yar - everyone has my contact info or ask for it - yardenack@gmail.com
*** Dennis - the discussion last time, my understanding was that the agreement was _up to_ $1500
* Joe - the last thing that offered hope - a small group of people meet with Melissa that have specific business/needs to be met.
* Yar - MaryAnn was told to block this proposal if it was open ended. My hope is that Laura and MaryAnn can meet with Melissa.
** the ammended proposal is not something we can consent on.
** Yar - it's 8:45
* Phil: In sum - have a small group meeting with Melissa and con
* MaryAnn - it may not be me that is the person that goes, maybe someone else from the collective.

== Hiring Jenny as Bookeeper ==
* Recently, the topic of more regular and transparent financial reporting has been discussed in Omni Delegates Meetings. While this has traditionally been the domain of the Finance Working Group, said working group has usually seen fewer than 3 members in attendance, and historically has relied on one or two volunteers to uphold day-to-day financial transactions, regular reporting, annual filings (State, Federal, County, and City), loan repayments, invoicing, bank reconciliations, bill payments, check cashing and internal financing and filings. Additionally, we continue to receive requests for and accrue fiscally-sponsored projects, significantly adding to our administrative overhead. Our property tax exemption application is due February 15th, which requires detailed documentation of all entities that use the building (including one-time event rentals and small recurring group meetings). We also need to consolidate our mortgage loan within the next two years. Total number of hours spent on this labor each month has frequently trended toward that of full-time employment (with overtime).
I am now incapable of continuing to engage on this level with Omni’s bookkeeping and operations on a volunteer basis. I enjoy this work, and have been studying nonprofit bookkeeping and law generally over the past three years, obtained Quickbooks certifications, attended webinars and workshops, and have already begun doing nonprofit bookkeeping as a paid position for other clients. However, I have bills to pay and will soon need to find full-time paid employment or the equivalent - which means I won't have time to work on Omni.
This work adds up to minimally 20 hours/month and is reliant on skilled labor that has been consistently out of reach for Omni Commons since its inception. Starting March 1st, all of our community loans - totalling over $100K with monthly average repayments to the tune of $3,200 - will have been repaid! We are now in a position, financially, to afford professional bookkeeping and administrative services (see Feasibility).
Paying for skilled labor is not unprecedented: since our beginnings, we have readily paid the hourly or project-based rate for legal assistance, city permitting and inspection fees, and building and maintenance work (including electrical, plumbing, fire safety, and roof repair) - as well as supporting paid A/V for events. Traditionally, those we hire have been people aligned and familiar with Omni’s vision and structure, or recommended by comrades within our community.
Summary/Proposal: It seems to me that Omni has the following options: Hire an accountant and train them in the structure and history of Omni and its collectives (probably expensive); Hire another Omni volunteer and train them in bookkeeping, taxes, etc; (who will do the training?); Attempt to find someone else to do this work for free; Pay me to continue doing the work I've been doing for free over the past 3+ years.

=== Discussion ===
* Jenny - some collectives have inquired about a cap on bookkeeping hours. during tax season though, it moves up toward fulltime. 10-80hours/month, high and low.
** we are entering tax season. Jenny is currently looking for paid work, which could become a point of tension
* Rachel - you shouldn't have to cap this. I think we should vote.
* Marcus - sorry I've been out of the picture. I know there was a lot of financial records that still needed to get done; getting capped at 80 hours a month, how are those back-logged financial records going to get done. would there be a second bookkeeper hired alongside?
** Jenny - we should pay an independent CPA to go over our books. I do think we should do a 1 time audit of our books. some of the fiscally sponsored projects there isn't enough data
* Laura - I support hiring Jenny for what we've been doing. beginning to hire long term contractors is an entirely new practice, and this has the potential for massive pitfalls and potential conflicts.
** if we don't develop some kinds of agreements around how we decide who we hire, who we pay, what our guidelines for a search are, wwe could get into serious trouble, including shifting the culture of volunteerism toward careerism, also risks accusations of bias in hiring.
*** ammendment to the proposal - we should take a time to develop guidelines for this kind of hiring, and apply them retroactively
* Almaz - I agree with what Laura said. this is going to be very complicate. I see and respect what Jenny's work has been. but this range of 10-80 hours is quite opaque. this may also undermine the finance working group. there are a variety of questions as this relates to the dynamic with the finance working group. we need a clear process. last meeting jenny describe 60 hours...
** Jenny - I was refering to
** Almaz - Jenny is currently treasurer, is it a conflict to also be hired as the bookkeeper? I'm not against Jenny taking the contract, but we need a clear statement about the needs of the finance working group etc.
* Yar - to hire Jenny as a temporary contract? was your concern to that as well?
* Laura - we should indeed elect a new treasurer if we have one. no, temporary contracts are okay
* Marcus - term limits on Treasurer role? and training in officers role
** Laura - people are supposed to be doing this kind of training, but we haven't been doing it.
*** Jenny -
* Julian - I can't do anything but block at this time. If there was discussion last time, it didn't appear in the notes. Based on the discussion that BAPS has heard up to this point, our prior consensus, as communicated via email, was that we cannot support this proposal.
* Rachel - how do you propose we take care of this issue? we can't just put it off. Do you propose an amendment at this time?
* Marcus - I'm sensing tension and ressentment on this topic.
* Almaz - finance working group needs to be responsible for describing and limiting this role. This is a complete change to the culture of the Omni.
* Yar - I appreciate we have an active vibe reader. My frustration is that discussions at the Omni take a long time. at the minimum at the Omni. If you're going to block, then you should at least make an effort to keep up with all the conversation
* Laura - I did reply to the email discussion - the finance working group has been pro-hiring bookkeeper for quite some time. it wasn't clear if Jenny would be this person, or not. it's a technical position, most people can't teach themselves the role. it's a job that requires ongoing capacity.
* Joe - thanks to Marcus for making the obervation clearly and approporaitely as to the vibe. in respect of that, one of the things that's frustrating and keeping me from feeling completely comfortable.
** at first Julian said it was the facilitation proposal needed to come up with.
* Julian saw the proposal as an attempt to disrupt the mediation process
** Julian: securing a potentially permanent role could shield people from consequences of a mediation process
* Ken: hearing from Julian an extraordinary amount of distrust about everyone else in the collective, especially Jenny. you should've taken initiative
* Marcus: can you make your point without saying peoples' names?
* MaryAnne - I just want to remind people of the amount of work that's coming up. If I understand correctly, we have 2 different 501c3s that need to send full reports to the IRS within. I think this would throw this whole process of reporting the government into a mess. Take this please into consideration.
* Yar - I don't want to pressure you this week to remove the block. we could probably wait another two weeks. I hope that Julian or Steve or both.
** I want to specifically address this concern about "hiring" - a temporary contractor process, not a permanent one.
** My read on the timing is that this was indirectly related. I was trying to stick up for GCEA - we should prioritize people over paperwork, and that may have gotten on Jenny's nerves. This may have been Jenny's process of sticking up for the work she's doing as valid workation of the work.
* Yar - as timekeeper, it's 8:15.

== Proposal: GCEA Lease Termination Proposal ==

This proposal was developed with input from Chiapas Solidarity Committee and Global Women’s Strike, and represents GWS consensus. Laura and Jenny also contributed.
OC will send a 3 day notice (prepared by OC's attorney Jesse Palmer) to GCEA and to Oakland Public Education Fund advising them that they have 3 days to remedy the unauthorized signature on the lease, any other breaches of the lease, and pay all back rent - or vacate the Omni.
This step is necessary for several reasons:
* The pattern of misrepresentation of GCEA’s legal status and finances, and failure to pay its agreed-upon rent, undermines the spirit of trust and cooperation that is necessary for collective sustainability.
* To protect OC from a situation in which the lack of a legal agreement with a resident unincorporated organization leads to inadequate insurance coverage, or threatens OC’s 501c3 status (via Jesse: “Omni has an obligation to use its assets exclusively for charitable purposes and if parties are using space but not paying rent, that may be conferring a benefit on private persons unless they are using the space exclusively for charitable purposes. This is one of the required provisions in Omni's articles of incorporation, which read (in relevant part): ‘The property of this corporation is irrevocably dedicated to charitable purposes and no part of the net income or assets of the organization shall ever inure to the benefit ... any private person.’” ). Given GCEA’s false claim of being a 501c3, lack of transparent accounting, and Almaz’s possible use of GCEA funds for personal expenses, this is a real issue.
* To clarify that GCEA has no right under our policies and bylaws to delegate a representative to the OC board as it has no legal contract with OC.
* To reduce conflict during the day to day operation of OC until the proposed mediation has concluded.
Until a new lease is negotiated, GCEA may have events and classes at OC by reserving space through the normal event request and scheduling process. Almaz and other members of GCEA are welcome to participate in Omni activities as individuals.

=== discussion ===
* Yar: I propose waiting another 2 weeks to send notice, giving extra time to solve the insurance, tax and lease issues. Delegates haven't had enough time to consider this proposal, it was never sent to the consensus list. Also, I don't agree with the framing of what it means to be a member collective.
* Laura - the entire situation we're in has to do with the rent issue
* Almaz - we already have articulated positions and questions on all of this. our previous proposal was only delayed, and now
** I'm confused - at first we're going to pause discussion on GCEA's proposal. if you wanted to do GCEA's status first, then we could have had this issue. we have represented via email our issues around 501c3
* Rachel - as I understand it, there are legal requirements in terms of the threat to the Omni. if this was my organization, I hadn't paid the rent, had an unclear situation. if the situation seems shady. It's up to GCEA to sort this all out in terms of the legal clarity. when money isn't clear, it is at the root of bad relationships.
* Almaz - I don't know what Rachel is talking about. There has already been answers to all these questions in terms of the rent and the 501c3. There was also our email from February 7th.
**
* Julian - There's the proposal, and then the reply from Almaz about the factual status of their org. My understanding is that the concern is at the level of being in compliance - what's the actual risk here? What's the actual chance that us being out of compliance has any actual effect on Omni? What are the risks we'd possibly face?
* yar: undestand that the risk becomes greater the longer the ambiguity drags on. If GCEA can present a valid EIN and proof of insurance in the next week, then we're good.
** Laura - I'm happy to sit down with anyone to discuss the issues from the finance working group perspective.
* Ken - things could get more serious if we don't do our taxes _wink wink_

== Last Meeting Notes ==
https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Event:2019/MM/DD_Delegates_Meeting

= End of Meeting =
* please archive these meeting notes by copying the entire pad contents onto the omni wiki
* then please erase the contents of this pad
* then please cut & paste a blank template from here: https://omnicommons.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Delegates_Meeting_Notes_Template&action=edit
* previous notes are archived here: https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Meetings

Event:2019/02/21 Delegates Meeting

2019-02-27T19:30:36Z

Lynnhowe: Created page with "https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Event:2019/02/21_Delegates_Meeting Omni Delegates' Meeting - 2019/02/21 7pm-9pm for instructions on preparing and archiving these notes, please..."

https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Event:2019/02/21_Delegates_Meeting

Omni Delegates' Meeting - 2019/02/21 7pm-9pm

for instructions on preparing and archiving these notes, please see the bottom

=== Agenda ===
* Introductions, Meeting Roles, and Delegates Count [10 minutes]
* Access Check-in [5 minutes]
* Brief Announcements [5 minutes]
* Bans [5 minutes]
* Working Group Report-Backs [15 minutes]
* Member Collective Updates (10 minutes)
* Proposal: Delaying GCEA Decision [15 minutes]
* Proposal: Hiring Jenny as bookkeeper [15 minutes]
* Discussion Z: [10 minutes]

=== Introductions ===

Introduce yourself: Name; Preferred Pronoun; Affiliation; any brief announcements; say whether you're a delegate; let us know about any access needs you have†
* marc - sudo he/him
* null - sudo he/him
* dennis - liblens (delegate)
* ken - ccl (delegate)
* kiwi - gcea, she/her
* almaz - gcea she/her undercover FBI
* habiba - fnb
* phil - fnb he/him
* joe - fnb he/him (delegate until hellen)
* jake - sudo -pronoun-indifferent
* julio - sudo / commons wg
* rachel - gws she/her
* lynn -she/her
* mary ann - chiapas - she/her (delegate)
* jenny - sudo/finance/commons she/her
* yar - sudo she/her (delegate)
* robb - he/him needs r met, sudoroom & liberated lens
* kwic ? - family member
* paula voice? - volunteer, worked with fnb previously, heard about the mediation that's going on today. I'd like to understand what's going on more and be present to the situation. Not trained in mediation. Interested in learning about mediation. Interested in clarity and truth and give voice to people who know what that means.

=== Access Check In ===

Is everybody able to participate fully in this meeting? Do people have unmet needs or concerns?

=== Meeting Roles ===
* Facilitator/s: yar
* Explanation of hand signals: "deaf applause", "raised hand", "point of process", "direct response"(wildcard), etc.
* Stacktaker: Almaz
* Timekeeper: jenny
* Notetaker/s: Julio, Jenny
** URL of this pad: https://pad.riseup.net/p/omninom
* Vibe Reader: Lynn
* Next meeting's facilitator(s): phil

=== Delegates ===
* BAPS: almaz (cointelpro agent)
* CCL: ken
* CSC: mary ann
* FNB: joe
* GWS: rachel
* LL: dennis (inactive)
* Sudo: yar/marc
* GCEA: kiwi
* Quorum: yes (7/8 active collectives)

==Brief Announcements==
* Lake Merrit eviction tomorrow; more bodies needed! Meet at Lakeside Park to support residents; bring heavy duty trash bags, coffee, breakfast & lunch.
** phil where in Lake Merrit
** jnny: by the Fairyland sign

== New Bans ==
*
* Add to list of people [https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Asked_to_Leave asked to leave]

== Working Group Report-Backs ==

=== Building & permits ===
Meetings: Not currently meeting
*
* This group needs help; https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/building
Yar: Trying our best to get bathroom finished. It's taking a long time and stay tuned.
jake: motor for front door is ready to be installed by a carpenter and I'm willing to help.

=== Commons ===
Meetings: Currently ad-hoc; join the 'Commons' list
*
* This group needs help:
** https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/commons
** https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/booking

jenny: We submitted our property tax exemption on friday and met in person with the property tax assesors office. It was good but also terrifying to meet them in person. They described non-exempt events as contaminating a space and making it non-exempt. If any non-exempt event (by a non-exempt org) is held in a space then that makes the space non-exempt for the year.

=== Kitchen ===
* yar: We were trying to work with an expert on floor planning and he was in a bad bike accident so that put a dampener on things.
* ken: there is a meeting on that coming up next wednesday is that right?
** jenny: probably either this saturday or next saturday. depends on person who was in accident.
** jenny: there is also a mailing list for people interested in joining. i

=== Communications ===
Meetings: Not currently meeting
*

=== Finance ===
Meetings: Currently conjoined with Fundraising, 2nd & 4th Mondays at 6pm
*

=== Fundraising ===
Meetings: Currently conjoined with Finance,, 2nd & 4th Mondays at 6pm
*

== Member Collective Updates ==
What is going on with your collective? What are you working on? What have you accomplished? Any events coming up? Any difficulties you are encountering that you need help with?

=== BAPS ===
* (no one from BAPS is here)

=== CCL ===
* ken: Lots of events and so forth. Had a discussion last night about the proposals that were on. and no one could come today because we have a big event at swissnex in SF and we're represented so we're not attending except for me.

=== CSC ===
* We're actually holding a class this Saturday. It's called waffles and zapatismo. We've invited someone(?) to talk about...

=== FNB ===
* joe: supplied some kids with food today at the teacher's strike debut
** many: woo!

===GCEA===
* almaz: we are planning ? event and also we are working on a city wide summit on CSEC(sp?) domestic abuse and gun violence. at the downtown oakland museum. collaborating with a school. we have a lot of events coming up like immigrants rights (and more, note-taker couldn't capture). Working really hard to help shutdown the OMNI Commons through fraud and false accusations against people who disagree with me.

=== GWS ===
* We are working with other women's groups to do an event with other groups at Oscar Grant Plaza. Hopefully hooking up with the teacher's strike and doing some sort of action with the strike that's still going on. Meetings happening every week. We've put together. We're doing a hearing on homelessness, mass incarcaration and the criminalization of poverty(?) on April Sixth.

=== LL ===
* dennis: Perhaps people are aware of the fact this year 2019 is 400 since the first african was brought to british north america and we've decided to do a series of films on the black experience. For 7 months up until August (since it was august 400 years ago that first african was brought here). Third sunday of every month at 5 pm in this room we'll have a film screening of a relevant film or documentary (with food!).

=== Sudo ===
* we can deposit solder on circuit boards, there's an xray machine, we got 2 new tables & are continuing o reorganize the space

= Proposals =

== Proposal: Addressing Structural Issues ==
* via yar, julio and katrina on 2/1/19:
* Text sent to mailing list: https://omnicommons.org/pipermail/consensus/2019-February/001480.html

Subject: PROPOSAL: Addressing Structural Issues
* There have been a number of interpersonal and structural challenges at the Omni in which race played a role. Some of these conflicts have resulted in the exclusion of individuals from the Omni. Moreover, some communities of color as well as anti-racist organizers have been voluntarily avoiding the Omni community. We propose to view the present discussion concerning the GCEA collective as an opportunity to open a dialogue towards healing conflicts and finding procedures that are realistically followed, while also creating an open and diverse community, centering the perspectives and prioritizing the needs of marginalized and oppressed people - as intended by the Omni founding document.

We propose the following concrete steps:
1.) Identify a team of Omni representatives who are willing to engage in a broad dialogue about prior conflicts and present structure of the Omni Commons.
2.) Task Julio and Yar with identifying a team of facilitators by the next delegates meeting. Facilitators should have at most minimal connections to parties involved in prior conflicts at the Omni. Commit to compensating facilitators for their work financially or in other forms (eg. space access), with details to be decided at the next delegates meeting.
3.) Task facilitators with reaching out to parties in prior conflicts within and outside of the Omni, towards developing a mutually agreed upon format of dialogue within a month.
4.) Defer full discussion of the GCEA Proposal on Unpaid Rent, Lease, and Small Classroom Security until the facilitated dialogue has achieved mutual understanding of the needs that Omni and GCEA seek to satisfy in a long term agreement. In the meantime, address urgent matters by temporary measures valid for 3 months:
* Fundraising Events: GCEA is invited to organize fundraising events at the Omni. The contracts and point person duties for such events will be the responsibility of a member of the Commons WG that is not affiliated with GCEA.
* Small Classroom Security: During the period of this agreement, the Small Classroom will remain locked, accessible only to BAPS, GCEA, and other events booked through the Commons WG.

* Update to above proposal
Update on our proposal:
We had an in-depth conversation with Melissa Merin who was recommended to us by multiple people, and were impressed by her experience and proposed format of 3 meetings (3-4 hours each):
First meeting to re-center common values, surface conflicts, and give everyone a chance to speak to their own experiences. Melissa will make sure that everyone feels heard, while maintaining an atmosphere of mutual respect.
Second meeting to work through topics identified in the first meeting.
Third meeting to reach agreements for continuing our work as collective, and more effectively addressing new or remaining conflicts.

Melissa charges $100-$150 per hour of meetings, so we propose to commit up to $1500 from general Omni funds.

To further refine this proposal (eg. with dates), we invite potential mediation participants to fill out this survey. We hope for the participation of at least one delegate per collective to ensure adequate report back.

=== Discussion ===

* Rachel - would like to know more about the mediator
* Joe - it's unusual that the facilitator is so involved in the discussion/proposal
kiwi: we need a person who is a person of color who has our core values. (notetaker missed stuff) a person in touch with all humanity.

i want to share what i know about melissa: was recommended by multiple people including a friend of mine who used to do seeds mediation (a place in berkeley). we were trying to get someone from catalyst (another anti-racist org) and they recommended melissa also without knowing we'd talked to her.

* julio: she said she had a background in critical race theory,
* Rachel - I'm a bit concerned because there's a whole industry. They cost a lot of money and I don't know this person. I'm not obstructing, we just have to be careful that it's not just someone who was trained by the industry and is someone who is part of the movement as well.
kiwi: ?
kiwi: we are also working on finding a facilitator based on what i said. we are looking for a facilitator who core value spritituality grounded with the truth not just as she was saying higher education bla bla. we are working to find someone.
almaz: we looked at her website and is she a black woman? ah it doesn't matter if she's black or brown or yellow but someone who is sensitive to ... (missing notes)...
almaz: maybe we can have two.
kiwi: (repeating that we need someone: culturally grounded, spiritual, connected) we need a second person.
* helen: i don't think having two facilitators not connected with each other. the conversation's going to be difficult as it is. i thought the values of the mediator were to reflect the core values of omni commons not anyone person's values
* ken: we (ccl) believe it's a good investmen and to have some sort of process to resolve these issues when they come up. (also ken suggests that we can have another mediation with two people afterwards if the first one is not successful)
* rachel: wouldn't support two people. shifting now toward going for the proposal. we don't have that kind of money for two facilitators.
* kiwi: the values (spriritual, well-grounded) is not just my values but is the values of the gcea members
* julio: we did take these things into account in picking the mediator. there is some spiritual background she has i didn't go into before. maybe there is a way for you to know her before we begin. to have catalyst (and this is what they do) and so many others recommend her so highly meant a lot to me. she has a collaborator who she could potentially bring in but we don't know how much that would cost.
** yar: she seems like the unicorn we've been looking for, to be honest.
* marc - i'd like to clarify the 3 month limit.
* yar: yes to a a 3 month hard limit
*marc: it's not clear if there's a 15 person limit, i want to make sure we are not bringing in people who are banned & we've already spent time mediating with
** yar - not aware of anyone who's been previously banned from omni who will be involved, will notify everyone involved in the process is okay with everyone involved
*** julio: melissa also understands this, will be made aware of the circumstances that led to their being banned and for context
* ken: also, when does it start and how long will it go?
* yar: is there anything to indicate that melissa isn't spiritually grounded
** kiwi: from the website it doesn't appear so - nothing to indicate she isn't
* ken: might be a good idea to have a gather / potluck with melissa so she can see how our group works, share food - we all have that in common
* katrina - had an indepth conversations with her that was very convincing - if others want to have a chat with her we can check with her (probably for pay). lots of pointers to choosing her. and more facilitators great'ly increases the cost
* habiba: hearing what kiwi is saying,
* julio: people i've spoken with who do this for a living, it's insulting to do this for free / anything less than $100. lot of prep - setting the setting, email reminders - it's a lot of work $100/hr is on the low end of the scale in the bay area
* helen: so far only been one suggestion. perhaps we decide from a couple of options at the next meeting. this way we can stop discussing the facilitator and discuss the proposal
* marc: can we consent to not having those who've been banned or haven't been active in an omni collective over the past year? who we've already spent too much time and energy on already
* ken: we should have a different defined process for people who have been banned and want to come back in. not try to deal with it at the same time as this process.
* kwic and paula introduce themselves
* almaz: want to have people who aren't banned but are familiar with the omni, been around etc;
* katrina: want to second the proposal to discuss the proposal. part 2 was "task yar and julio" and we've dicussed different people, maybe now get more input, identify a team of folks. paying for a valuable service will increase buy-in and follow-through
* joe: the stated purpose: an opportunity to open a dialog, healing process, and address structural issues... redesigning the structure of omni is some real heavy lifting - it's redesigning bylaws, decision-making structure, etc; - is that what this will be about
** not so much a healing circle as a facilitated conversation - to surface everything in the first meeting, address those issues in the second, and by the third meeting develop ways of talking with each other - and wouldn't exclude that we might want longer-term help toward healing(?)
* marc: kwic is currently on the omni ban list
* paula: we heard about the mediation going on and came here
* yar: this is not a mediation. we are trying to agree to spend money on a mediation
* the hope is that in three meetings we can get back into work teams and functional communications. also i wouldn't exclude from these three meetings that we want longer term help. but the hope is in three meetings to see what's possible and what's needed.
* rachel: i have a questions about the last piece of the proposal: a legal question for omni. if someone is in the building and doesn't have a lease.
* helen: who the facilitator is is not part of the proposal. we spent a long time talking about that
* dennis: haven't been here for awhile, but one of the issues that's not clear to me is whether someone who's been banned from Omni can participate
* katrina: identify a group of folks from omni. that's what we're asking with an rsvp. part 2 was task julio, yar to find the facilitator; part 3 would be to bring the details of the facilitator to the delegates meeting; part 4 was shelf any further discussion of other aspects of gcea's legal status etc until we've completed this process. bring rsvps forth and a specific decision that can be made at the next meeting
** we can't decide who's going to be in the room until we know who wants to be in the room
* katrina: want anyone who has a lot of questions to get in touch with myself, julio or yar before march 7th
* kwic: community, unity, growing from our past mistakes.
* yar: Straw poll: who's prepared to consent on this tonight?

Omni is willing to spend $1500 on a facilitator. Who's involved and the details can be consented on at the March 7th meeting

* Consenso: yar/sudo, mary ann/chiapas, ken/ccl, almaz/gcea, rachel/gws, helen/fnb

== Proposal: Hiring Jenny as bookkeeper ==
* via jenny on 2/8/19:
* Full proposal can be read and discussed here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pZwwjGPjsCryp78dySTHFbrmiTZR-Q5FqQf82S5eTpk/
* Dear Omninoms, (delegate?)
Recently, the topic of more regular and transparent financial reporting has been discussed in Omni Delegates Meetings. While this has traditionally been the domain of the Finance Working Group, said working group has usually seen fewer than 3 members in attendance, and historically has relied on one or two volunteers to uphold day-to-day financial transactions, regular reporting, annual filings (State, Federal, County, and City), loan repayments, invoicing, bank reconciliations, bill payments, check cashing and internal financing and filings. Additionally, we continue to receive requests for and accrue fiscally-sponsored projects, significantly adding to our administrative overhead. Our property tax exemption application is due February 15th, which requires detailed documentation of all entities that use the building (including one-time event rentals and small recurring group meetings). We also need to consolidate our mortgage loan within the next two years. Total number of hours spent on this labor each month has frequently trended toward that of full-time employment (with overtime).

I am now incapable of continuing to engage on this level with Omni’s bookkeeping and operations on a volunteer basis. I enjoy this work, and have been studying nonprofit bookkeeping and law generally over the past three years, obtained Quickbooks certifications, attended webinars and workshops, and have already begun doing nonprofit bookkeeping as a paid position for other clients. However, I have bills to pay and will soon need to find full-time paid employment or the equivalent - which means I won't have time to work on Omni.

This work adds up to minimally 20 hours/month and is reliant on skilled labor that has been consistently out of reach for Omni Commons since its inception. Starting March 1st, all of our community loans - totalling over $100K with monthly average repayments to the tune of $3,200 - will have been repaid! We are now in a position, financially, to afford professional bookkeeping and administrative services (see Feasibility).

Paying for skilled labor is not unprecedented: since our beginnings, we have readily paid the hourly or project-based rate for legal assistance, city permitting and inspection fees, and building and maintenance work (including electrical, plumbing, fire safety, and roof repair) - as well as supporting paid A/V for events. Traditionally, those we hire have been people aligned and familiar with Omni’s vision and structure, or recommended by comrades within our community.

Summary/Proposal:
It seems to me that Omni has the following options:
Hire an accountant and train them in the structure and history of Omni and its collectives (probably expensive);
Hire another Omni volunteer and train them in bookkeeping, taxes, etc; (who will do the training?);
Attempt to find someone else to do this work for free;
Pay me to continue doing the work I've been doing for free over the past 3+ years.

=== Discussion ===
* omni responses: https://omnicommons.org/pipermail/consensus/2019-February/date.html
* sudoroom responses: https://sudoroom.org/pipermail/sudo-discuss/2019-February/date.html
* almaz: if we pay anyone it's going to change the culture of the omni

= Discussions =

== Example Discussion Item ==
*

== Last Meeting Notes ==
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= End of Meeting =
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[[Category:Delegates Meeting]]

Event:2019/02/07 Delegates Meeting

2019-02-11T19:17:15Z

Lynnhowe: Created page with "Omni Delegates' Meeting - February 7 2019 7pm-9pm for instructions on preparing and archiving these notes, please see the bottom === Agenda === * Introductions, Meeting Ro..."

Omni Delegates' Meeting - February 7 2019 7pm-9pm

for instructions on preparing and archiving these notes, please see the bottom

=== Agenda ===
* Introductions, Meeting Roles, and Delegates Count [10 minutes]
* Access Check-in [5 minutes]
* Brief Announcements [5 minutes]
* Bans [5 minutes]
* Working Group Report-Backs [15 minutes]
* Member Collective Updates (10 minutes)
* Proposal X: [15 minutes]
* Proposal Y: [15 minutes]
* Discussion Z: [10 minutes]

=== Introductions ===

Introduce yourself: Name; Preferred Pronoun; Affiliation; any brief announcements; say whether you're a delegate; let us know about any access needs you have†
* Julian (J / Jules, not pronouns) BAPS
* Phil FNB (he)
* Frankie (they) offers hugs
* Robb he/him sudoroom
* Joe FNB loves the pink basement
* Julio sudoroom
* Kiwi she/her GCEA - how to become a delegate
* Yar sudoroom
* Brian finance cmte
* Katrina they commons
* Maryanne chiapas
* Laura commons/finance
* Lynn commons
* habiba fnb
* angel, asked to be here, liberated lens & building wg, village
* almaz gcea

=== Access Check In ===

Is everybody able to participate fully in this meeting? Do people have unmet needs or concerns?

=== Meeting Roles ===
* Facilitator/s: julian
* Explanation of hand signals: "deaf applause", "raised hand", "point of process", "direct response"(wildcard), etc.
* Stacktaker: julio (progressively?)
* Timekeeper: lynn
* Notetaker/s: yar & brian
** URL of this pad: https://pad.riseup.net/p/omninom
* Vibe Reader: joe
* Next meeting's facilitator(s): Yar

=== Delegates ===
* BAPS: Julian
* CCL: active but not here
* CSC: maryanne
* FNB: Joe
* GWS: Rachel (remote) active but not here
* LL: inactive
* Sudo: robb
* GCEA: Almaz, kiwi wants to be but needs to learn more
* Quorum: 4/6

==Brief Announcements==
* katrina: omni is officially in the "alternatives to policing" thing? next workshop 2/17 first congregation
** laura went to the last one. we got on the list cuz she was there. someone else should go next time
** coalition has working meeting every second wednesday. ask katrina if interested. 2/13 is the next one
** frankie: phat beets works w/auntie francis out of omni. they should go. it's dope (max + katrina will be in touch)
* Joe: Saturday the ninth, the people's part committee is sponsoring a march at people's park at 1PM. To protest the city and police's inaction on an incident that happened Jan 22nd, who freaked out at the march and that the march was holding up his car, he got mad and turned up on the sidewalk, ran over blind tony's feet, felony hit and run. And he still hasn't even been issued a driving ticket. The father came down to the scene of the action to find out who dented his car, more interested in that than tony's feet. And the mayor is nowhere.
**The March is this saturday at 1PM.
*Julian: One of the groups that meets here regularly (Tenants & Neighborhoods Council aka TANK) is doing a canvass this saturday at 12:30 meeting here. IF you want more information about that talk to Julian.
* Almaz: if you're a member of the neighborhood, join our healing circles, workiing on violence prevention with the city of oakland. There are lots of healing processes that are ongoing (ie no specific date, contact almaz)

== New Bans ==
* Update about previous situations with TRoy: he's not banned, he's back and there hasn't been any further problems.
* terry and Brian: no conflict right now, it's resolved. they're welcome
* Add to list of people [https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Asked_to_Leave asked to leave]

== Working Group Report-Backs ==

=== Building & permits ===
Meetings: Not currently meeting
* The sewer backed up into the basement last night flooding the side by the entrance hall.
** Phil, Robb, Mark, Jenny dealt with the flood, put signs on bathrooms
**Today Laura and Robb bought a power snake and cleared the blockage, and Anka helped them wash the floor with disinfectant.
**The blockage was caused by paper towels flushed down a toilet. People used paper towels becasue we were out of TP. We were out of TP because someone cleaned out the TP and paper towels twice from the cleaning supply closet. Probably some trash bags as well
** DON'T FLUSH PAPER TOWELS
** people keep stealing TP so maybe that's why they flushed paper towels
** There is now a combo lock on the storage closet. If anyone wants the combination just ask about it, it is being sent around. It was also sent to some of the mailing lists.
** we can't have anybody living here, not possible, not zoned residential
* This group needs help; https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/building
* Rob: Recently patched the roof last week. There are still a few leaks from the windows, but everything leaking from the roof seems to be resolved.
* Angel: regarding the issue of whether there is a designated individual to stay overnight. This is something that I personally that have found out is that many of the not positive things that happen with this space have to do with things that happen overnight. And yes, we can't have a residential person stay over here at night, but it may be worth looking into having a security person or something like that.
Kiwi: supports looking into this.
Julian: This is a good conversation, but maybe we should table this for another meeting.
* Passed an inspection for plumbing for the pathroom. Replacing toilet, need to do ventilation. We are very close to having the wheelchair bathroom finished.
* almaz: progress on the kitchen?
** Yar: We had a meeting last saturday. The next step is taking everything to an architect to discuss floor plans:
** Rob: We also wanted to meet with Alvaro who wasn't able to be at the last meeting, but knows a lot about this stuff. The next stage is either to make a meeting with Alvaro, or to just move forward. Still figuring that out.

=== Commons ===
Meetings: Currently ad-hoc; join the 'Commons' list
* Strike School and food distribution for strike
* This group a needs help:
** https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/commons
** https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/booking
** Laura: Oakland Teachers are likely to go on strike soon. We have been approached by groups to be a school support zone. Basically, have the omni be a place where their kids can go for the day. There would be teachers and programming going on for the kids. We are also being asked to be a point of food distribution. Its not fully decided that this is going to happen, but it would be a great thing for the Omni to do. It would have some implications though, if we are going to have a bunch of kids around we will need to make sure that we do a serious cleaning and effort to go into making this place safe for kids.
*Lynn: And that would start when?
*Laura: Around the 18th or 19th. IT doesn't have to be this week, but would need to be soon
*Joe: I have heard that they just want us to be food distribution, not a school sight
*Laura: No, we are in talks with different groups for both.
*Julian: There already has been a lot of media attention around this teacher strike. If we wanted to do a public facing event to clean up the Omni it might be a good way to get volunteers into the space.
* Generally: Lets talk about this later. This isn't finalized yet.

=== Communications ===
Meetings: Not currently meeting
* last comment in previous section

=== Finance ===
Meetings: Currently conjoined with Fundraising, 2nd & 4th Mondays at 6pm
* working on massive county property tax welfare exemption forms - hours of work. needs paperwork from every event that's ever been here
** county should've approved exemption last year but we have to file again

=== Fundraising ===
Meetings: Currently conjoined with Finance,, 2nd & 4th Mondays at 6pm
*

== Member Collective Updates ==
What is going on with your collective? What are you working on? What have you accomplished? Any events coming up? Any difficulties you are encountering that you need help with?

=== BAPS ===
* nothing new. beat aesthetic classes on saturdays. writing group still happening.

=== CCL ===
* No updates, no one here

=== CSC ===
* next thing is to start up waffles & zapatismo again. next one saturday 2/23 in office right here (upstairs at omni)

=== FNB ===
* Joe: FNB is now safely under the beautrocratic wing of amazon to get whole foods donations. Filling out all sorts of forms together. We have to fill out forms every month.

===GCEA===
* Almaz: We had a meeting on saturday, last saturday, and we are catching up on a lot of GCEA projects. Classes, afterschool programs, women's know your rights, all these different programs we are doing. We are going to have another meeting on February 15th. It's a work in progress.

=== GWS ===
*

=== LL ===
*

=== Sudo ===
* Rob: One of our members Adam has been bringing in organized boxes of usable components and taking out all the trash from sudo room. We're on maybe week four. We've got some tables...Its still in a bit of disaray, we re-did our floorplan, but all of the junk is gone.
** planning to epoxy floor this summer

= Proposals =
== Delaying GCEA decision ==

=== text sent to mailing list ===
https://omnicommons.org/pipermail/consensus/2019-February/001480.html
Subject: PROPOSAL: Addressing Structural Issues

There have been a number of interpersonal and structural challenges at the Omni in which race played a role. Some of these conflicts have resulted in the exclusion of individuals from the Omni. Moreover, some communities of color as well as anti-racist organizers have been voluntarily avoiding the Omni community.
We propose to view the present discussion concerning the GCEA collective as an opportunity to open a dialogue towards healing conflicts and finding procedures that are realistically followed, while also creating an open and diverse community, centering the perspectives and prioritizing the needs of marginalized and oppressed people - as intended by the Omni founding document.

We propose the following concrete steps:

1.) Identify a team of Omni representatives who are willing to engage in a broad dialogue about prior conflicts and present structure of the Omni Commons.

2.) Task Julio and Yar with identifying a team of facilitators by the next delegates meeting. Facilitators should have at most minimal connections to parties involved in prior conflicts at the Omni. Commit to compensating facilitators for their work financially or in other forms (eg. space access), with details to be decided at the next delegates meeting.

3.) Task facilitators with reaching out to parties in prior conflicts within and outside of the Omni, towards developing a mutually agreed upon format of dialogue within a month.

4.) Defer full discussion of the GCEA Proposal on Unpaid Rent, Lease, and Small Classroom Security until the facilitated dialogue has achieved mutual understanding of the needs that Omni and GCEA seek to satisfy in a long term agreement. In the meantime, address urgent matters by temporary measures valid for 3 months:

Fundraising Events: GCEA is invited to organize fundraising events at the Omni. The contracts and point person duties for such events will be the responsibility of a member of the Commons WG that is not affiliated with GCEA.

Small Classroom Security: During the period of this agreement, the Small Classroom will remain locked, accessible only to BAPS, GCEA, and other events booked through the Commons WG. *

=== discussion ===

*Yar: A couple weeks ago there was a proposal from GCEA and BAPS to establish a permanent status for the room, and their back rent. And that caused a lot of disucssion. There is now a proposal to delay decision on the GCEA/BAPS for three months while we do mediation.
*Julio: Our proposal is merely to delay that decision and not decide it now. I don't think our proposal neccesarily changes or negates the GCEA/BAPS proposal.
*Julio reads the proposal aloud.
* Clarifying questions
* Robb: if GCEA wants to go ahead with their other proposal, isn't #4 moot? procedural problem
** Almaz: we're holding our proposal while this process happens. we agree with what they're proposing
* Laura: It says "prior conflicts" - who are those people? whoever is part of that would have to be part of the agreement
** there's some people Laura would not want to bother with
** Laura: I think it's not helpful to include past conflicts. there's enough to deal with in the present conflict
** Yar didn't write that part
** Katrina: The intention behind that would be for facilitators to have leeway to reach out and evaluate whether folks were willing to have a constructive conversation. The idea was for facilitators to have freedom in that, but only have parties involved that agree with the base values of the Omni, and are willing to have
** Frankie: I think its anyone who wants to be part of this community. I think Katrina's answer is right on. And we'll need to have agreements, we can't have people coming in here and causing chaos.
** Yar: the presence of some people would preclude the presence of other people
** Julio: Every person's involvement will be contingent in knowing exactly what is going on. I think we probably shouldn't do it at the Omni. I just have an example, there was someone who was willing to have a process and a lot of us dropped the ball on completing that process thoroughly. And that is what happens when you don't pay a facilitator to do this. Thats why I am saying lets do this properly. Let's design a process that everyone in that space can opt into, and have conversations with the facilitator.
** these facilitated meetings shouldn't happen at omni. a lot of people dropped the ball with a previous conflict
* Maryanne: When you talk about identifying a team of facilitators, are you talking about people who do this professionally? And would they be members of the Omni?
** Julio: Yes, and No.
* Lynn: how does this relate in the long run to how the omni runs itself? what i hear sounds like lots of individual conflicts, but the bigger picture is how is this gonna change overall governance so it becomes a different kind of org in the long run? it's about how we run ourselves, whether there's transparency & equity & equal trust for all people.
** Katrina: conflicts often center on specific rules that are broken, but it always becomes about people who broke the rules for various reasons.
** if individuals need to make peace with the system, ok. if the system needs to change, ok. need to make a space to constructively have these conversations, instead of repeating similar conflict pattern we've seen
** Joe: i find this very confusing and an impediment to functioning as an institution. if you're saying things like "whether the rent is paid, you've gotten permits to do things, changed a contract" can be interpreted as a factual or as a racialized thing, i'd be willing to discuss that but it really puts a whole cloud over the way I've... ever seen or experienced making decisions about what to do and what not to do. If people are experiencing that, it'd be great to have that aired out & corrected. It's confused me. I hope we can use it to make progress. There should be some sort of timeline. It'd be a tedious & difficult experiment.
** Julian: The first thing I'll say is that I want to check to see if we have more clarifying questions, it feels like we are slipping into other conversations. So lets focus on clarifying questions? So the proposal is that within a month, there will be a process with facilitators, and within three motnhs the process will be completed and we can discuss GCEA's proposal. Do we have more clarifying questions?
* Robb: would this be binding on the delegates?
**Yar: A proposal to the delegates would be the result. Delegates are not giving the facilitator binding power...
**Katrina: The first part says identify a team of Omni reps who are willing to engage in this dialogue, not who will be given the power to make decisions. It's somewhat pointless to do that unless the Omni Reps who join it are people who have enough power/understanding of the delegates to bring changes back.
* Maryanne: What is this geared to resolve. There are interpersonal conflicts, and there is the overall structural conflict. Are they going
* Yar: We were just talking about this actually. We are going to leave that up to the facilitator that we find, and let them decide what they think is the best path forward.
* Frankie: Re-imagine the Omni is not some fake fuzzy meeting. WE need to make agreements with each other, and we need to keep them. There are other people outside of the building that want to use this space. Not everyone who has kicked them out of the space wants to be part of this, but for those who want to
* Kiwi: Do people understand the proposal? Are we also speaking or solving the proposal?
* Almaz: Following up. WE have to bring people. We need to bring in people who are outside of the Omni. Frankie mentioned that a lot of people have come here to be collectives of the OMni, and are not here anymore. The goal is to reach out to those people.
* Angel: Theres currently nothing stopping people from being part of the collective and being involved. Until people take those steps, its a very difficult decision to make to involve everyone in the space.
* rob: We've already had clarifying questions. How much of a discussion can we have without talking to our collectives? It's process to go back to our collectives.
* JUlian: the way I interpret steps 1-3 they don't require a concensus to occur. Identifying a team of Omni representatives, that doesn't require a concensus based decision. Second, I don't think we need to have a vote in order to faciltiator. We may need a vote in order to pay them, but not to identify them. The third one may require a vote.
*Kiwi: to angel: you were talking about who is allowed to be part of the community. I lived in this community before the Omni, so you are coming into this community. If your culture is blocking people from coming into the omni, then you need to do something about it.
*Laura: Who are the people that we are contemplating bringing back to the Omni?
**Kiwi: I have met these people who do not feel welcome at the Omni. I want to make sure that Omni is dealing with race issues well. As an individual I came here myself, before I became part of GCEA. After I became a member I have talked to individuals who tell me that they don't come to the omni because they don't feel welcome. Its important to reach out into the community to reach out.
*Yar: There's two categories that are being conflated here. people who left cuz they're uncomfortable, vs left because they were banned
**Kiwi: I am talking about people who are not comfortable being here.
*Julio: -reiterating the questions-
*Laura: Will we have a choice of facilitators. What if there is a feeling that a facilitator is not appropriate? Is there some option?
**Yar: We are going to be working hard to get buy in from everyone.
** Frankie: There's a lot of people. It is privilige to say Invited. Everyone is supposed to be invited. Thats what the Omni is about.
*Maryanne: Kiwi, I have a question for when you said that there are people from this neighborhood who are not comfortable coming here?
* Kiwi: Thats not what I'm saying. I'm saying that there are members of the Omni community who were part of the community but don't feel comfortable now. What I'm saying that any time you discriminate against a black person, that effects all black people.
?: I am one of the people who doesn't feel comfortable
** Rachel we have had quite a number of meetings with people of color groups and work closefy with Haiti Action and other groups who are glad to meet at the Omni and have the space to meet
* Habiba: I get questioned at the door. I'm one of those people
* Yar: It seems like when you asked your question, Laura, it seemed like you were asking about the people who had been banned, not the group of people who feel uncomfortable in the space.
* Lynn: My question is about the facilitator as well. In my ideal world there is someone who sees the interpersonal conflicts and sees them as part of a bigger organizational issue. That can say "how do we fix the organization". I am super interested in the organization becoming more healthy.
* Almaz: Agreed. This is about fixing the strucutre, not about changing individuals. This is about fixing the omni and going to the roots. It's about fixing the strucutre, not individual issues.
* Rob: I want to make sure that this is based on factual bases. There was an incident years ago with the wheelchair lift having boxes in front. The incident wasn't with an Omni person, but the Omni got a bunch of flack for problems.
** Yar: This process is going to involve I statements, once we get everyone sitting in the room.
* Julio: I agree with factual statement, but I find that its also important to focus on perspectives. Focusing on facts is important, when its about things that happened, but allowing for everyone's voice to be heard.
**Rob: I have felt that we are not able to hold people accountable to factual statements here. I feel like we have been bad at that.
***KAtrina: Yes, agreed. That is exactly what a mediation would seek to do. Sometimes people cannot get to the facts until their feelings have been addressed.
* Robb: when the classroom was locked without any delegate approval - that has never been consented on - that's a violation of our process, if we adhere to our own process
** Almaz: irrelevant. you should not bring this.
** Katrina:

== Example Discussion Item ==
*

== Last Meeting Notes ==
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= End of Meeting =
* please archive these meeting notes by copying the entire pad contents onto the omni wiki
* then please erase the contents of this pad
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[[Category:Delegates Meeting]]

Event:2019/01/17 Delegates Meeting

2019-01-21T17:33:57Z

Lynnhowe: Created page with "Omni Delegates' Meeting - 17/01/2019 7pm-9pm for instructions on preparing and archiving these notes, please see the bottom === Agenda === * Introductions, Meeting Roles,..."

Omni Delegates' Meeting - 17/01/2019 7pm-9pm

for instructions on preparing and archiving these notes, please see the bottom

=== Agenda ===
* Introductions, Meeting Roles, and Delegates Count [10 minutes]
* Access Check-in [5 minutes]
* Brief Announcements [5 minutes]
* Bans [5 minutes]
* Working Group Report-Backs [15 minutes]
* Member Collective Updates (10 minutes)
* Proposal X: [15 minutes]
** Counter Proposal on Delegate Meeting Schedule
* Proposal Y: [15 minutes]
** Fiscal Sponsorship proposal
** Meeting Schedule Proposal
** GCEA Proposal
* Discussion Z: [10 minutes]
** Locked classroom

=== Introductions ===
* Laura -
* Helen - Food Not Bombs - delegate
* Mary Ann - Chiapas Support delegate
* Sara - 1st They Came for he Homeless
* Habiba - Food Not Bombs
* Joe - FNB
* Marcia - 1st They Came for the Homeless
* John - Here/There
* Robb - Sudo delegate
* Julian - BAPS delegate
* Almaz - prefers 1st name - GCEA
* Lynn remote
* Ken - CCL
* Franki - all the pronouns
* Kiwi - GCEA & outreach

Introduce yourself: Name; Preferred Pronoun; Affiliation; any brief announcements; say whether you're a delegate; let us know about any access needs you have†

=== Access Check In ===

Is everybody able to participate fully in this meeting? Do people have unmet needs or concerns?

=== Meeting Roles ===
* Facilitator/s: Laura
* Explanation of hand signals: "deaf applause", "raised hand", "point of process", "direct response"(wildcard), etc.
* Stacktaker: Almaz
* Timekeeper: Joe
* Notetaker/s: Julian
** URL of this pad: https://pad.riseup.net/p/omninom
* Vibe Reader: Helen
* Next meeting's facilitator(s): Julian

=== Delegates ===
* BAPS: Julian
* CCL: Ken
* CSC: Mary Ann
* FNB: Helen
* GWS: absent
* LL: inactive
* Sudo: Robb
* GCEA: Almaz
* Quorum:

==Brief Announcements==
* None

== New Bans ==
* Laura - I asked Troy to leave after our last delegates meeting. He did so slowly, cleaned up, left. Hasn't emailed any requests for return.
* Add to list of people [https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Asked_to_Leave asked to leave]

== Working Group Report-Backs ==

=== Building & permits ===
Meetings: Not currently meeting
* Laura - there is an upcoming kitchen meeting, Saturday the 26th.
** if you're interested in getting emails about the kitchen, sign up
** Almaz - what are the updates on this?
*** Laura - I made a list of the all the major / minor appliances people wanted, based on talking with constituents & also based on seeking Phat Beet's
*** Joe - what's the money raised? like $80,000
**** we raised $30,000 & then there's the Handshake grant for like $30,000
*** Helen - why hasn't construction begun
**** remote-jenny: no meetings; working group is strapped; lack of experience in said working group; people who would otherwise facilitate progress have increasingly limited volunteer availability (myself, for one)
* Robb- we need another ceiling party
* Ken - rat and fruit fly infestations persist
** fruitfly catching persists with some success
* Cafe updates
** they are working on the coffee cart, but currently they're doing pop-ups
** Franki - I feel that the Omni needs to be fair to everyone, I'm somewhat concerned about the Cafe having multiple cooperatives
*** Julian - this collective has been the only group that has put forward resources to do this
*** Almaz - I agree that we should give them a chance
* Philip is taking a hiatus from the Omni and FNB.
** this is a substantial hit to Omni building cleanliness & waste management
**

* This group needs help; https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/building

=== Commons ===
Meetings: Currently ad-hoc; join the 'Commons' list
* Laura attended the first of a series of workshops held by Alternatives to Policing Coalition
** Coordinated by folks from 1st Congregational Church of Oakland, JVP, Skyline Ckurch.
** Attended by 50 mostly white people from a variety of groups, mostly religious, including SURJ.
** Lynice Pinkard and Nikola Tolbert were main facilitators. Future wkshps will be led by POC groups this coalition has been working with to develop the series.
** Blurb: "A growing coalition of organizations in the Bay Area is coming together to explore alternatives to calling the police to our campuses and into our neighborhoods. Over the coming year, we will be offering a series of workshops to explore alternatives to calling the police. Some of these workshops will provide deepening analysis and grounding in alternative ways of thinking about safety. Others will provide practical skills. All of them will lift up a transformative justice framework and emphasize the importance of self care...In this spiritually grounded, lively popular education-style workshop, we will explore what it means to say that history is not principally about the past but that it is alive today. We will study how this might be true in our legal system and governmental structures, systems and policies.
And, as we come to understand that, how are we to relate to those structures, systems, and policies and to the human beings who work within them? What does it mean to love and protect each other in this context?
This first workshop will provide a grounding in our values and agreements, which are rooted in transformative justice, as well as a deepening understanding of how white supremacy has shaped our social and political structures, including policing."
** It would be worthwhile for other Omninoms to attend in the future. Let me know if you want to be kept in the loop.
* Franki - I'm interested
* Julian - is there a way to bring the take-aways home to the Omni
* Robb - are they recorded?
* Franki - I'm down to do detailed notes & maybe

* This group needs help:
** https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/commons
** https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/booking

=== Communications ===
Meetings: Not currently meeting
*

=== Finance ===
Meetings: Currently conjoined with Fundraising, 2nd & 4th Mondays at 6pm
* none

=== Fundraising ===
Meetings: Currently conjoined with Finance, 2nd & 4th Mondays at 6pm
* none

== Member Collective Updates ==
What is going on with your collective? What are you working on? What have you accomplished? Any events coming up? Any difficulties you are encountering that you need help with?
*

=== BAPS ===
* CLasses COntinue. Poets' House

=== CCL ===
* Cranking up for the new season after the holidays

=== CSC ===
* COsponsoring film night with Liberated Lens with update on what is going on in Chiapas on 1/27

=== FNB ===
* Anxiety over the future of people's park
* Almsot got a new vehicle but it fell through. Looking for small used pickup
** Jenny: Village has been parking their pickup in my driveway for 1+ months. have funds to fix it, but engine may be f*cked.. also have contact for mechanic. maybe with conjoined resources we could get it back in action and useable by both groups... pm me (also i think needa's upstairs)

===GCEA===
* Almaz - on MLK day we're particiting in a Feed the People w/ East Oakland Collective and others
* Afterschool program
* Violence Prevention Summit upcoming, as well as other event
* we do outreach to women experiencing domestic violence
* Kiwi is available for connecting with Omni when folks have GCEA related questions, she lives in the neighborhood.

=== GWS ===
*

=== LL ===
*

=== Sudo ===
* big cleanup last wed & this past wed

= Proposals =

== Counter Proposal on Delegate Meeting Schedule from 1/3/19 made by Laura, to be discussed by collectives ==
* Proposal: We do regular twice monthly meetings, but in advance of summer (by May) and in advance of winter we look ahead and plan the schedule according to what is going on and delegates' availability. Before then we will learn to use online decision-making tools (like Loomio) and remote meeting tools (like Zoom, Free Conference Call, etc) so we can use them when we are unable to meet.

===Discussion===
* Helen - we didn't discuss it with FNB, but really it only concerns the delegates, so both Joe & I are hear right now.
* Robb - basically same
* Almaz - I haven't read the proposal previous to now, but I think we basically support it
* Mary Ann - CSC talked about this
* Helen - do we actually need decide on the precise tool right now?
** does this proposal mean that once we pick a tool, can we can use it to make decisions
* Julian - I think we've basically consented in the past to making remote-decisions, what's under discussion is preparing ourslves to learn to use these remote tools
* Franki - how could I access this in the future?

===Voting===
* In Favor - FNB, GCEA, BAPS, CCL,
* Opposed -
* Abstained - Sudo

== Fiscal Sponsorship for First They Came for the Homeless Art Show ==

** First They Came for the Homeless requests that the Omni Commons acts as our fiscal agent for the production of an art show scheduled to take place from March 9 through May 24, 2019 at Berkeley’s Expressions Gallery. Mike Zint, Sarah Menefee, Marcia Poole and John Paulin will be the contact people for First They Came for the Homeless and Rinna Flohr will be the contact person for Expressions Gallery. We are asking the Omni Commons to act in this capacity because we value the high integrity that characterizes your organization and its mission. We propose that 10% of all donations collected for the show be given to the Omni Commons as payment from us for your services.
First They Came for the Homeless and the Expressions Gallery are proud to present a show that deals with multiple aspects of homelessness within our communities on March 9, 2019. The main focus of the art will be on the efforts of homeless people to survive within urban environments and, especially, on the benefits created by the communities that develop within and around homeless encampments and shelters, as well as among people sleeping in the rough. The exhibition will explore the differing ways utilized by individuals in these communities to insure safety, solidarity, camaraderie, and other positive aspects of the communal experience. The show will also address the problems faced by the homeless on a daily basis.
The participating artists, homeless and housed, will be drawn from members of our community who have either experienced homelessness directly or have been touched by the plight of the homeless. This event will be the first opportunity for some of the participating homeless artists to display and sell their work in a professional gallery and will incorporate art in many different media, including painting, photography, printmaking, digital art, installation art, videos, sculpture, crafts, jewelry, clothing, and ceramics.
The participation of homeless artists will be facilitated through their collaboration with First They Came for the Homeless (which will provide access to materials as well as assistance in the presentation and submission of their work) and Expressions Gallery. Funds and materials for the effort will be secured through donations. In 2014 Expressions Gallery presented one of the very first art shows to deal with Homelessness in the San Francisco Bay Area. The work of homeless and housed artists was exhibited without differentiation by housing status. The event was very informative, and many who attended the show stated they were moved to become more active in matters of social justice. The show was covered favorably by a number of local print, television, and radio media.
The Creativity Unhoused exhibit will run from March 9 th , 2019 – May 24 th , 2019 at Expressions Gallery, located at 2035 Ashby Ave., Berkeley, CA. Phone # The gallery, one block from the Ashby BART station, is open Wednesdays through Saturdays, Noon - 5 PM and Sundays from Noon - 3 PM. The Opening Reception will be held at Expressions Gallery on Saturday evening, March 9 th , from 6-8 PM and will feature local participating artists, musicians, and refreshments. The reception is free to the public.
Contact: Mike Zint or Marcia Poole

===Previous Discussion ===
* Laura and Mary Ann: it may actually not be worth it for them because of recent tax reforms.
** Mary Ann: let's ask them why they think they need it. I'm not sure you can solicit without some legal agency?
** Robb: it's first ammendment protected to ask for money
** Laura: I'll give them a call.
** Robb and others: there may be other benefits to them being fiscally sponsored, including perception of legitimacy and access to liquor license for events
* Laura: it seems that we're generally in favor

===Discussion===
* Joe - what is the period of requested fiscal sponsorship?
** Laura - before and shortly after the period of the actual event?
* Sara - I'm also curious about !st They Came for the Homeless using the building for a poetry reading tied into the gallery event
** Laura - the Working Group of relevance is the Commons Working group, and you can contact me regarding the
* Robb - to be clear, this is a grant-based, not project-based physical sponsorship
** Marcia - we aren't taking money from the city, because we want Berkeley City money to be used for Homeless Services. the purpose of the sponsorship is to be able to receive money as related to the artshow. note: most of the homeless artists are craftspeople because of the need for the works to be movable.
* Habiba - I'm unclear on the purpose of the artshow as fundraiser? isn't it the case that most homeless want services?
** Marcia - we agree, but our purpose is also to change the general perspective of who homeless folks are.
*** John - there is a great deal of homeless artists

===Vote===
* In favor - CSC, CCL, FNB, SUDO, CSC
* Opposed - None
* Abstained - BAPS, GCEA
* the proposal passes

== GCEA Proposal on Unpaid Rent, Lease, and Small Classroom Security ==
* Hello Omni Delegates,

This is a GCEA draft proposal, which could be amended, based on feedback from the delegates at this meeting. Thank you for taking the time to discuss this proposal.

GCEA as an organization is working to establish itself on firm economic grounding. Unfortunately this has meant that GCEA hasn't been able to pay its rent for 5 months of 2018, as well as currently in 2019. GCEA feels that there is strong value for both parties in the relationship between GCEA and the Omni, and hopes that the Omni collectives feel the same way. To this end, we are making this proposal to change the status of GCEA's rent payment.

As an Omni collective organization, GCEA members appreciate the other Omni collectives’ willingness to work with us as we solidify our financial situation.

1) GCEA would like to pay its existing back rent to the Omni and is planning to conduct fundraising event to that effect. We propose that GCEA be able to pay the back rent at its normal rate, and propose that the Omni waive the late fees on rent payment. We believe this to be consistent behavior with many Omni collectives.

1a) GCEA organized a fundraising event, Out The Blue, on December 7th, 2018 in partnership with several University alumnae orgs and groups. We expected a portion of the funds ($1,100) to go towards GCEA's rent/youth trip to Africa. This portion would have covered our back rent from 2018 completely. We have been informed, after the fact, that the rules of the Commons Group prevent the funds from this event from going towards GCEA's rent. We believe this is a miscommunication and intend to have a conversation with the Common's Group in hope that our portion of the funds be allocated towards GCEA's rent. We will be appreciative if that happens, but if not GCEA intends to hold another fundraising event in order to pay for its back rent.

2) GCEA would like to propose that the rent be reduced to one dollar, for the ongoing period. We hope to be able to return to a larger rental rate in the future, but are having difficulty meeting this need right now. We understand that there is some precident in Omni history for an organization to have one dollar rent.
2a) We understand that there are organizations that exist at the Omni who make payments largely through paying a percentage of their donations directly to the Omni, rather than a monthly rent. GCEA would like to propose that it continue to support the Omni financially by giving a portion of its income from fundraisings and donations to the Omni. We would like to discuss that level with the Omni. Internally we have discussed numbers around 30-50% of GCEA donations, but are happy to discuss the appropriate level for this with the Omni Delegates.

3) GCEA has limited funds at the moment, but wants to continue contributing to the Omni Commons as much as it is able. To this end GCEA would like to propose that it take on a distinct project for the Omni. We have brainstormed an project: to take responsibility for a renovation of the Disco Room. This would involve organizing and taking responsibility for creating a working group to hold the meetings, organizing fundraising efforts (which should be easier as an Omni project, than direct GCEA fundraising), managing volunteer contractors, seeking input from the Omni Community, and ensuring that all legal regulations are followed.

4) The delegates have previously approved that GCEA and BAPS have priority use for the Small Classroom. Recently, some delegates requested that the lock be removed from the Classroom door. GCEA, in conversation with BAPS, propose to convert the small classroom from fully common space to semi-common. We propose to keep the door locked, in order to establish accountable common access to the room, and to keep it secure and clean. However, we seek to make the room available to any group that makes a reasonable request, except when GCEA or BAPS is already using the space. Please note additionally that we encourage that the Ticketbooth room be made more accessible to fully common use as soon as possible.

Thank you delegates for taking the time to consider this proposal. We welcome your thoughts and questions, and hope to be able to return at the next delegates meeting with a m ore formalized and informed proposal.

Well see you soon.

Much Love & Unity for all,

=== Discussion ===
* Almaz - the proposal has just been sent out as a draft
* Julian summaraizes the key points for the benefit of the delegates.
* Laura - I'd like to start this next part of the agenda by only asking clarifying questions
** Robb - I thought Out of the Blue came into the commons working group and Joe came into the event.
*** Almaz - I plan on discussing this matter in detail with the Commons Working Group to clarify point 1a) from the proposal. It's up to Commons to decide?
*** Laura - we'll talk about the details of this.
*** Jenny: Joe was the initial point person and almaz took it over. in general this was a risky event with amplified sound and underage attendees in the hundreds. marc reported amplified music and no point person at 11:10pm. We got another neighbor complaint about noise that night.
** Joe - I think this would be a much better proposal if there were numbers in it? Please add numbers wherever the amounts are discussed.
*** I don't know what the monthly rent has been
**** $200
** Helen - you wanted to change the status of the room from common to semi-common
*** Kiwi - my understanding is that the lock makes it semi
*** Helen - would that then go through Commons working group.
**** who would be the decisionmaker of this
**** Almaz - we have been had the room priority use & to maintain. collectives, groups, etc could be free to use it.
***** the Children's room would be fully open still, and GCEA will help keep it
*** Robb - so event requests would be submitted to you?
*** Laura - can you desribe the process in the updated proposal proposal
** Ken - two clarifying.
*** on the labor exchange rate. what would the labor rate be computable as?
**** Almaz - it's not labor exchange for the back-rent. the back-rent is covered by either fundraising event past or future. the future contributions would be covered
*** Ken - regarding the disco room. are you saying we have our own plan or we'll take on the existing Omni renovation plan?
**** Almaz - sorta both. we have our own vision to some degree, but also it would be
*** Ken - back on the labor - was there a calculation for labor quantified as money?
**** my understanding is that CCL & other collectives may be interested in this in the future.
**** Almaz - it's not a labor exchange precisely. it's a form of contribution, but not quantifiable per se. some groups do events, some groups do money; taking on an Omni-needed project is also a form of contribution.
** Kiwi - please read the proposal first!
** Franki - what I thought I heard was that - some of the calculations would be done by GCEA re the renovation project?
*** Almaz - the idea is that we'd take the lead in bottomlining the discoroom renovation
* suggestions for the proposal
** Helen - I generally think it's a good proposal, but I propose you think about using the Commons Working Group because they do that generally
*** Habiba - what Almaz is saying is that GCEA should be able to have decision making power
** Franki - I use that space, I like that it stays clean. if people want to use it, they should sign something so that people remain accountable
** Kiwi - having other people use the space makes it vulnerable to irresponsible use at times, so having an accountability process
** Joe - I ask that groups draw up some sort of representative/predictable scheduling -
** Robb - I want to offer the idea of putting anything needed to be locked into one of the offices upstairs. we have plenty of office spaces in the building that are already barely used.
** Kiwi - there seem to be spaces being used specifically by other collectives, why can't GCEA use a space particularly.
*** Laura- historically prior to GCEA, the Small Classroom was used by a bunch of collectives and groups. it was open and heavily used in that way. when GCEA came in, we wanted GCEA to
**** Franki - there is a lot of secured spaces being used by predominantly administrative white people, we want children and POC to be able to use that space
***** jnny: this proposal specifically makes childcare for the POC-run event on Saturday exceedingly more difficult as the room next to the Kids Room will be locked. Which was also never approved by delegates and was discussed at length with GCEA. Can we please ask that groups abide by their own contractual agreeements? or at least a limiter on how long one can just shirk said agreements with no consequences? I no longer feel comfortable as treasurer of this nonprofit.
****** furthermore "a lot of secured spaces" - could you please define this? & please find needabee upstairs in the Omni Office right now and ask her thoughts on this position.
***** Habiba - I don't think GCEA is asking too much, and I think people are putting too much of a trouble about this.
**** Helen - as far as I know, no one has suggested that people put a lock on the door. what you seem to be asking is that the room? i don't think the locking is at issue.
**** Habiba & Robb - there does seem to
*** Julian - remeber - everyone, we can use the direct reply rather than cutting each other off. second, julian read jenny's notes. third - we have the ticketbooth room, which could meet the same needs as the small classroom and we aren't even making use of it, yet everyone wants to make trouble about this use of space.
**** jnny: it's adjacent to the Kids Room.
*** Joe - I'm guessing Jenny brought up Needabee. I'm concerned that this is turning into pointing fingers black-against-white. the Omnni has tried for 3 years to make the space blacker & browner.
**** jnny: just pointing out that it's currently being used by people who need it... whereas a lock code for small classroom is both unauthorized and unnecessary. Room hasn't been used by GCEA in months.
*** Kiwi - intention matters to me. when we are here speaking, we don't need to be interrupted. Almaz doing work here. there are various
*** Franki - Julian's point about the upset about the use of the Small Classroom vs the Ticketbooth room seems indicative that there is a conflict over privilege going on here. are we having practical approaches to insiduiousness?
**** jnny: ...what? ABDC moved out, were supposed to move out, but haven't completely. Room would be useful for events, but small classroom being adjacent to Kids Room is basically the point...
** Lynn: Why can't the room be scheduled like other commons spaces? GCEA can schedule their activities and other times would be available thru the commons booking . That way more groups could use it as well as GCEA. The proposal should have time frames as well - what is meant by the ongoing period.?
*** jnny: makes the most sense and is still 100% in line with original agreement - minus the lock. that should be it's own proposal.
** Laura - remember that collectives should communicate directly with GCEA about concerns
** Robb - I would like formal mediation between Almaz & I.

== Last Meeting Notes ==
https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Event:2019/01/03_Delegates_Meeting

= End of Meeting =
* please archive these meeting notes by copying the entire pad contents onto the omni wiki
* then please erase the contents of this pad
* then please cut & paste a blank template from here: https://omnicommons.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Delegates_Meeting_Notes_Template&action=edit
* previous notes are archived here: https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Meetings

[[Category:Delegates Meeting]]

Event:2018/12/20

2018-12-23T03:12:07Z

Lynnhowe:

Omni Delegates' Meeting - 12/20/2018 7pm-9pm
Omni Delegates' Meeting - 12/20/2018 7pm-9pm

for instructions on preparing and archiving these notes, please see the bottom

=== Agenda ===
* Introductions, Meeting Roles, and Delegates Count [10 minutes]
* Access Check-in [5 minutes]
* Brief Announcements [5 minutes]
* Bans [5 minutes]
* Working Group Report-Backs [15 minutes]
* Member Collective Updates (10 minutes)
* Proposal X: [15 minutes]
* Proposal Y: [15 minutes]
* Discussion: Omni Financial Year End Reportback [20 minutes]
**Delegate meeting schedule
**Troy sleeping in the mezzaine, defaced cabinet by refrigerator - reported by Phil, also by the Sunday morning Event rental people

=== Introductions ===

Introduce yourself: Name; Preferred Pronoun; Affiliation; any brief announcements; say whether you're a delegate; let us know about any access needs you have†
**Lynn, Phil, Brian, Helen, Mary Ann

=== Access Check In ===

Is everybody able to participate fully in this meeting? Do people have unmet needs or concerns?

=== Meeting Roles ===
* Facilitator/s: Lynn
* Explanation of hand signals: "deaf applause", "raised hand", "point of process", "direct response"(wildcard), etc.
* Stacktaker:
* Timekeeper:
* Notetaker/s: Lynn
** URL of this pad: https://pad.riseup.net/p/omninom
* Vibe Reader:
* Next meeting's facilitator(s):

=== Delegates ===
* BAPS:
* CCL:
* CSC: Mary Ann
* FNB: Phil
* GWS: Rachel
* LL:
* Sudo:
* GCEA:
* Quorum:

==Brief Announcements==
*

== New Bans ==
*
* Add to list of people [https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Asked_to_Leave asked to leave]

== Working Group Report-Backs ==

=== Building & permits ===
Meetings: Not currently meeting
*
* This group needs help; https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/building

=== Commons ===
Meetings: Currently ad-hoc; join the 'Commons' list
*
* This group needs help:
** https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/commons
** https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/booking

=== Communications ===
Meetings: Not currently meeting
*

=== Finance ===
Meetings: Currently conjoined with Fundraising, 2nd & 4th Mondays at 6pm
*

=== Fundraising ===
Meetings: Currently conjoined with Finance,, 2nd & 4th Mondays at 6pm
*

== Member Collective Updates ==
What is going on with your collective? What are you working on? What have you accomplished? Any events coming up? Any difficulties you are encountering that you need help with?

=== BAPS ===
*

=== CCL ===
*

=== CSC ===
*

=== FNB ===
*

===GCEA===
*

=== GWS ===
*

=== LL ===
*

=== Sudo ===
*

= Proposals =
== Example Proposal Title==
* Name of person, and/or, collective. and/or working group making this proposal; Date the proposal was sent to the consensus email list
* Text of proposal

= Discussions =
*Delegate meeting schedule:
I can't be there and tried to recruit several folks in CCL as subs - but between holidays, other events, out-of-towners, etc. there's not going to be a rep for CCL for tonite's delegate's meeting.

I would like to refurbish my proposal from last spring - about having delegate's meetings once a month during the summer since so many folks are on vacation - to broaden the scope for delegate's meetings at once a month, year round, and with skipping December as a meeting month altogether.
at once a month, year round, and with skipping December as a meeting month altogether.

I'm on the board for several nonprofits and member of many more and only one meets during the holidays month of Dec only because it is in the rainy season and that is an active mushroom month for mushrooms and they sponsor many season related events that need discussing/planning. Two other mushroom societies, and the rest of the orgs, also don't meet at all in Dec for board or member meetings as the meetings are never well attended that time of year, or it is just reduced to a holiday party with no business to distract from celebrations of the orgs' yearly accomplishments.

Now that Omni has Jenny's electronic method of communications, any urgent topics can be discussed and voted on by that means so, except for extraordinary situations, it wouldn't even be necessary to call a special delegate's meeting beyond once a month. Since most of the nitty gritty of Omni operations are delegated to the finance and commons committees, the delegates really don't need to do much supervisory management and, perhaps sometime in the new year, I think I'll likely be proposing that delegate's meetings be scheduled quarterly.

Perhaps yall would like to put this on the agenda to discuss this at the meeting tonite, whether there is a quorum or not to vote on anything.
** Mary Ann raised the concern that this raises the question about the role of the board and would continue monthly meetings with 1 in August and December.
**Helen wonders if there are issues that come up often enough for 2 meetings/month.
**Brian Meetings seem pretty hectic.
**Rachel thinks one meeting a month might have more attendance and urgent things can be done over email
**Mary Ann - every group has this issue. CCS has found that email messages are not as clear often
**Helen, especially if the issue is something people get angry about or concerned.

** Rachel special meetings could be called when something comes up that has to be discussed more thoroughly
** Mary Ann, Brian feel like special meetings sound like a good idea but may not work in practice
** Helen - has not found that less frequent meetings are more likely to bring people together
** Brian - consistence of meetings tends to keep people coming
** Mary ann - if the board had more decisions to make, people might show up more

*Omni Year End Financial Reportback:
** Brian will give the presentation, largely sumarizing the email Jenny sent out on December 2nd.
** Brian Discussion tonight, short version is the Omni is making more money than spending; paid down $100,000 in liabilities this year, including many personal loans, have saved $$, most allocated to the kitchen.
** Phil asked about funds for lighting the entrance hall
** Brian: goals to have $30,000 in savings for operating funds and 2x time for bigger capital reserves. Spending $9000/month, taking in $14,000 (split between fiscally sponsored projects, tenants, rentals.)Looking into grants also.

** Update on organizations who are significantly behind on rent.
** GCEA is at least 6 months behind on rent - for a total of $1200 minimum, at $200/month. Brian has talked to Almaz about how to get more income. Almaz expressed interest in having an arrangement like FNB, which is low rent ($1) but does fundraisers during the year for Omni rent.
** Lynn: Do we know how much FNB has raised for the Omni in fundraisers?
** Phil: FNB voted to give $800 for utilities.
** Brian: Will find the number.
** Helen: I thought FNB was contributing labor (Phil cleaning)
* Mary Ann: It seems like when groups are not being successful; is BAPS paying anything?
** Phil: BAPS doesn't use any space, utilities etc
** Phil: Events that GCEA has are serving alcohol
** Helen: That is a separate issue. Is BAPS active?
** Mary Ann:
** Rachel: i think groups that have their own spaces should contribute financially if they have agreed to pay. grant writing, fundraising, regular benefits etc
** Mary Ann: how does that fit with FNB? which has storage space, refrigerators
** Brian agrees with Rachel
** Mary Ann - fiscally sponsored groups do things that grants give money for, maybe we have gone about it the wrong way by looking at the omni as a whole rather than looking toward the fiscall sponsored groups
** Rachel do you mean like GCEA being a fiscally sponsored group?
** Lynn, it is, but of another organization.
** Brian: Yes, Maryanne was suggesting that as the fiscal sponsor of GCEA, the omni may be more able to help them get grants that their current fiscal sponsor.
** Brian: I also happen to think that this may be difficult, I think our capacity to help orgs get grants is limited enough to be dangerous to plan around.
**Rachel: Are they writing grants but not getting the $?
** BRian: I don't htin
** Lynn: Laura has said that is the case.
** Helen: Examples in our history of people who say they can do something but who can't do it and hard dot hold feet to the fire if they can't do it.
** Mary Ann: how does it happen that we approve something (like the cafe) that people can't do
** Sierk: The cafe had a future plan but economically it didn't work, so we can reconsider the new future plan. But in GCEA that is about rent due from the past.
** Mary Ann: in both cases there was a lease and contract.
** Sierk - but one is now and one is in the past; and we want to let people have ambitions and try to reach their dream; as long as we can rediscuss it.
** Lynn: Could Finance put together a spreadsheet of all the Omni organizations with what they get and what they contribute so that we can see what options there are.
** Rachel: should it be rediscussed with GCEA what kind of contribution they can make?
** Brian reintroduces the topic to Kiwi from GCEA who just entered, who discusses use of the kitchen in the future.
** Robb, who just entered, asks to review the amount owed
** Brian not sure whether organizational spreadsheet is possible or is too long
** Robb should be pretty clear to do
** Brian: Almaz could put togther a proposal for a different list agreement
** Robb: what do we do with an organization not paying dues for 6 month?
** Helen: there is a rule, no longer a voting member - but has not been invoked
** Helen: 2 ideas here: GCEA prepare a proposal, and to be helpful, that Finance should develop a spreadsheet type of what all organizations do
** Kiwi: GCEA could find ways to do labor
** Robb: Other members do work for the Omni collective
** robb: WE need a proposal and everyone needs to live up to their agreement.
** Rachel: agree with Robb
** Kiwi: whatever is fair
** Rachel: so is it that GCEA will bring a proposal to delegate meeting?
** Brian: need a timeline for this proposal - February 7, 2019. Kiwi has agreed that the date sounds good, but with some hesitation.
** Helen: I propose that GCEA come up with a proposal on February 7 2019 to renegotiate their agreement and bring it back to the delegates
** Robb - they are in default
** Mary Ann - a problem has been presented to us and we have a quorum, so we can address that or set up a process.
** Robb: Helen is bringing a proposal on behalf of GCEA
** Kiwi: I am here to help with fundraising
** Brian brought us this issue and its up to us to take steps forward.
** Brian offers to help Almaz with the proposal
** Mary Ann: GCEA is inactive until rent is up to date.

Meeting is adjourned 8:45 pm
== Example Discussion Item ==
*

== Last Meeting Notes ==
https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Event:2017/MM/DD_Delegates_Meeting

= End of Meeting =
* please archive these meeting notes by copying the entire pad contents onto the omni wiki
* then please erase the contents of this pad
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[[Category:Delegates Meeting]]

Event:2018/12/20

2018-12-23T02:34:09Z

Lynnhowe: Created page with "Omni Delegates' Meeting - 12/20/2018 7pm-9pm s at once a month, year round, and with skipping December as a meeting month altogether. I'm on the board for several nonprofits..."

Omni Delegates' Meeting - 12/20/2018 7pm-9pm
s at once a month, year round, and with skipping December as a meeting month altogether.

I'm on the board for several nonprofits and member of many more and only one meets during the holidays month of Dec only because it is in the rainy season and that is an active mushroom month for mushrooms and they sponsor many season related events that need discussing/planning. Two other mushroom societies, and the rest of the orgs, also don't meet at all in Dec for board or member meetings as the meetings are never well attended that time of year, or it is just reduced to a holiday party with no business to distract from celebrations of the orgs' yearly accomplishments.

Now that Omni has Jenny's electronic method of communications, any urgent topics can be discussed and voted on by that means so, except for extraordinary situations, it wouldn't even be necessary to call a special delegate's meeting beyond once a month. Since most of the nitty gritty of Omni operations are delegated to the finance and commons committees, the delegates really don't need to do much supervisory management and, perhaps sometime in the new year, I think I'll likely be proposing that delegate's meetings be scheduled quarterly.

Perhaps yall would like to put this on the agenda to discuss this at the meeting tonite, whether there is a quorum or not to vote on anything.
** Mary Ann raised the concern that this raises the question about the role of the board and would continue monthly meetings with 1 in August and December.
**Helen wonders if there are issues that come up often enough for 2 meetings/month.
**Brian Meetings seem pretty hectic.
**Rachel thinks one meeting a month might have more attendance and urgent things can be done over email
**Mary Ann - every group has this issue. CCS has found that email messages are not as clear often
**Helen, especially if the issue is something people get angry about or concerned.

** Rachel special meetings could be called when something comes up that has to be discussed more thoroughly
** Mary Ann, Brian feel like special meetings sound like a good idea but may not work in practice
** Helen - has not found that less frequent meetings are more likely to bring people together
** Brian - consistence of meetings tends to keep people coming
** Mary ann - if the board had more decisions to make, people might show up more

*Omni Year End Financial Reportback:
** Brian will give the presentation, largely sumarizing the email Jenny sent out on December 2nd.
** Brian Discussion tonight, short version is the Omni is making more money than spending; paid down $100,000 in liabilities this year, including many personal loans, have saved $$, most allocated to the kitchen.
** Phil asked about funds for lighting the entrance hall
** Brian: goals to have $30,000 in savings for operating funds and 2x time for bigger capital reserves. Spending $9000/month, taking in $14,000 (split between fiscally sponsored projects, tenants, rentals.)Looking into grants also.

** Update on organizations who are significantly behind on rent.
** GCEA is at least 6 months behind on rent - for a total of $1200 minimum, at $200/month. Brian has talked to Almaz about how to get more income. Almaz expressed interest in having an arrangement like FNB, which is low rent ($1) but does fundraisers during the year for Omni rent.
** Lynn: Do we know how much FNB has raised for the Omni in fundraisers?
** Phil: FNB voted to give $800 for utilities.
** Brian: Will find the number.
** Helen: I thought FNB was contributing labor (Phil cleaning)
* Mary Ann: It seems like when groups are not being successful; is BAPS paying anything?
** Phil: BAPS doesn't use any space, utilities etc
** Phil: Events that GCEA has are serving alcohol
** Helen: That is a separate issue. Is BAPS active?
** Mary Ann:
** Rachel: i think groups that have their own spaces should contribute financially if they have agreed to pay. grant writing, fundraising, regular benefits etc
** Mary Ann: how does that fit with FNB? which has storage space, refrigerators
** Brian agrees with Rachel
** Mary Ann - fiscally sponsored groups do things that grants give money for, maybe we have gone about it the wrong way by looking at the omni as a whole rather than looking toward the fiscall sponsored groups
** Rachel do you mean like GCEA being a fiscally sponsored group?
** Lynn, it is, but of another organization.
** Brian: Yes, Maryanne was suggesting that as the fiscal sponsor of GCEA, the omni may be more able to help them get grants that their current fiscal sponsor.
** Brian: I also happen to think that this may be difficult, I think our capacity to help orgs get grants is limited enough to be dangerous to plan around.
**Rachel: Are they writing grants but not getting the $?
** BRian: I don't htin
** Lynn: Laura has said that is the case.
** Helen: Examples in our history of people who say they can do something but who can't do it and hard dot hold feet to the fire if they can't do it.
** Mary Ann: how does it happen that we approve something (like the cafe) that people can't do
** Sierk: The cafe had a future plan but economically it didn't work, so we can reconsider the new future plan. But in GCEA that is about rent due from the past.
** Mary Ann: in both cases there was a lease and contract.
** Sierk - but one is now and one is in the past; and we want to let people have ambitions and try to reach their dream; as long as we can rediscuss it.
** Lynn: Could Finance put together a spreadsheet of all the Omni organizations with what they get and what they contribute so that we can see what options there are.
** Rachel: should it be rediscussed with GCEA what kind of contribution they can make?
** Brian reintroduces the topic to Kiwi from GCEA who just entered, who discusses use of the kitchen in the future.
** Robb, who just entered, asks to review the amount owed
** Brian not sure whether organizational spreadsheet is possible or is too long
** Robb should be pretty clear to do
** Brian: Almaz could put togther a proposal for a different list agreement
** Robb: what do we do with an organization not paying dues for 6 month?
** Helen: there is a rule, no longer a voting member - but has not been invoked
** Helen: 2 ideas here: GCEA prepare a proposal, and to be helpful, that Finance should develop a spreadsheet type of what all organizations do
** Kiwi: GCEA could find ways to do labor
** Robb: Other members do work for the Omni collective
** robb: WE need a proposal and everyone needs to live up to their agreement.
** Rachel: agree with Robb
** Kiwi: whatever is fair
** Rachel: so is it that GCEA will bring a proposal to delegate meeting?
** Brian: need a timeline for this proposal - February 7, 2019. Kiwi has agreed that the date sounds good, but with some hesitation.
** Helen: I propose that GCEA come up with a proposal on February 7 2019 to renegotiate their agreement and bring it back to the delegates
** Robb - they are in default
** Mary Ann - a problem has been presented to us and we have a quorum, so we can address that or set up a process.
** Robb: Helen is bringing a proposal on behalf of GCEA
** Kiwi: I am here to help with fundraising
** Brian brought us this issue and its up to us to take steps forward.
** Brian offers to help Almaz with the proposal
** Mary Ann: GCEA is inactive until rent is up to date.

Meeting is adjourned 8:45 pm
== Example Discussion Item ==
*

== Last Meeting Notes ==
https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Event:2017/MM/DD_Delegates_Meeting

= End of Meeting =
* please archive these meeting notes by copying the entire pad contents onto the omni wiki
* then please erase the contents of this pad
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[[Category:Delegates Meeting]]

Event:Yyyy/mm/dd Event Title

2018-12-23T02:33:10Z

Event:2018/12/06 Delegates Meeting

2018-12-19T23:56:11Z

Lynnhowe: Created page with "Omni Delegates' Meeting - 12.6.2018 7pm-9pm for instructions on preparing and archiving these notes, please see the bottom === Agenda === * Introductions, Meeting Roles, an..."

Omni Delegates' Meeting - 12.6.2018 7pm-9pm

for instructions on preparing and archiving these notes, please see the bottom

=== Agenda ===
* Introductions, Meeting Roles, and Delegates Count [10 minutes]
* Access Check-in [5 minutes]
* Brief Announcements [5 minutes]
* Bans [5 minutes]
* Working Group Report-Backs [15 minutes]
* Member Collective Updates (10 minutes)
* Proposal: Fiscally Sponsor Musick Creek Wildlands: A forest workshop for art, science & community [10 minutes]
* Proposal: Sponsor Critical Resistance's 20th Anniversary (December 9th) [5 minutes]
* Discussion: Omni Holiday Security [15 minutes]

=== Introductions ===

Introduce yourself: Name; Preferred Pronoun; Affiliation; any brief announcements; say whether you're a delegate; let us know about any access needs you have†

=== Access Check In ===

Is everybody able to participate fully in this meeting? Do people have unmet needs or concerns?

=== Meeting Roles ===
* Facilitator/s:
* Explanation of hand signals: "deaf applause", "raised hand", "point of process", "direct response"(wildcard), etc.
* Stacktaker:
* Timekeeper:
* Notetaker/s:
** URL of this pad: https://pad.riseup.net/p/omninom
* Vibe Reader:
* Next meeting's facilitator(s):

=== Delegates ===
* BAPS: Julian
* CCL: Ken
* CSC:
* FNB: Philip
* GWS:
* LL: inactive unless delegate arrives
* Sudo:
* GCEA: inactive - Kiwi
* Quorum:

==Brief Announcements==
*

== New Bans ==
*
* Add to list of people [https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Asked_to_Leave asked to leave]

== Working Group Report-Backs ==

=== Building & permits ===
Meetings: Not currently meeting
* Update from Abad on the Cafe
* This group needs help; https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/building

=== Commons ===
Meetings: Currently ad-hoc?
*
* This group needs help:
** https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/commons
** https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/booking

=== Communications ===
Meetings: Not currently meeting
*

=== Finance ===
Meetings: Currently conjoined with Fundraising, 2nd & 4th Mondays at 6pm
* Taxes
* Financial overview of last year
* Last month's fianancial report including Collective payments

=== Fundraising ===
Meetings: Currently conjoined with Finance,, 2nd & 4th Mondays at 6pm
*

== Member Collective Updates ==
What is going on with your collective? What are you working on? What have you accomplished? Any events coming up? Any difficulties you are encountering that you need help with?

=== BAPS ===
*

=== CCL ===
*

=== CSC ===
*

=== FNB ===
*

===GCEA===
*

=== GWS ===
*

=== LL ===
*

=== Sudo ===
*

= Proposals =

== Proposal: Fiscally Sponsor Musick Creek Wildlands: A forest workshop for art, science & community ==
* submitted 14 Nov 2018 by Jenny on behalf of Joel Pomerantz:

"We're an arts and forest stewardship center arranging to purchase a specific property in the Sierra. We are explicitly non-hierarchical and egalitarian. We will establish the land as a public resource in perpetuity, continuing our acoustic music gatherings and other cultural and educational events there. We already incorporated (thanks to help from Laura Turiano and Jesse Palmer!) but haven’t finished the application process yet for tax exempt status. One donor says they want to give us $5k this and $5k next year but it turns out it’s through a “donor advised fund” which means we can’t be ready in time to accept the $5k this year. Unless, that is, we have fiscal sponsorship from a group that already has 501(c)3 with a compatible mission, such as Omni. We just need fiscal sponsoring for a one-timer. We request that you support our work by making us a project of Omni to take advantage of this specific donation offer. We also hope for opportunities to collaborate in the future on cultural projects and connection with the land! But this request pertains only to the one current donor bind we are in. Would you support us on this? Our organization is officially called Musick Creek Confluence.

This project link provides the curious with much more depth about our project.

Thank you for your consideration!
Joel

PS: Interestingly, the Awesome Foundation, of which I am a member, helped fund the purchase of the building at Omni Commons! I say that only as a token community alignment, but it is not particularly relevant to the above request, being a different organization altogether."

=== Discussion ===
* yar via email: "It looks like they're in a hurry. Did last week's delegates meeting ever happen? These fiscal sponsorship requests come often enough that maybe we should empower the finance wg to make future decisions like this."
* robb via email: "i'd be more in favor of an email consent process for fast tracking these requests"
* See this Loomio thread for recent discussion: https://www.loomio.org/d/GUw10dlM/fiscal-sponsorships
* Loomio consenso by Mary Ann (Chiapas), Jenny (Sudo), Joe (FNB) and Ken (CCL); blocking concern by Anka (LibLens, currently inactive); support by Laura & Lynn
* Reply from Joel: "I’ve been shown how to join the conversation, so here I am, to answer any Qs about Musick Creek’s work.
Some context: We haven’t begun any of our programs yet. The organization only just came into existence to try and buy the property and pursue this mission.

Pics: Anything you see in pictures is a scrapping together of documentation from past uses of the property, so as to excite interest in ecological beauty, not designed in regard to future uses or intentions. Those photos are of some of the visitors to that property. Others have been people of color, certainly. The communities in the area where we’ve begun our work are generally a mix of white, Latinx and Nyyhmy (a.k.a. Northfork Mono) in order of population numbers and we have developed our planning ideas in colaboration with the Native American Nyyhmy community. I appreciate that our messaging must strive to be welcoming to people of all identities, and we are intent on developing a more representative photo sampling—not easy in a place where technology has been minimally present and hardly any pictures exist. Had we gone out of our way to feature the various POC in past gatherings by taking photos with them in particular, that might have felt like tokenism, especially since that region is mostly populated by poor white people.
Future demographics: Our intentions and plans are heading toward additional connections with people from outside that region, most importantly people from urban and suburban lifestyles. You can be assured that collaborations will be with programs serving many POC.
Awesome Foundation: Not a real foundation, just a group of people who give no-strings gifts and pretend it’s a grant. Yes, we gave $500 to the crowd-funding effort for OC.

Social justice: The SJ components of our work are embedded in the ideas that (1) anyone can and must become aware of the inextricable connectedness of ecological systems with social systems, politics and economics. They are not separate topics. (2) One of our fundamental principles is that future participants in our group, whether they choose to organize or be program-goers, will choose their own participation content and commitments, without dues or fee requirements. (3) We wish to research, coalesce, test and set examples of non- and anti-capitalist methods for building inclusive, empowering communities and individuals of that region and those connecting in from elsewhere. (4) We have already helped build personal connections and meaningful experiences between people who would perhaps otherwise not intersect or have access to one another’s background and ethnic stories."

== Proposal: Will the Omni sponsor CR's 20th Anniversary (December 9th)? ==
* submitted 25 Nov 2018 by Julio:
* https://omnicommons.org/pipermail/consensus/2018-November/001403.html

"Please respond by December 1 if at all possible.

I asked the finance working group if the Omni could formally sponsor this event as an organization, and while everyone in the group agreed that we could and should, they requested that I make a formal request to the delegates since it would entail donating funds to an external group.

Last year, I contributed $200 on behalf of the Omni and shared a handful of tickets for Omni folks to attend the Annual Critical Resistance program. This year, the event is even bigger and it features a conversation moderated by Angela Davis celebrating 20 years of prison industrial complex abolition.

This year, Laura has agreed to cover half the amount for the minimum organizational contribution of $500, so I am requesting for the Omni to contribute $250.

Thank you all so much for your consideration in supporting the ongoing work of this highly respected Oakland-based organization aligned with the values and mission of the Omni Commons.

If this is approved, l please contact me privately if you are interested in attending the program on behalf of the Omni on December 9."

=== Discussion ===
* email consenso from Rachel (GWS), Jenny (sudo), Maureen (CCL)

= Discussions =

== Omni Holiday Security ==
* via Laura on 20 Nov 2018:

"Greetings Omninoms,

During the time between mid-Christmas and early January we tend to have security problems - stuff disappears, messes are made and not cleaned up, vandalism occurs, people sleep and build nests in the building, and members feel unsafe when they come by. This is because a lot of the Omni regulars go out of town or don't come around as much. There are also fewer events. We can make sure nothing serious happens by knowing who is around and scheduling times for members to check the building.

*If you are regularly at Omni but will be out of town* between 12/15 and 1/5, email me and let me know when you will be gone. I will keep track of when we really need to schedule walk-throughs (See below) by those who are still around. I will also talk to Chicago/Tony about when he is planning to be around.

*If you will be around*. please commit to a time on this spread sheet: <https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_N3staAJi-iggQIqwlL-Fqr6_0AtwHXCaHwlVUHFS6g/edit?usp=sharing> to come by and walk through the building to make sure everything is cool. Choose a time that is not too close to when someone else has already planned to come by. The best time to do this is between 9pm and midnight, but other times are also helpful. See below how to do a walk-through.

*If you have an event/events during this time,* it is especially important that you *do not leave any doors open and unattended*, or let
people in who are not members, guests or members, or attending an event. Members will have a key card and so do not usually need to ring the bell. Please make sure everyone at your event who is not a member leaves at the end.

*If you are an Omni member leaving the building after 10*, please do a walk thru to make sure everything is secure before you leave. Below is how to do a security walk thru, from the wiki: https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Keys#How_to_Do_a_Security_Walk-through "

== Last Meeting Notes ==
https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Event:2018/11/01_Delegates_Meeting

= End of Meeting =
* please archive these meeting notes by copying the entire pad contents onto the omni wiki
* then please erase the contents of this pad
* then please cut & paste a blank template from here: https://omnicommons.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Delegates_Meeting_Notes_Template&action=edit
* previous notes are archived here: https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Meetings

[[Category:Delegates Meeting]]

Event:2018/11/01 Delegates Meeting

2018-11-09T21:05:59Z

Lynnhowe: Created page with "Omni Delegates' Meeting - 1 November 2018 7pm-9pm for instructions on preparing and archiving these notes, please see the bottom === Agenda === * Introductions, Meeting Rol..."

Omni Delegates' Meeting - 1 November 2018 7pm-9pm

for instructions on preparing and archiving these notes, please see the bottom

=== Agenda ===
* Introductions, Meeting Roles, and Delegates Count [10 minutes]
* Access Check-in [5 minutes]
* Brief Announcements [5 minutes]
* Bans [5 minutes]
* Working Group Report-Backs [15 minutes]
* Member Collective Updates (10 minutes)
* Proposal: Criteria to become and remain an Omni Commons Member Collective (15 mins)
* Proposal: Grant 'creepy closet' space in the basement to The Village [5 minutes]
* Discussion: Boosting Working Group involvement [20 minutes]

=== Introductions ===

Introduce yourself: Name; Preferred Pronoun; Affiliation; any brief announcements; say whether you're a delegate; let us know about any access needs you have†

=== Access Check In ===

Is everybody able to participate fully in this meeting? Do people have unmet needs or concerns?

=== Meeting Roles ===
* Facilitator/s: Julian
* Explanation of hand signals: "deaf applause", "raised hand", "point of process", "direct response"(wildcard), etc.
* Stacktaker:
* Timekeeper:
* Notetaker/s: Jenny
** URL of this pad: https://pad.riseup.net/p/omninom
* Vibe Reader: robb
* Next meeting's facilitator(s):

=== Delegates ===
* BAPS: Julian
* CCL:
* CSC: Mary Ann
* FNB: Phil
* GWS: Rachel
* LL: robb (inactive til next meeting)
* Sudo: Jenny
* GCEA: inactive
* Quorum: 5/6 active - yes

==Brief Announcements==
* Rachel - GWS meeting next Week - "Mission Neighbors: Stand Up for Sex Workers' Right & Safety" https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2018/10/25/18818486.php
* Robb - LL is having a film fest on Nov 10th and filmmakers meetup after the event in the basement - the meetup is private event
* Jenny - Media Lab - it a working group, could be a reportback
** Village:
*** needs: water, volunteers, large tents, brown and black folks to help with community neighborhood outreach
*** neighbors 60/40 into it // not into it
*** City Hall rally on Monday in support of folks who had their vehicles towed recently
*** police did not shut down Lake Merritt encampment due to solidarity turn out, its an elders camp

== New Bans ==
*
* Add to list of people [https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Asked_to_Leave asked to leave]

== Working Group Report-Backs ==

=== Building & permits ===
Meetings: Currently not meeting / conjoined with Kitchen
* Jenny - Media lab will send out and email/doodle for a work party, because things can now be moved into that back corner
** Kitchenwise - getting the list of appliance requirements, need that in order to finish the planset to get the permits
* Robb - behind the ballroom bar, the sink faucet was leaking and the freezer was leaking; both fixed
** roof also 80% cleaned off, now there will be a work party for patching roof holes soon. badly needed for this winter, badly needed.
* Philip - lighting.
** Jenny - David K knows someone who does lighting, and is gonna arrange that. Safer DIY
* This group needs help; https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/building

=== Commons ===
Meetings: Second and Fourth Mondays at 5pm
* Robb - approximately 6k in Sept, 6.5K in August
* currently working on a proposal. clear out the list of people who can publish events; have an extra layer of events
** you can't publish your own event. if you send in a request for an event. that way, another part would be there to make sure it's pending.
* Jenny - still looking for building a better booking system to prevent conflicts.
* Robb - there is an event that wants to go past 12am and until 2am
** Jenny - we may just want to call those neighbors
* Julian - if we are considering it for this event, why wouldn't we consider it for others?
** Robb - we have a year+ long relationship that has show they're in-audible. the music is mostly background to the dance as focus of their event.
* Mary Ann - at the last meeting Laura mentioned TIL wanting to rent the whole building, including the CSC office. No one appears to care form CSC.
** GWS is okay with it too, as long as they clean it up
* This group needs help:
** https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/commons
** https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/booking

=== Communications ===
Meetings: Currently not meeting
*

=== Finance ===
Meetings: Currently conjoined with Fundraising, 2nd & 4th Mondays at 6pm
* Jenny - still waiting on property tax exemption
** still paying off community loans, but we will by Feb 2019, which will loosen up $2k/mo, allowing us to build up reserves.
** Mary Ann - do we currently have reserves
*** Jenny - goal is $30k by year end
* Rachel - GWS, we got a triple bill
** Jenny - a number of collectives were accidentally multiply billed due to quickbooks issues
* Mary Ann - did Omni ever get a check from CSC for the art festival we did? we got a small grant for that.
** Jenny - unsure, will check.

=== Fundraising ===
Meetings: Currently conjoined with Finance,, 2nd & 4th Mondays at 6pm
* Jenny - Spaz wants to do more events to raise for Sudo to support basement usable for parties
* Jenny: Caracol Cafe is running an IndieGoGo campaign right now - plz support & share: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/cafe-caracol-collective-at-omni-commons/

== Member Collective Updates ==
What is going on with your collective? What are you working on? What have you accomplished? Any events coming up? Any difficulties you are encountering that you need help with?

=== ABDC ===
*

=== BAPS ===
*

=== CCL ===
*

=== CSC ===
*

=== FNB ===
*

===GCEA===
*

=== GWS ===
*

=== LL ===
*

=== Sudo ===
*

= Proposals =

== Proposal: Criteria to become and remain an Omni Commons Member Collective (15 mins) ==
via Laura 9/17:

* 1. Have a minimum of 5 active members. Active members are those who participate in the organization’s decisions by participating in meetings, responding to email or other online decision-related discussions, performing administrative work, and leading programmatic activities. People who only attend events are not counted as active members.
* 2. Be a collective: a non-hierarchical group with a participatory decision making process.
* 3. Fulfill requirement to delegate a board member, **and participate in the delegates/board meeting regularly.**
* 4. Endorse the Omni Commons statement of solidarity, statement of purpose, and safer space policy, and demonstrate how the activities of the collective contribute to them. Also, this song.
* 5. Be or become either a tenant or a fiscally sponsored project of Omni Commons.
* 6. Contribute materially to the Commons via rent, fiscal sponsorship fee, or other resources.

**(Note 1: If an existing member collective fails to meet agreements made in the lease or fiscal sponsorship agreement, OC may take actions described in these documents or allowed by law. If an MC fails to meet internal OC agreements [eg. participating in delegates meetings or operating as a collective] they will be considered “inactive” and will not be included in the consensus count at delegates meetings until the requirement is met or another agreement is reached.)**

** (Note 2: Groups using space at Omni Commons can also be just tenants or fiscally sponsored projects without having the additional benefits and responsibilities of being a member collective. However, since it benefits OC to have as many groups as possible contributing to the work and decision-making, **the maximum ratio of non-member resident (tenant) groups to member collectives is set at 1:4, at the time a group applies to be a non member tenant)**

=== Discussion ===
* Robb - a verbal agreement was made last meeting that BAPS would be grandfathered as exempt.
* Philip - I posted emails to the FNB listserv about this. as far as I'm concerned, I don't see anything negative come back formally why it wouldn't be approve
* Mary Ann - my understanding was the question as to whether they were rules or they were guidelines. there was discussion as to whether we're grandfathering BAPS in - that's my recollectin
* Julian - I can consense on it as guidelines but not as rules. if it were rules, we don't have a clear mechanism.
** Robb - it could be a proposal, based on these as guidelines.
*** Mary Ann - as its written these seem rules and not guidelines.
*** Robb - we would need to change the term to "guidelines"
* Julian - t
* Jenny - one collective (Oakland Nights Live) was once removed when we first moved into the space based on not matching with Omni values and not fulfilling their financial commitments
* Mary Ann - I would have some concern about removing groups at this point in time wrt its impact on the left, especially if they were rules
* Robb - don't think it's an issue at this point in time
** mary ann - think it should be mandatory wrt accepting new collectives... mandatory in order for them to come in. want to make sure we're distinguishing between imposing on current groups and taking in new groups
*** robb: eg the collective of two women, might not be successful, wouldn't meet these criteria
* julian: would think that our existing consensus process already enables these discussions to happen and these guidelines to be discussed
** rachel: would worry about the distinction re: having differing criteria for collectives already here and collectives coming in
*** mary ann: criteria should be points for discussion with new groups interested in coming in... having guidelines for people when they're talking to new collectives interested in joining. agree with laura's point last meeting, that there are certain attributes of a group that is successful
**** julian: so a new collective could join under these criteria but not be removed according to these criteria?
***** you'd become inactive essentially, thus not able to block someone's proposal to remove you -
**** mary ann: should be some way to support groups in need of support
***** phil: so can you help us get fnb some volunteers?
* Jenny - it is in our practices that a proposal to remove a group exclude that group from the consensus process.
* robb: think we should just bring this to a vote and just kill it now
* mary ann: we already have a policy, it just hasn't been enforced. so why not just leave it at the existing policy?
* Rachel - we want to have a reason to have a collective leave, eg,
** if they haven't paid the rent, that's different - they have no legal protection
* mary ann : what if we bring in another collective and they don't maintain 5 members, are we just going to remove them even though we keep baps on board?
** If we approved what Laura has written, we'd be kicking BAPS out via definition of "active members"
* Rachel - we don't have a membership, we have a network - which is comparatively looser
* Robb - does any collective need to check with their collective on this?
** Mary Ann: put it out to people and they didn't understand it, and when i explained it I got no response
* Rachel - attendance of delegates assembly is a valid and important contribution to Omni
* Robb: it doesn't address a problem that we currently have
* Jenny: on the one hand, the smaller the collective the more engagement with omni they may have, whereas larger more amorphous groups (eg sudo, fnb), a lot of that admin/bureaucratic work tends to fall onto the same few people with no one else in the collective feeling responsibility to care
* Mary Ann - dwindling collectives do become an issue in terms of ability to materially contribute toward rent
* Robb - there is no will here to make a rule to begin an eviction process
**

Consenso?
* Seems the general consensus is not to pass this proposal, but find ways to better support collectives that may need help or are struggling
* opposed: FNB, LL, GWS, CSC, BAPS
* abstained: Sudo

== Proposal: Grant 'creepy closet' space in the basement to The Village (5 mins) ==
via Jenny / The Village 11/1:

Homes Not Jails recently moved out of the 'creepy closet,' the small lockable closet that can be found in the basement between Phat Beets' storage there. This is a proposal to allocate that closet as temporary secure storage for The Village, who this past weekend in partnership with East Oakland Collective began building a new village and resource center in deep east Oak.

Over the past two weeks, village volunteers have hella thrown down on organizing their current corner with shelving and labelled bins. Their area has also been reduced some due to issues with the plumbing in that corner (which they also assisted in cleaning and giving space for a fan and any followup work that may need to be done. They have a few tools as well as t-shirts and some other more sensitive storage needs that can fit perfectly in that closet.

Proposal is to allot them use of that closet pending upcoming kitchen renovations in that area.

=== Discussion ===
* No questions or concerns at this time.

= Discussions =

== Discussion: Boosting Working Group Involvement (20 mins) ==

We'll invite people from each working group to focus their report backs on the question of boosting involvement

* Rachel - this is a serious discussion, we need to put this more in advance
** Mary Ann - kind of break down what's really specifically needed in each working group; there is someone in our group whose actually interested; specifically what would be expected
*** Robb - so we need a volunteer job description
*** Mary Ann - we in CSC need to know what's expected to decide if we want to join Commons
**** skills needed, time expectations,
***** more thinking through the way we support people through that process, including on the basis of ability
**** Rachel - I want to assure that it's considered - I'm visibility impaired, so we need to have ways people with disabilities can support and participate in working group activities
***** I could even participate from home
* Mary Ann - working groups: please let us know how we can help; Roberto is very interested. if there was something specific, groups might step up for activities
** Rachel - is Commons the kind of thing where someone could receive on-the-job training.
*** Robb - I don't know if the meetings are the thing, I think a dedicated one-on-one session.
**** Jenny - maybe we should do more role division in these working groups?
***** Maybe we need a buddy system?
****** Mary Ann and Rachel - that would be good for them
** Julian: Help at the Orientations would be awesome, and pretty low-key - just coming by at 6pm before Delegates meetings to talk to new people - and I'd appreciate the support!

== Action Items ==
* Draft some kind of job descriptions for working groups
** Julian will for Communications
*** Comms Handbooks can be found at https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Communications_Working_Group

== Last Meeting Notes ==
https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Event:2018/10/18_Delegates_Meeting

= End of Meeting =
* please archive these meeting notes by copying the entire pad contents onto the omni wiki
* then please erase the contents of this pad
* then please cut & paste a blank template from here: https://omnicommons.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Delegates_Meeting_Notes_Template&action=edit
* previous notes are archived here: https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Meetings

[[Category:Delegates Meeting]]

Event:2018/10/18 Delegates Meeting

2018-10-20T00:01:18Z

Lynnhowe: Created page with " Omni Delegates' Meeting - 18 October 2018 7pm-9pm for instructions on preparing and archiving these notes, please see the bottom === Agenda === * Introductions, Meeting Ro..."

Omni Delegates' Meeting - 18 October 2018 7pm-9pm

for instructions on preparing and archiving these notes, please see the bottom

=== Agenda ===
* Introductions, Meeting Roles, and Delegates Count [10 minutes]
* Access Check-in [5 minutes]
* Brief Announcements [5 minutes]
* Bans [5 minutes]
* Working Group Report-Backs [15 minutes]
* Member Collective Updates (10 minutes)
* Proposal X: [15 minutes]
* Proposal Y: [15 minutes]
* Discussion Z: [10 minutes]

=== Introductions ===

Introduce yourself: Name; Preferred Pronoun; Affiliation; any brief announcements; say whether you're a delegate; let us know about any access needs you have†
* Mary Ann, CSC, delegate
* Lynn, Commons, access needs met
* Rachel, GWS, delegate
* Phil, FNB, delegates
* Julian, BAPS, delegate technically
* Laura
* robb, sudo/liblens

=== Access Check In ===

Is everybody able to participate fully in this meeting? Do people have unmet needs or concerns?

=== Meeting Roles ===
* Facilitator/s: Rachel
* Explanation of hand signals: "deaf applause", "raised hand", "point of process", "direct response"(wildcard), etc.
* Stacktaker:
* Timekeeper:
* Notetaker/s: Julian
** URL of this pad: https://pad.riseup.net/p/omninom
* Vibe Reader:
* Next meeting's facilitator(s):

=== Delegates ===
* BAPS: Julian
* CCL: absent
* CSC: Mary Ann
* FNB: Philip
* GWS: Rachel
* LL: inactive
* Sudo: Robb
* GCEA: inactive
* Quorum: 5/6

==Brief Announcements==
*

== New Bans ==
* Philip - Rumor has it that Running Wolf spray painted the Long Haul.
** Julian - on what basis is this assumed?
*** Philip - It is assumed to be RW because it makes statements associated
* Add to list of people [https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Asked_to_Leave asked to leave]

== Working Group Report-Backs ==

=== Building & permits ===
Meetings: N/A
* Jenny: Basement Media Lab floor now complete - next steps are to paint the walls and begin moving in the equipment!
** CCL/Fermentation Station and Phat Beets areas are attracting rats. Suggest everything be stored at least 6" off the ground and fermentation station storage reduced.
* Robb and Jenny have been power-washing the roof, hoping to clean then patch before the winter rains begin
* Jenny: Kitchen project can only move forward once we get a list of appliance requirements from all involved collectives: CCL, Phat Beets, FNB, Village, Cafe. Ping / reply to Laura.
** Laura: I met w FNB and will meet w Bria and Asia tomorrow at the kitchen where Phat Beets Youth do their pickling/cooking for catering. Up10dating the spreadsheet as I go.
* Jenny in conversation with RE-volv, which finances solar panel installations for nonprofits and community spaces. Will update as convo progresses.
** Julian - this would be to have these on Omni?
** Laura - I assume so, yes.
** Lynn - I have solar contacts too, they are on the non-profit oriented side too.
* Mary Ann spoke with her son to support Yar regarding the ADA bathroom. he's willing to help on construction things - advice, materials, etc. also gave Yar the info on this, but neither Mary Ann nor son have heard back yet. Mary Ann is connecting with Laura on this so suppor tthe connection happening with Yar
** jenny: this is awesome! welcome to cc whole building list: building@lists.omnicommons.org
* This group needs help; https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/building

=== Commons ===
Meetings: Second and Fourth Mondays at 5pm
* Laura: TIL, the former MC, is planning to hold a large event here on March 2 - Demasiado: Queer Latinx Excess. They want to use as many spaces as possible in the building and fill them with art installations and performances. I want to check in about any space use concerns.
** we're cutting them a break $1,000 - the normal spaces are not booked. the WG agreed to $1000
** is this something that is particularly interesting for CSC, to be done in the space - in the way of installation; eg Mary Ann is on board with this
* Laura - Sept $5,900, Oct looks like we're on path for $6k
*
* This group needs help:
** https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/commons
** https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/booking

=== Communications ===
Meetings: N/A
* Julian was going to meet with Luna today, a person with new interest in the Omni, but did not hear back and did not meet.
** Mary Ann is in touch with Luna and will support ths connection get made. Luna will definitely join CSC
* Julian was present for New Volunteer Orientations but no attending current
* upcoming events
** Rachel and Lynn don't get these right now
*** join: https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/announce

=== Finance ===
Meetings: Currently conjoined with Fundraising, 2nd & 4th Mondays at 6pm
* Jenny: We are on track to have fully repaid all community loans by March 2019!
* Laura: MC/Tenant Overdue Monthly Payments (Rent or FS Fee)
** GCEA - May, June, July, September payments due, TOTAL $818. Has had a very hard time raising funds. Expecting a small grant in the next few weeks that will cover the overdue amount.
** Phat Beets - May TOTAL $850. Has recently paid a lot of back rent that accumulated due to probs with transitioning away from their fiscal sponsor. Asia will pay this soon.
** GWS has 1 overdue invoice (september) that is prob an error and we are in communication about it.
*** Laura: I have been following up on these and appreciate everyone's helpful responses. And thanks to all the groups that are up to date!
* Julian - there was this matter of further back rent owed allegedly that Jenny had brought back up some meetings ago
** Philip - GCEA brings in money through events, we need to think about that
*** gcea does not bring in money to omni from events, and has in fact taken outside renter payments for their own collective before. (20 Jan 2018 baby shower)
** Laura - member collectives use common space for free,
*** When we talked to Almaz about signing a new lease in 2017 we, as the finance WG, agreed that the back rent wouldn't be collected. We discussed this at the finance WG last week I refreshed Jenny's memory about this and Jenny said she agreed.
** Julian: all people present agree that this matter is settled. if someone was told the rent is forgiven then that is the end of it.
*** Jenny: no one was told rent was forgiven. GCEA never brought it up with finance/delegates as every other collective forgiven of past debt has. hence it was still on the books, which is the respnsible thing to do rather than flush debts with no backtrace documentation.
* Robb and Mary Ann agree that it's not in the finance working group's power to make a decision about, e.g., forgiving back rent, but rather should bring these issues to the delegates
** Philip, Mary Ann - this should mainly be relevant for future situations since all member collectives present
* Mary Ann - a new lease was signed for GCEA after this past situation. that indicates acknowledging that the rent was being forgiven. that is documentation.
* Lynn - the agreement was new lease, new beginning?
** Laura - yes
* Lynn - if these discussions are brought to the delegates assembly that gives us the space to assure that its a collective and supportive process
**** https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B4_Q7DQvNFT-NXgzemcyeWk3LVk
**** https://peoplesopen.net/pad/p/omnifinance
**** https://drive.google.com/open?id=16vC4KQh9Nty4T_-w_pvirAEaiyu3UazM
**** https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BwuYm0uv_ftbSU9HdU9uR05NNE0

=== Fundraising ===
Meetings: Currently conjoined with Finance, 2nd & 4th Mondays at 6pm
* Donor acknowledgement letters are in progress

== Member Collective Updates ==
What is going on with your collective? What are you working on? What have you accomplished? Any events coming up? Any difficulties you are encountering that you need help with?

=== BAPS ===
* Julian - our classes continue

=== CCL ===
*

=== CSC ===
* Mary Ann - we're having Waffles and Zapatismo. our major current work is preparation for an end of year fundraisers. we have new members with energy!

=== FNB ===
* Philip - Ecumenical Peace Institute dinner, comming up

===GCEA===
*

=== GWS ===
* Rachel - we had the Haiti Action event a couple weeks ago. It was rather hard to hear the real conditions. we were xpecting about 20 people and over 60 attended. a mixed, multiracial crowd
* we're trying to assemble a Bay Area committee of the Poor People's campaign

=== LL ===
*

=== Sudo ===
* Robb - not much new at Sudo, but we got a cleanup coming soon

= Proposals =

==**Criteria to become and remain an Omni Commons Member Collective**==

Have a minimum of 5 active members. Active members are those who participate in the organization’s decisions by participating in meetings, responding to email or other online decision-related discussions, performing administrative work, and leading programmatic activities. People who only attend events are not counted as active members.
Be a collective: a non-hierarchical group with a participatory decision making process.
Fulfill requirement to delegate a board member, **and participate in the delegates/board meeting regularly.**
Endorse the Omni Commons statement of solidarity, statement of purpose, and safer space policy, and demonstrate how the activities of the collective contribute to them. Also, this song.
Be or become either a tenant or a fiscally sponsored project of Omni Commons.
Contribute materially to the Commons via rent, fiscal sponsorship fee, or other resources.

**(Note 1: If an existing member collective fails to meet agreements made in the lease or fiscal sponsorship agreement, OC may take actions described in these documents or allowed by law. If an MC fails to meet internal OC agreements [eg. participating in delegates meetings or operating as a collective] they will be considered “inactive” and will not be included in the consensus count at delegates meetings until the requirement is met or another agreement is reached.)**

(Note 2: Groups using space at Omni Commons can also be just tenants or fiscally sponsored projects without having the additional benefits and responsibilities of being a member collective. However, since it benefits OC to have as many groups as possible contributing to the work and decision-making, **the maximum ratio of non-member resident (tenant) groups to member collectives is set at 1:4, at the time a group applies to be a non member tenant)**
---------------------------------------------------------

==Application Process for New Member Collectives==
(What follows is more or less what would appear on the wiki and in the handbook as instructions to new potential MCs. It would be presented in a more graphically clear format.)

*Decide if your group meets our basic requirements.
**Being a Member Collective at Omni Commons means that your group wants to engage in our ongoing experiment in commoning. You will join other collectives that manage and steward the resource of the building at 4799 Shattuck Avenue for the purposes set forth by the delegates. Participation in the commons includes sending a delegate to the Omni Commons board of directors; following the agreements made to and with Omni Commons and other member collectives; and contributing labor to do the work required to keep Omni Commons functioning and maintain the building. If this does not interest your organization, or appears to be too much of a burden, then being a member collective is not appropriate for you at this time.**
Please read about our vision / governing principles, to determine if your collective is willing and able to collaborate within the structure and culture we have co-created so far.
Review our **current** criteria for becoming and remaining a member collective. **These may change over time.**
If you don’t think you meet the Member Collective criteria, there are other ways your group can participate in the Omni. Talk to the Finance Working Group. ----->

*Let us know you are interested in joining Omni Commons by talking to a delegate or the finance working group.
A process guide will be assigned to you to help you navigate the member collective application process.
They will give you the information you need and answer your questions.

*Write your application using the questions below. Keep it as brief as possible while still answering the questions:
What do you do that makes a difference in the world?
Briefly recap your history as an organization.
What is your incorporation status? (501c3? Unincorporated Association? etc.)
How do you make decisions?
State your goals for becoming an Omni member collective.
How would your presence in the Omni contribute to its purpose and Statement of Solidarity?
Explain how you will finance your Omni membership dues/rent.
Describe what dedicated physical space (if any) you need. What will you do in the dedicated space? What can you do in shared space? Will you need to make any modifications of the building? Include floor plans if that makes your proposal clearer.

*Application review process:
**Submit your application to the Omni Delegates in writing at consensus@omnicommons.org and discuss@omnicommons.org
***Present your application proposal at the next Delegates meeting (First and Third Thursdays at 7pm). Delegates will ask questions and give you preliminary feedback about the proposal. In the 2 weeks following the meeting, delegates will discuss your proposal with their collectives.
**Attend collective meetings if invited to further explain your proposal. Incorporate feedback into your application proposal.
**Legal and financial review
***The Omni Finance Working Group will review your financials (Budget, balance sheet, P & L), size, incorporation status, space needs, and reach an agreement with you about your financial contribution and legal relationship to Omni Commons.
***If you need to make modifications to the building, Finance may ask you to get preliminary inspections, consult with the Building Working Group, or provide other information to determine if the changes are possible and advisable.
***If necessary, the Omni legal advisor will advise about your legal relationship to the Omni.
***Update your proposal with this agreement.

**Attend a 2nd Delegates meeting to discuss your updated proposal. Ideally this would be the next Delegates meeting, but if the delegates and you agree, it may be scheduled for the 2nd meeting following. Delegates will report on and discuss the feedback they received from their collectives, and if there are any blocking or serious concerns that can’t be resolved at the meeting, contact information will be shared so that further discussion can happen between you and the groups or persons with the concern.
**(Note for existing MCs: If an MC's meeting schedule doesn't fit into this application review time frame, it MUST have a special meeting to deal with the application, out of respect for the new applicant group. If it is unable to meet (whether in person or virtually) to discuss the application, it will forfeit its participation in the consensus process on this issue))**
**Before the next Delegates meeting, attend collective meetings, and/or communicate with Omni members as needed to discuss any remaining issues.
**Attend the next (3rd) Delegates meeting and present your updated application proposal for a final discussion. You will be asked to leave the building and the delegates will reach a decision. The process guide will notify you of the decision.

*If approved, finalize your membership
**Sign a contract with Omni Commons, either a lease or fiscal sponsorship agreement.
**Obtain insurance coverage as described in your contract
**Read Member Collective Handbook and sign document stating that the collective members read the Handbook.
**Select a delegate to the Delegates Assembly (Board of Directors)
**Pay deposit/rent/fiscal sponsorship fee, per agreement
**Move in!
** **Suggest to your members that they join** an Omni Working Group.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Internal Considerations for Deciding upon New Resident Organizations

Does the group meet the member collective requirements?
Groups consisting of affected people doing liberatory organizing should be recruited and given priority.
The ratio of Member Collectives to non-member collective resident organizations should stay above 4:1.
Does the group understand the way OC works, especially the concept of the commons, space sharing, limitations on locked space, and consensus process?
A new collective is more likely to succeed at Omni if they have previously existed, are well established, have experience with consensus/participatory decision making, have spent time at OC (eg by holding events or meetings), and/or the members have worked together previously.
Consider if a new tenant or member collective should have a trial period and get settled before doing any construction.

=== Discussion ===
* Laura reviews the bolded items with us.
* Rachel & Mary Ann - Yar and folks should be sending out discuss/consensus a meeting about
* Mary Ann - we have not had chance to discuss discuss this new version.
* Laura - at this point can you participate in groups indicating support
** many collectives say we're okay on this, but not Sudo Room or BAPS
*** Sudo Room previously had no objections to the 2nd proposal though. Sudo Room probably doesn't care about the process for new member collectives, the greater concern was more about
*** Rachel - so should we vote then
* we return to discussing proposal 1
** Julian - I thought these were going to be guidelines
** a number of others share that they were concerned about the number of member collectives, or that they thought this proposal on criteria had been taken off the table
** it this better if it becomes "guidelines" rather than criteria
*** Mary Ann - CSC will ask, what happens when a group crosses the member collective criteria
**** Mary Ann - my inclination is to leave it as for now but
**** Rachel - the way its written to define members through invlvement works for us bc we have volunteers even though we don't have official member groups
**** Mary Ann - we developed the concept of an "activist member" than being on the CSC board.
* Robb - what's the enforcement?
** Julian - someone would need to point this out at a delegates assembly in order to make a member collective "inactive" on this criteria
* getting more participation
* Julian - I'm not availalbe to attend the next week meeting about working groups
** Rachel - If people cant be there, I don't want to do this meeting
*** Julian - what if at the next delegates assembly, we'll invite people from each working group to focus their report backs on the question of boosting involvement

=== decision on the second (Application Process) proposal ===
* Yeses - CSC, GWS, FNB, Sudo
* Abstain - BAPS
* Blocks - none

== Last Meeting Notes ==
https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Event:2018/10/04_Delegates_Meeting

= End of Meeting =
* please archive these meeting notes by copying the entire pad contents onto the omni wiki
* then please erase the contents of this pad
* then please cut & paste a blank template from here: https://omnicommons.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Delegates_Meeting_Notes_Template&action=edit
* previous notes are archived here: https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Calendar

[[Category:Delegates Meeting]]

Event:2018/10/04 Delegates Meeting

2018-10-07T23:00:54Z

Lynnhowe: Created page with "Omni Delegates' Meeting - 11/10 2018 7pm-9pm for instructions on preparing and archiving these notes, please see the bottom === Agenda === * Introductions, Meeting Roles,..."

Omni Delegates' Meeting - 11/10 2018 7pm-9pm

for instructions on preparing and archiving these notes, please see the bottom

=== Agenda ===
* Introductions, Meeting Roles, and Delegates Count [10 minutes]
* Access Check-in [5 minutes]
* Brief Announcements [5 minutes]
* Bans [5 minutes]
* Working Group Report-Backs [15 minutes]
* Member Collective Updates (10 minutes)
* Continued discussion from the September 20th Delegates meeting on issues raised at the Sept. 6 Delegates meeting, including two proposals.
* Discussion on transparency

=== Introductions ===

Introduce yourself: Name; Preferred Pronoun; Affiliation; any brief announcements; say whether you're a delegate; let us know about any access needs you have†
* yar
* phil
* maryanne
* ken
* rachel
* steven
* helen
* Julian
* tu from seattle, opening a business
* joe (remote)
* jenny (remote)
* laura (remote)

=== Access Check In ===

Is everybody able to participate fully in this meeting? Do people have unmet needs or concerns?

=== Meeting Roles ===
* Facilitator/s: Ken and Yar
* Explanation of hand signals: "deaf applause", "raised hand", "point of process", "direct response"(wildcard), etc.
* Stacktaker: rachel
* Timekeeper: nobody
* Notetaker/s: julian
** URL of this pad: https://pad.riseup.net/p/omninom
* Vibe Reader: steve
* Next meeting's facilitator(s): TBD

=== Delegates ===
* BAPS: steve + julian
* CCL: ken
* CSC: mary ann
* FNB: helen
* GWS: rachel
* LL:
* Sudo: yar will try
* GCEA:
* Quorum:

==Brief Announcements==
* ...

== New Bans ==
* Phil - I believe there was a new one from SudoRoom at the last delegates assembly, but don't know the name
* Add to list of people [https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Asked_to_Leave asked to leave]

== Working Group Report-Backs ==

=== Building & permits ===
Meetings: currently conjoined with kitchen mtgs - https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/kitchen
* ken: everything's happening by email. getting feedback on appliances. jenny's sick, laura's meeting with groups. someone gave more money?? needs confirmation of details
* This group needs help; https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/building

=== Commons ===
Meetings: Second and Fourth Mondays at 5pm
* laura can fill this in asynchronously?
* This group needs help:
** https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/commons
** https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/booking

=== Communications ===
Meetings: not currently meeting
* julian sent out newsletter, first in a long time. gets people to orientation, especially people who signed list at anarchist bookfair
* yar will migrate omnicommons.org next week

=== Finance ===
Meetings: Currently conjoined with Fundraising, 2nd & 4th Mondays at 6pm
* Sep income: ~$5100 from event rentals, ~$5700 from collective payments + other income = ~$11K
* Sep expenses: ~$4400 + ~$5700 (mortgage) + $2K (loan repayments) = ~$12K
* does spending handshake grant require consensus or does finance wg handle that?
** I assume The grant needs to be spent as it was proposed in the application and that there is some kind of report on the use of the funds that has to be spent, but I don't know the details
*** it's an unrestricted donation, not a grant, and doesn't require reporting.. :D
*** Wow! That's unusual...
** current finance needs are kitchen, entrance hall lighting, other requests can be made via https://omnicommons.org/budgetrequest

=== Fundraising ===
Meetings: Currently conjoined with Finance,, 2nd & 4th Mondays at 6pm
* nobody knows

=== Feedback Loop ===
* ad hoc working group looking into "discrimination at omni"
* Helen - at some point we'd like to make a formal report, but for now an informal report.
* we looked at communications records, asked around collectives. found no hard evidence or people to report it
* indefinite proposals: transparency, rental rate schedule, grievance procedure, document problems at events
* Mary Ann - we talked about the possibility of bringing in affirmative action, training etc in how to behave. if there's interest in it.
** when we did "Becoming Omni" we had a training of some kind around that time.
*** "conversations around race" with a POC group and a white group
** not necessarily a recommendation, more an idea
* Mary Ann - the approval of new collectives comes here, but perhaps we could be more proactive about booking
* Steve - question - in amassing this database of instances of discrimination.
** steve is surprised that they didn't find anything from 2013 to present
*** Julian - no new reports (but of course the various reports and conversations from the past), we didn't do an extremely thorough job admittedly.
*** Helen - we were looking to see if different groups were treated differently. this is one of the things we were looking for in the Commons. implicit bias.
* Julian - the ability to even assess concrete instances is troubled because there is very little documentation
* Steve - what we could benefit from are the narratives
* Phil - accusations of bias and racism emerge
* Rachel - it would be good to have some proposals here, so that we actually document instances of conflict for instance, and have a place to bring instances of conflict. the problem is that we're mostly white and if there's a racial conflict, there's not a ton of black people to actually advocate or appear as obvious
* Yar - Are we looking into all kinds of discribimation, or primarily white supremacy?
** Mary Ann - I would say all kinds of oppression when I was interviewing collectives
** Phil - as far as the "mostly white" there is some black involvement at the omni, but there are polarized positions that have emerged around conflict there
* Laura - When do you think you will have a written/formal report ready?
** julian intends to comb through their notes and write up the highlights for next delegates meeting
* Mary Ann - when we do outreach for new collectives, being more deliberate about recruiting collectives would be good
** one more thing we talked about - to have an internal process, similar to Becoming Omni, but more like "where does Omni go from here" - when we were buying the build we were all of one purpose. possibly, if we had something similar that would make us more unified and desirable.
* Mary Ann - I received a complaint from a disabled group on the outside
* Joe: I think Mary Ann is right on about doing this as Omni Commons. Group projects ... maybe a retreat
* Steve - we've got two approaches - you shoudl get involved in black and brown groups; then you have white people at the Omni asking whether we want to get black and brown groups to come in here. this has been traditionally a problem - an interesting aspect of implicit bias, not just ideologically
* Tu - that's a really profound commentt, I worked with Occupy. if you have a concern as a black community, come to us. we'd present ideas to the Occupy folx - we have a project in the Bronx. maybe a good way would be to go to various groups that speak to us and specifically support them. I personally would go to talk to any community - we have space, we have the benefit, etc. the I-Ching says we're supposed to make energetic progress in the good
* Laura - There is a misunderstanding showing up here, I think, about what Omni COmmons is. We consist of the member collectives and a few tenants who do various programmatic work, but Omni itself is the group that own/runs the building. The main program of Omni is to maintain the space. The member collectives and tenants work with and consist of relatively diverse communities and individuals. I agree with what Yar says below.
** Yar - I feel that maintaining the space should be anti-racist in practice
* Rachel - a number of us work with black orgnazations, like the Haiti Action Committee
joe: I am proud of how the group of people that meet each day on our Shattuck Ave steps have been adopted by Omni members. They often help me with problems. One of the is so uplifted to have gotten a job with Phat Beets and is doing very well at it.

== Member Collective Updates ==
What is going on with your collective? What are you working on? What have you accomplished? Any events coming up? Any difficulties you are encountering that you need help with?

=== BAPS ===
* julian: beat aesthetic session this saturday. marx was right forum happening again. writing group continues.

=== CCL ===
* ken: synbio panel, passageway to sudo, usual classes

=== CSC ===
* maryanne: waffles & zapatismo classes resumed saturday morning. 3 new members

=== FNB ===
* new state law requires to pay for permits & inspections
Nov 10-12 California FNB gathering to discuss and strategize about the new anti public feeding law.At Omni Commons

===GCEA===
*

=== GWS ===
* rachel: poor peoples campaign meeting at omni soon

=== LL ===
*

=== Sudo ===
* "sudo deep clean" scheduled for mid-October
* sudo mesh working to link to internet archive, tens of gigabits of free internet bandwidth that will feed into the network and enable Omni and surrounding neighbors to cancel their ISP subscriptions :D planning to mount gear on the archive's Richmond tower this month.
** recent media coverage in http://www.kalw.org/post/people-`s-open-net-internet-people-people#stream/0 and https://oaklandnorth.net/2018/09/14/from-one-oakland-rooftop-to-the-next-volunteers-expand-free-open-internet-network/

== tu ==
* hemp fuel to erase poverty, you can grow it in sahara
* going to be opening several small drive-thru espresso stands. foodtrucks without the truck.
* "5% profits go to small farms in developing world"
* workers would be activists and artists. the goal would be low-work hours, comprative high pay.
* the trade is to get assistance to do the project - find the right manager for each espresso stand, find the right contractor.
* i like what folx are doing here, I want to unite several activist groups to coordinate more in this state and others.
* Yar - if you find good project managers and contractors, let us know!
* Helen - 1) what's your time line? 2) the profits would go into hemp production?
* youtube reality show selling hemp soap. buy 10k to start an orphanage. towing glaciers to thirsty people
* compete with youtube & facebook

= Proposals =
== Example Proposal Title==
* Name of person, and/or, collective. and/or working group making this proposal; Date the proposal was sent to the consensus email list
* Text of proposal
** Laura - any additional feedback from collectives on the proposals from last week? 1. Member collective criteria, 2. New member collective application process, 3. Painting of dark hallways and staircases - what would people like to see in the hallways/stairs other than the hallway to the bocce court?

= Discussions =

== painting ==
* phil: part of what people brought up was wanting to
* jnny: sudo & ccl tried out a UV light in that hallway - looks amazing: https://imgur.com/4o4R7KE Rad!
** straw poll says people would probably be ok with painting the ballroom-basement stairwell white. but not definitive?
* ken: most controversy is about the hallway. maybe he could spend time putting light strips in the stairwell
* Laura - He is ok with not not painting the hallway to the bocce court

== new member collective process ==
https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Event:2018/09/20_Delegates_Meeting#Proposal_2:_New_Member_Collective_Application_Process
* nobody has any feedback on this
* Are people generally in favor?
** informal yes
* julian would have to temporarily block it because BAPS is still discussing it - but we're still talking about this. is there any reason this has to pass tonight vs waiting another 2 weeks?
**Laura - No consensus until next meeting. Im just getting final feedback on these proposals because i'm not there. Please give me any comments before next meeting if possible.
** so far steve is the only person we know of who may not be ready to say yes
* Rachel - did we establish an Omni agreement that feetdragging cannot be
** Laura - That is part of this proposal specifically when deciding upon new collectives

== existing member collective criteria ==
https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Event:2018/09/20_Delegates_Meeting#Proposal_1:_Criteria_to_become_and_remain_an_Omni_Commons_Member_Collective
* Mary Ann agrees with what julian said at last meeting
* re: working group requirement especially concerns that rigidly enforcing criteria would exclude people. no reason to operate on scarcity basis.
** Laura: Nobody would be excluded.
** Julian – we should treat these criteria as guidelines and not requirements, without an enforcement mechanism
** Laura: Meaning groups would continue being in the bulding, as projects or tenants, they just wouldn't send a delegate until they met the criteria. In a way it gives groups that aren't doing well more time to focus on doing their own organizing. It is already a requirement for collectives to send 2 people to be on working groups. This proposal just keeps that,
* Rachel - I like that direction because it's a real hardship for GWS. Robb is part of GWS-Omni, and his work at Omni could be considered GWS.
** Yar: how would this proposal impact GWS in particular?
** Rachel: Jane said she may be able to join a working group. We have tons of initiatives outside omni. we do lots of organizing. and i'm in SF and have difficulty coming over here.

**Laura: then someone should make a proposal to revoke the member service on working group requirement because it already exists. I think that would be a mistake, so Im not going to propose it.
* Julian asks which collectives would be in favor of removing Chiapas and GWS from the delegates, which this would effectively do
* Rachel - I would like to know if every collective has people in 2 working groups.
** Mary Ann - what even counts as a working group
* Yar: working groups are so informal already, it seems to essentially boil down to a known omni volunteer vouching for newer people and saying "they did a thing, they helped me do a thing", which to me is not fair. so much invisible labor happens here, and trying to impose a formal structure on this just can't do justice to that without creating even more work in my personal experience. maybe that means we're dysfunctional, but lets' not make it worse
**jnny: :D <3
** Rachel: I think bringing huge multiracial crowds to events at omni is a big contribution even though it's not technically as "part of a working group"
** +1000
* Ken - many working groups participants are not members of member collectives
* Mary Ann - my understanind of the proposal: if we don't have 2 people in a formal working group than we lose our vote. what else happens aside from that?
** what are the consequences of losing a vote? we don't know. there's too many different situations here. it's hard to predict the consequences of this proposal, it feels wrong. undemocratic. everybody in chiapas felt that way
** Yar agrees
* julian: who would block a proposal that effectively removes these groups as member collectives?
** raised hands: yar, maryanne, julian, rachel, helen. ken has to leave and is not clear
* mary ann understands the reason, isn't adverse to the reason, which is that people need help. perhaps there's a way to require that each collective member endeavor to send... but there's another side to that, which is that those groups have to accept, if new people come in, that there may be different ways of doing things. some wgs are set in their ways. you have to go where you fit.
** Laura: It is already OMni policy. so someone needs to make a differnt proposal
** jnny: context: policy was passed in early 2015 via proposal from the "How We Organize" working group as a way to foster participation and relieve burden on the few individuals doing bulk of bureaucratic labor and event management. not so much an issue but some WGs have fallen to the wayside this year and we should strategize ways to funnel new volunteer energy into apropos WGs. problem is some WGs have no bottomliner at the moment - namely Fundraising, Building, and Communications. Stoked Julian is reviving orientations.
** mary ann: the past practice here is not to enforce it. it seems to be that by renewing it, the intent is to enforce it. if i'm wrong, i would be happy. but the past practice is not to enforce it. and if we don't enforce rent, then why this? it doesn't make sense to me!
*** we do enforce rent (or we'd be fiscally irresponsible), which is why GCEA's past due invoices are still on the books (this was brought up last meeting) - GCEA never made a proposal to Delegates to waive past due invoices, which historically is what collectives have done (eg BAPS, Material Print Machine) - it's always been a very forgiving process but again, transparency and honesty is key.
*** yar doesn't like the idea of "enforcing rent" - would prefer forgiving debts whenever possible
*** Helen - as for working group particiipation, maybe we need another approach to respond to this problem
*** Mary Ann - if it were necessary, we could find a way to participate in official working groups
* jenny-remote: wrt working group participation, agree with yar that perhaps that's too much stress on our already-overburdened member collectives. there's a real need for more outreach and a better volunteer intake process. personal action item for next meeting is to create a form on the website for folks interested in helping out, matching their skill sets and interests to our WG needs. form will go to volunteers@lists.omnicommons.org - ping me if you'd like to be added to this list or join here: https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/volunteers
* Yar: which working groups in particular need the most help right now? and what kind of help?
** Julian : see Jenny's comment above - Fundraising, Building, Communications
** Building and Communications need bottomliners - a good crew of folks who participate in both but no core facilitator who calls meetings/workparties and is present for them. Fundraising committee never really resurrected itself after the exhaustion of buying the building :)
***Laura - it's just too frustrating to write grants and rarely get anything
**** jnny: concur'd. think fundraising's next incarnation should be infiltrating silicon valley billionaires :P
*** Yar - we're at the point, eg, with Building/Kitchen that simply not having a facilitor present means that people who show up for meeting don't have that meeting. we lack core volunteers.
*** Mary Ann - I was in the finance/fundraising working group, and was going to work on grants. in order to do big foundation grants we'd have to have an audit. audits would cost $10k+
**** these are among the reasons why we should have a new "Becoming Omni." we'd need a skilled facilitator.
* Laura - this discussion has veered from what criteria, if any, we want new and or existing member collectives to meet.
** yar: this is specifically about existing member collectives, not about the new member collective criteria
** Laura - The proposal was for both becasue it seems unfair to require new collectives to do stuff that we dont require existing collectives to do
** once they're existing collectives they don't have to do it anymore i guess. idk, this is difficult and i need more time to think about this
** jnny: am most interested in organizational structure - how are decisions made in the group? is there a process for joining?
* Mary Ann - why don't we have a Becoming Omni type conversation at a third Thursday in october in addition to one of the delegates meetings, late October
** Laura - Becoming OMni was a weeks long multi hour process
*** this is recognized in the course of conversation -
** Yar proposed Thursday, October 25 to continue this conversation - how to get the working groups the support they need

= Discussions =
== Continued discussion from the September 20th Delegates meeting ==
* on issues raised at the Sept. 6 Delegates meeting, including two proposals.
* Submitted by Lynn - I won't be at this meeting due to long scheduled other meeting, but wanted to get some ideas out for discussion, which could lead to other better suggestion of course.

In addition to mediation about personal relationships, here are some structural/organizational suggestions to prevent/reduce defensiveness and suspicion and build trust.

In General:
Diversity and inclusion are Omni goals. It is particularly important that groups of people of color are not treated in what appears to be disparate fashion - meaning maintaining complete openness in practice and consistency in consequences. Assumptions of good intention should guide interactions.

Delegates should commit to attending Delegate meetings. In August both meetings were canceled for lack of quorum, the 9/6 meeting had only 6 people. Delegates as spokespersons for their collectives are responsible for making Omni-wide decisions which otherwise don’t get addressed or are made by default by only a few people. Delegates meetings are the place to resolve issues with broad consensus so that they don’t linger, causing ongoing conflict.
Further, the presence of peers and colleagues supports cooperative problem solving behavior.

Proposals:

1. On the specific issue of dues owed by GCEA: All delegates/members should be informed about how each collective is funded, sponsored or pays dues and the rationale for each. Records should be available to all and clear about payment status.

2. Specific issue of use of the red room by GCEA: This space is where GCEA carries out youth activities and keep their files and computer. Since this space is required for GCEA’s actual work and mission, they should have the ability to use it, store materials, keep files and computer there without concern that it will be misused by others.
This space should be assigned to GCEA – with agreement that others can use it with notice and permission. The assignment and agreement should be documented.

*Discussion: I think it is time to address the dynamic that lack of transparency at Omni Commons
is a severe detriment to our ability to function as a cooperative community. I think
we need a place and a process to inform ourselves about important financial, security,
member collective and other issues that can cause disharmony if swept under the rug.
The best example of this is the current disharmony between Jenny and Almaz. This
conflict has roots that, I am guessing, go, in some part, back to old rent issues. I think if we all
had been made aware of those rent issues as they were building we would have understood
the ensuing conflicts better and may have been able to offer better guidance.
I hope this is a worthwhile topic for others and that it will stimulate a helpful discussion.
joe
** jenny: the rent issue was raised by almaz, not me (specifically, i merely replied to the statement "we always pay our rent on time" with the fact that such a statement is untrue). the real root of the conflict was blatant dishonesty by a delegate, initiated by the claim that the delegates had already consensed on GCEA locking the classroom, and being personally attacked for stating the fact that such a decision was never made.
*** wrt to transparency, the precedent for the conflict was transparently bringing up a _potential_ security issue that prompted jenny and robb to ask a sudoer to leave upon finding him working on his laptop in the kids room one evening (he left politely when asked). as to finance matters, all working group meetings are open to all, finance reports are made at nearly every delegates meeting, notes recorded on the wiki, and budget spreadsheet updated and available to the public [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1rvkMc5lmd8PovoViNLdvlrv0tSyvrH7iB0SmGqaFec8]
*** Overdue invoices for 2016 were reported at early 2017 Delegates meetings, eg: https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Event:2017/02/16_Delegates_Meeting#Finance and collective payments as per their contracts described on the Finances page: https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Finances#Revenue_from_Member_Collectives
**** Current overdue invoices were also reported to the Finance WG by Jenny in August as a standard due diligence: https://omnicommons.org/lists/private/finance/2018-August/004729.html
** joe: I can see from the specifics that Jenny has state above that I chose some of the key words in my"Discussion: pragraph above inappropriately.
*** What I was trying to convey was that some form of increased openness that would serve to shortcircuit the formation of anger, distrust or, at worst, factions in our community is what I seek. More facts and figures may be part of the problems that arise but a way to express feelings that are making us uncomfortable, distrustful or worried about a member or a group would be very good in creating more cohesion for the Omni.
** jenny-remote: ah, i feel you - sorry to get defensive about the 'transparency' bit - that was principally in response to lynn's first proposal above. to your point, joe, mebbe we should consider having one of our two monthly delegates meetings be more of a heart circle than a meeting?
*** joe: Yes, yes to some regularly occuring circle.

=== in-person discussion ===
* we're not clear what this proposal is exactly. need feedback from almaz about pursuing mediation, Laura signed up to check-in about this
*Laura - I spoke with Almaz about mediation. She is reluctant but considering it. SHe said we would talk to Lynn and maybe Joe about how they were planning to conduct it.
* Julian: proposal is about 1) financial transparency, 2) use of the room
* Laura - The key issue (!) about the classroom is if GCEA can put a combination lock on the door and give the combo to people who regularly use it or need to access it.
* Yar interprets this proposal as "they should be allowed to lock the whole room", but she didn't say that directly. no opposition to having locked cabinets
* Julian - to my knowledge it isn't used as much of a commons area.
* Ken does see people use it, though they don't document it
* Jenny: I spent several afternoons these past two months working in there with Franki, doing simultaneous childcare and legal research pursuant to their eviction case. She was extremely appreciative to have a space where she could work with me while the kids played in the neighboring room. Just an anecdote.
* in order to have time to discuss the previous meeting's proposal, we are moving on back up

== Last Meeting Notes ==
https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Event:2018/09/20_Delegates_Meeting

= End of Meeting =
* please archive these meeting notes by copying the entire pad contents onto the omni wiki
* then please erase the contents of this pad
* then please cut & paste a blank template from here: https://omnicommons.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Delegates_Meeting_Notes_Template&action=edit
* previous notes are archived here: https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Meetings

[[Category:Delegates Meeting]]

Event:2018/09/20 Delegates Meeting

2018-09-27T22:40:35Z

Lynnhowe: Created page with "Omni Delegates' Meeting - Day Month 2018 7pm-9pm for instructions on preparing and archiving these notes, please see the bottom === Agenda === * Introductions, Meeting Role..."

Omni Delegates' Meeting - Day Month 2018 7pm-9pm

for instructions on preparing and archiving these notes, please see the bottom

=== Agenda ===
* Introductions, Meeting Roles, and Delegates Count [10 minutes]
* Access Check-in [5 minutes]
* Brief Announcements [5 minutes]
* Bans [5 minutes]
* Working Group Report-Backs [15 minutes]
* Member Collective Updates (10 minutes)
* Proposal X: [15 minutes]
* Proposal Y: [15 minutes]
* Discussion Z: [10 minutes]

=== Introductions ===

Introduce yourself: Name; Preferred Pronoun; Affiliation; any brief announcements; say whether you're a delegate; let us know about any access needs you have†
*Julian - BAPS
*Mary Ann - CSC
*Laura - working groups
*Lynn - working groups
*Steve - BAPS
*Carol - Poets House/BAPS
*Robb - sudo
*Rachel - GWS
*Jane - GWS
*Phil - FNB
*Ken - CCL
*Yar

=== Access Check In ===

Is everybody able to participate fully in this meeting? Do people have unmet needs or concerns?

=== Meeting Roles ===
* Facilitator/s: Phil
* Explanation of hand signals: "deaf applause", "raised hand", "point of process", "direct response"(wildcard), etc.
* Stacktaker: Rachel
* Timekeeper: Lynn
* Notetaker/s: Laura, Julian
** URL of this pad: https://pad.riseup.net/p/omninom
* Vibe Reader:
* Next meeting's facilitator(s): Ken, Yar

=== Delegates ===
* BAPS: Steve
* CCL: Ken
* CSC: Mary Ann
* FNB: Phil
* GWS: Rachel
* LL:
* Sudo:robb
* GCEA:
* Quorum:yes

==Brief Announcements==
*

== New Bans ==
* Robb - SudoRoom banned Mitchell McNeely aka Syn who came up at last meeting for harassing people
* Add to list of people [https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Asked_to_Leave asked to leave]

== Working Group Report-Backs ==

=== Building & permits ===
Meetings: 1st & 3rd Mondays @ 6pm
* Laura - called Waste Management 2.5 weeks ago to add a trash pickup, and they haven't - but as of next week - there should be 2 weekly trash & green been pickups
** this week, they're allegedly coming (tho belatedly)
** will update on when compost gets picked up on Monday.
** Laura - recycling is still once a week, Thursday morning, to be taken out on Wednesday night
* Ken - I just saw a rat in CCL the other night
* This group needs help; https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/building

=== Commons ===
Meetings: Second and Fourth Mondays at 5pm
* Lynn - there were big events over this past weekend (Anarchist Book Fair). The big events lead to bigger trash
** we should encourage them taking out their trash
** Philip - I think the bookfair did well, but there ends up peripheral trash all over
** Lynn - user groups sometimes complain that the building is filthy also
* This group needs help:
** https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/commons
** https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/booking

=== Communications ===
Meetings: Second and Fourth Wednesdays at 6pm
* There may be a new COmms volunteer
* Julian wants to start up the orientations again
* There have been a lot of sign ups to the announcment list serv

=== Finance ===
Meetings: Currently conjoined with Fundraising, 2nd & 4th Mondays at 6pm
* Laura - we're doing OK, collectives ought continue paying their monthly rent

=== Fundraising ===
Meetings: Currently conjoined with Finance,, 2nd & 4th Mondays at 6pm
* Laura - we got a big grant that Jenny wrote via Handshake (a crypto-currency org). She originally wrote it for about $2million. they awarded the omni $100k. it will be divided up in the same proportions originally proposed. $10k to sudo, $60k to sudomesh, $30k to Omni
** Of the Omni ammount, it will go to kitchen & perhaps lighting

== Member Collective Updates ==
What is going on with your collective? What are you working on? What have you accomplished? Any events coming up? Any difficulties you are encountering that you need help with?

=== BAPS ===
* Poets House is going to become part of BAPS
** Steve gave a talk at the Beat Aesthetic class
** new classes perhaps
** Carol - for now the Beat Aesthetic class will be in November.
*** we're seeking a grant to pay for a 10 week course
*** doing outreach to college students, we expect that offering to go

=== CCL ===
* Ken - HAd 5th anniverary celebration 2 weeks ago in the ballroom. Lots going on on wednesday nights.

=== CSC ===
* MaryAnn - we'll be resuming our Waffles & Zapatismo clases on Sept 29th, via a discussion of the Mexican elections' aftermath
** we received a request to fund a $20K project in Chiapas
*** not sure how we'll do that, but we've been brainstorming

=== FNB ===
* Philip - FNB has been responding to complaints about rats (in the Omni). Proposal to share space with Berkeley Emergency Shelter.
* Situation has improved but we need another round of rat catching.

===GCEA===
*

=== GWS ===
* Rachel - we're doing an invitation event to talk to a young journalist who was shot. He is coming to reprot on what is going on in Haiti. They are raising fund for an attenna for their youth radio station. 10/7 Omninoms invited.
*Rachel - we have been fighting legislation to further criminalize sex worker clients. Will send an action alert about the hearing in city hall.

=== LL ===
*

=== Sudo ===
* Robb - SudoRoom is planning a big clean up in about a month. Getting organized.

=== TIL ===
*

= Proposals =
== Example Proposal Title==
* Name of person, and/or, collective. and/or working group making this proposal; Date the proposal was sent to the consensus email list
* Text of proposal

== Proposal 1: Criteria to become and remain an Omni Commons Member Collective ==
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QV6vAXjWXfxcVNn7othRLbGvb2ozFb9VxKpWZCV9PXU/edit?usp=sharing
*Submitted by Laura, 9/17/18, developed with input from Almaz, Lynn, Ken, Jenny, Matt S, Brian, and maybe others I am forgetting at this moment...
**1. Have a minimum of 5 active members. Active members are those who participate in the organization’s decisions by participating in meetings, responding to email or other online decision-related discussions, performing administrative work, and leading programmatic activities. People who only attend events are not counted as active members.
**2.Be a collective: a non-hierarchical group (5 members) with a participatory decision making process.
**3. Fulfill requirements to delegate a board member, and to send members to serve on Omni working groups:
***Each member collective should have a minimum of 2 members active in working groups. Collectives should make an effort to send 1 additional WG participant for every 10 active members.
****(Previously: Each Member Group of the Omni will be required to populate at least 3 seats in at least 3 committees. Member Groups with more than 12 members will be required to populate at least 5 seats in at least 3 committees. (Passed 2014/08/28 Delegates Assembly))
**4. Endorse the Omni Commons statement of solidarity, statement of purpose, and safer space policy, and demonstrate how the activities of the collective contribute to them.
**5. Be or become either a tenant or a fiscally sponsored project of Omni Commons.
**6. Contribute materially to the Commons via rent, fiscal sponsorship fee, or other resources. If a collective fails to uphold their material commitments for more than 2 months, they are considered “inactive” and forfeit any benefits provided by their membership (such as use of common space and a vote at Delegates Council meetings) until previous commitments are met.

(Note 1: If an existing member collective's meeting schedule doesn't fit into the delegates meeting schedule for a new member application, it MUST hold a special meeting/consultation to deal with the application, out of respect for the new applicant group.)

(Note 2: Groups using space at Omni Commons can also be just tenants or fiscally sponsored projects without having the additional benefits and responsibilities of being a member collective. However, it benefits OC to have as many groups as possible contributing to the work and decision-making, and we should set a maximum ratio of non-member resident groups to member collectives, perhaps 1:4.)
-----------------------------------------------------

=== Discussion ===
*Laura - the criteria has gotten the most feedback. I ask that people also pay attention to the process proposal and give feedback on that before the next meeting.
** I do want to share one thing, in terms of the criteria, that I wasn't sure if it was clear.
** a group that is a member collective would only lose delegate representation in the consensus process if they had fewer than five members
* Steve - I just wanted to reiterate Yar's question. What problem is this designed to resolve?
* Yar - the answer Laura wrote addressed the new collective process. the question is why we're adding new requirements to existing collectives
* Laura - part of making the process of new collectives coming on board is to clearly tell groups "these are some things you need to be or have". if we are going to apply these criteria to new collectives, it should apply to current collectives. it seems there is a power imbalance in terms of representation (small collectives having equal consensus power to larger), that's why i said 5 active members.
** the criteria mainly aren't new requirements, they just haven't all been specifically articulated or enforced.
* Philip - the working group critiria is obviously not being strictly enforced
* Yar - I was against the original proposal of requiring mandatory working groups. its a scarcity model - one more reason not to be a member collective at omni. I agree having standards for new member collectives makes sense. each new collective should be weighed one at a time, case by case. even if its a recommendation, we shouldnt make that a requirement for current collectives. there is an existing process for adding member collectives, but there has never been a process for removing member collectives due to not passing a criteria test. there aren't that many collectives here.
** we don't "vote" - we consense. the delegate is representing everyone else, and that's ok. we're not comparing each other's height - its total consensus. no one is knocking down to get to the delgates meeting. its important to err on the side of letting collectives keep status. even the extra step of requiring some collectives to reconsider their status. it already takes out of people's lives. i'm against anything that adds more to the process
* Steve - I really like what Yar just said. my understand of this body is that this is not a power center but a collective that handles the administration of the Omni as a whole. But, the whole idea of taking over this building from the beginning was to put it to the use of people that's what was exciting about the early years. there was a sense of this being a resources for the general society. In that sense, I continue to look at this delegate assembly as how some delegate, not represenative, of each member group comes togehter, not to govern but to take care of what arises. Yar's question is directly to the point. the more that use and participate in this space, the better. there should be some sense of being against the corporate structure, critical of corporate culture and its politics - which has been the foundation.

== Proposal 2: New Member Collective Application Process ==
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QV6vAXjWXfxcVNn7othRLbGvb2ozFb9VxKpWZCV9PXU/edit?usp=sharing
*Submitted by Laura, 9/17/18, develeoped with input from Almaz, Lynn, Ken, Jenny, Matt S, Brian, and maybe others I am forgetting at this moment...
(What follows is more or less what would appear on the wiki and in the handbook as instructions to new potential MCs. It would be presented in a more graphically clear format.)

**Decide if your group meets our basic requirements.
*** Please read about our vision / governing principles, to determine if your collective is willing and able to collaborate within the structure and culture we have co-created so far.
*** Review our criteria for becoming and remaining a member collective.
*** If you don’t think you meet the Member Collective criteria, there are other ways your group can participate in the Omni. Talk to the Finance Working Group. ----->

**Let us know you are interested in joining Omni Commons by talking to a delegate or the finance working group.
*** A process guide will be assigned to you to help you navigate the member collective application process.
*** They will give you the information you need and answer your questions.

**Write your application using the questions below. Keep it as brief as possible while still answering the questions:
*** What do you do that makes a difference in the world?
*** Briefly recap your history as an organization.
*** What is your incorporation status? (501c3? Unincorporated Association? etc)
*** How do you make decisions?
*** State your goals for becoming an Omni member collective.
*** How would your presence in the Omni contribute to its purpose and Statement of Solidarity?
*** Explain how you will finance your Omni membership dues/rent.
*** Describe what dedicated physical space (if any) you need. What will you do in the dedicated space? What can you do in shared space? Will you need to make any modifications of the building? Include floor plans if that makes your proposal clearer.

**Application review process:
***Submit your application to the Omni Delegates in writing at consensus@omnicommons.org and discuss@omnicommons.org
****Present your application proposal at the next Delegates meeting (First and Third Thursdays at 7pm). Delegates will ask questions and give you preliminary feedback about the proposal. In the 2 weeks following the meeting, delegates will discuss your proposal with their collectives.
****Attend collective meetings if invited to further explain your proposal. Incorporate feedback into your application proposal.
****Legal and financial review
1. The Omni Finance Working Group will review your financials (Budget, balance sheet, P & L), size, incorporation status, space needs, and reach an agreement with you about your financial contribution and legal relationship to Omni Commons.
2. If you need to make modifications to the building, Finance may ask you to get preliminary inspections, consult with the Building Working Group, or provide other information to determine if the changes are possible and advisable.
3. If necessary, the Omni legal advisor will advise about your legal relationship to the Omni.
4. Update your proposal with this agreement.

****Attend a 2nd Delegates meeting to discuss your updated proposal. Ideally this would be the next Delegates meeting, but if the delegates and you agree, it may be scheduled for the 2nd meeting following. Delegates will report on and discuss the feedback they received from their collectives, and if there are any blocking or serious concerns that can’t be resolved at the meeting, contact information will be shared so that further discussion can happen between you and the groups or persons with the concern.
****Before the next Delegates meeting, attend collective meetings, and/or communicate with Omni members as needed to discuss any remaining issues.
****Attend the next (3rd) Delegates meeting and present your updated application proposal for a final discussion. You will be asked to leave the building and the delegates will reach a decision. The process guide will notify you of the decision.

**If approved, finalize your membership
***Sign a contract with Omni Commons, either a lease or fiscal sponsorship agreement.
***Obtain insurance coverage as described in your contract
***Read Member Collective Handbook. (Sign document stating that the collective members read the Handbook?)
***Select a delegate to the Delegates Assembly (Board of Directors)
***Pay deposit/rent/fiscal sponsorship fee, per agreement
***Move in!
***Have at least two collective members join an Omni Working Group.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Internal Considerations for Deciding upon New Resident or MC Organizations
*** Does the group meet the member collective requirements?
*** Groups consisting of affected people doing liberatory organizing should be recruited and given priority.
*** The ratio of Member Collectives to non-member collective resident organizations should stay above 4:1.
*** Does the group understand the way OC works, especially the concept of the commons, space sharing, limitations on locked space, and consensus process?
*** A new collective is more likely to succeed at Omni if they have previously existed, are well established, have experience with consensus/participatory decision making, have spent time at OC (eg by holding events or meetings), and/or the members have worked together previously.
*** Consider if a new tenant or member collective should have a trial period and get settled before doing any construction.

=== Discussion ===
* Laura - the goal of this is to have greater clarity and timeliness.
* Yar - I think that's great
* Rachel - agreed, it's streamlined
* Philip - the only issue I see here is regarding hierarchy. many non-profits operate on such models, so
* Laura - requiring that groups be actual collectives is part of the proposal
* Rachel - I think the topic comes down to the question of working group participation. the question first is - how does the work get done. so then the proposal for new groups coming in - new groups are expected to put. GWS hasn't been able to do 2 working groups. it's impossible because I live in San Francisco. it's a huge schlep. there's a way we would try to figure it out if need be.
* Yar - there is a ton of work that happens online that we could get help with. doing the newsletter was cool.
* Robb - I think it's a little unclear. some people are members of several collectives. I help out GWS as much as I help out liberated lens. I'd like to figure out a way that part of my time counts for all the collectives I help.
* Julian - the member collective criteria have been guidelines and could remain guidelines - not things on the basis of which decisions to add or remove collectives must be made
* Ken - the US governance example, of the Senate, etc - equal representation. Whatever we do has to be codified in a set of bylaws. I'm still unclear on how a block operates. We should have that clarified. A lot of people are surprised that certain people can come out of the woodwork and block things.

==Proposal 3: Volunteer painting of dark hallways and staircases==
Submitted by Laura, 9/20/18 - mostly a discussion question at this point
* Ron, a person who has been attending CCL events, has volunteered to paint the dark hallways and staircases. He would like a brighter feel in the building halls and would like to contribute to Omni. That is why he is offering to paint those areas that are particularly dark. They also happen to be the areas that are splatter painted. (He is not proposing to paint the ballroom.) SOme people have expressed that they like the splatter paint areas, and the desire to preserve some or all of the splatter painted areas. The question before the assembly is which splatter painted areas should he be allowed to paint, if any?
**Pros of painting most of the splatter painted areas:
*** I appreciate that Ron is offering to do something concrete and following through on his offer. By allowing him to do this we will be encouraging the participation of a new active volunteer, something we really need right now. He is also willing to work on other construction projects, but seems to feel particularly enthusiastic about the painting he has proposed.
*** Dark hallways and stairwells may be safer if they are painted a light color and building may feel more inviting to some people.
**Cons of painting mos of the splatter painted areas
***These area represent historical use of the building as a music club
***Many people like it
*Is there any dark area of the building that people who like the splatter paint are amenable to having painted? Stairwells from entrance hall to mezzanine? Stairwell to basement/ballroom? Hall to bocce court?

=== Discussion ===
* Yar - has Ron been a collective member?
** Laura - he's beeen in CCL for a few months
* Laura - do people have other suggestions about how make those hallways brighter?
* Carol - we hold our Beat Aesthetic class down here. I have slight vision impairment- I could not see coming out of the bright light. This wasn't at night. To me, when I read that this was a discussion tonight. The stairwells should be lighter paint for reason of safety for vision-impaired people such as myself. If they were painted, they could be decorated again. it's a good deal to go with someone volunteering.
* Ken - I'm in favor of painting. Racing stripes along the steps. 4-6 inches along the wall. to help us know if there are rats, also to help for vision impairment. could be alternating black & white. if we don't change the walls, at least change the stairsteps.
* Yar - I've been wanting to raise that low part of the ceiling, so we could have a wheelchair lift install. we'd need a structural engineeer.
* RObb - Sudo is ok with painting the black hall going in to the ballroom from the EH. We also liked the idea of CCL to put a blacklight in the bocce court hallway. Didn't cime to consensus about any splatter areas. I will take the comment here back to the Sudo meeting.
* Lynn - is Ron likely to find these proposed jobs fulfilling?
** Laura - I'll talk to him about this
** Mary Ann - if something gets painted white, finger prints are hard to clean off. people touch the wall going into the ballroom at all. I've got 4 boys, I've
* Julian - I just want to underscore the dimension of safety and ableism with respect to painting
** Yar - if I had been at Sudo I would have definitely tried t
* Philip - its true about the filth
* Laura - enthusiasm about playing up the splatter paint for the flat Hallway.
** Yar - including that bit in the proposal orginally derailed other places.
* Robb - we could get a clear coat gloss, it would be good to use generally

= Discussions =
== last week's meeting ==
* The September 6, 2018 Delegates meeting ended after an angry, emotional, and personal shouting match occurred between Almaz, Jenny and Robb over current and past issues. It disrupted what should have been a productive meeting of collective representatives working together for the purpose and visions of the Omni.

As delegates/board members we need to acknowledge the situation and
1. Take action to deescalate it.
2. Reaffirm expectations of behavior of delegates (and all Omni members) to reflect the Founding Document’s statement that
“The Omni is an open and diverse community. We love and value every person. “
3. Insist that delegates act as spokespersons, chosen by their collective to act on behalf of/in accordance with their collectives’ instructions
4. Insist that delegates speak truthfully & refrain from personal attacks when the validity of their statements are questioned. (this point suggested by Robb)
* Lynn - there were only 6 of us here last time; we had maybe 4 delegates. not a good representation. it's easier when in a small group for things to go ary. fewer people means, emotionally, less serious meeting
** in many years of political meetings I've never seen such intense personal attacks, in addition to direct divisiveness over issues
*** I didn't feel I could stay as a participant, due to the degree of intensity. the people involved are people we care about and that are critical to the success of the organization. so that's why I put it out there.
* Phil - what i fee is that allegation of drug use/behavior issues, this meeting isn't the proper forrum for those personal issues. Its for mediation or other forum.
* Ken - I wasn't present and I was unaware of what happened. I have seen the tension building up. I would like to hear more about what happened
* Yar - I wasn't ther eso it seems pretty mystifying.
* Steve - same. I would like to hear 2 brief descriptions of what happened and how. When I heard this happened, I wasn't surprised.
* Mary Ann - everyones accoutn will be different. What I recall is that someone came into the meeting and announced that she was going to put a lock on a door and said it had been previously approved by the delegates. After the assertion and the response that she was wrong and it had never been approved. Then it deteriorated into personal attacks about drunkeness, rent being paid or not being paid, being fairly collected or not.
* Lynn - there was the issue about the room, and then there were counter charges of dues not being paid, unfair treament (some dues aren't payed and it matters, some arent and it doesnt matter). The conflict was beyond the pale of collegial conversation.
* Robb - I'd prefer not to give my account because I am biased, but it became personal after the topic of locking the room.
* Phil - The discussion over locking the room got intermixed with other business issues.
* Ken - I'm still interested in collecting information about what happened.
* Steve - I suggested that two people give an account because I thought it would be valuable to hear different accounts. I ask Roob to continue your account. I'm not so sure that the issue of the lock on the door is the key here, but rather that it would be how we might be needing self-accountable with respect to a dynamic that pre-existed that meeting. Feelings that pre-existed that meeting that the explosion really presprsents. Could we shortly braacket hed locked-door matter.
* Ken - Idid see the emials from Robb and Jenny that they are open to mediation. Has anyone communicated with Almaz about her openess to it?
* no
* RObb - I loaned a 2 50ft XLR cables to someone who needed it for an event Almaz was the point person for. We usually get a deposit to insure that people return stuff. Omly one was returned. Whe I asked about it she said it wasn't her responsibility. She said she did or didnt' get a deposit at different times. At the delegates meeting there was a mention in the bans section about someone has been found in the kids room and was asked to leave. Then the discussion about the lock started and the blow up. There were issues brought up about GCEA owing money in back rent.
** yar: she also said by email that she did get a deposit.
* Lynn - That seems accurate to me - regarding the comment about classroom getting used leading to Almaz's concern that children were exposed to, from Almaz's perspective, mis-use of the space (people sleeping, undergarments).
* Rachel - From the sound of it it does sound like there are underlying issues that need to be sorted. This isn't the place for it. WE have to deal with lack of accountability to the collective and people not fulfilling their responsibilities. That shouldn't be tolerated.
* Julian - I have an objective question - what was the understanding with the with GCEA about back rent? also, BAPS once had a ton of backrent owed that was forgiven
* Steve - the original status of BAPS, the tenancy ended after it collapsed after not paying rent for a long time. An agreement was reached to change to a fiscally sponsored project and almost all the money we raise in the classroom. In my understanding, GCEA had become a fiscally sponsored project, prior to vacating - but returned with there being back-rent owed. I had a confused sense of the period, and that there was confusion among others on this matter. This could be one of the dimensions of what needs to be dealt with here.
* Laura - GCEA signed a lease when we first approved them to move-in. They did not immediately get insurance. After 6 months, in February of that year GCEA left. There was a month of back rent, and no rent for the period of out-of-town. When she got back - we understand groups can have rent difficulties. We can restart/rewrite the lease, if you were unhappy with the terms of the last lease. My understanding was that we wrote off the old money. During the course of a new lease, they eventually became fiscally sponsored (by another group). She signed a new lease and now is currently behind, but. After a period of time, Jenny kept bringing up some other mobey being owed- but money that is not actually owed according to my understaning of the agreement.
* Steve - I think we should stop now. If when we discuss it again, Almaz and Jenny need to be there. We should think about, what do we do - each of us. So that we each can have ideas and suggestions.
* Ken - as far as suggestions go, I don't think it would be productive to put everyone back into this context. Almaz has
* Julian - I have talked to Almaz
* Mary Ann - I really feel, based on witnessing that exchange, what we need is for there to be mediation. We can't as delegates resolve a conflict that has been deeply resisted to.
* Laura - I will talk to Almaz if she would be okay with Lynn/Joe.
* Lynn - I don't think the personal things are the only matter. I have some things I'd like to bring back in the way of structural proposals.
** Yar - I'm OK with incendiary proposals

== Example Discussion Item ==
*

== Last Meeting Notes ==
https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Event:2017/MM/DD_Delegates_Meeting

= End of Meeting =
* please archive these meeting notes by copying the entire pad contents onto the omni wiki
* then please erase the contents of this pad
* then please cut & paste a blank template from here: https://omnicommons.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Delegates_Meeting_Notes_Template&action=edit
* previous notes are archived here: https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Meetings

[[Category:Delegates Meeting]]

Event:2018/08/06 Delegates Meeting

2018-09-09T22:32:58Z

Lynnhowe: Created page with "Omni Delegates' Meeting - September 6, 2018 7pm-9pm for instructions on preparing and archiving these notes, please see the bottom === Agenda === * Introductions, Meeting R..."

Omni Delegates' Meeting - September 6, 2018 7pm-9pm

for instructions on preparing and archiving these notes, please see the bottom

=== Agenda ===
* Introductions, Meeting Roles, and Delegates Count [10 minutes]
* Access Check-in [5 minutes]
* Brief Announcements [5 minutes]
* Bans [5 minutes]
* Working Group Report-Backs [15 minutes]
* Member Collective Updates (10 minutes)
* Proposal X: [15 minutes]
* Proposal Y: [15 minutes]
* Discussion Z: [10 minutes]

=== Introductions ===

Introduce yourself: Name; Preferred Pronoun; Affiliation; any brief announcements; say whether you're a delegate; let us know about any access needs you have†

=== Access Check In ===

Is everybody able to participate fully in this meeting? Do people have unmet needs or concerns?

=== Meeting Roles ===
* Facilitator/s: Lynn
* Explanation of hand signals: "deaf applause", "raised hand", "point of process", "direct response"(wildcard), etc.
* Stacktaker: Almaz
* Timekeeper: Almaz
* Notetaker/s: Jenny
** URL of this pad: https://pad.riseup.net/p/omninom
* Vibe Reader:
* Next meeting's facilitator(s): Phil will facilitate next meeting

=== Delegates ===
* BAPS: Julian (remote)
* CCL:
* CSC: Mary Ann
* FNB:Phil
* GWS:
* LL: robb
* Sudo: Jenny
* GCEA: Almaz
* Quorum: 6/7 active collectives

==Brief Announcements==
* Jenny: Sudo Mesh recently received a $100,000 donation and have decided to allocate $30K to Omni and $10K to Sudo Room - to be spent as they wish :)
** next kitchen meeting Wednesday, Sep 12 from 6-7:30pm - come thru!
* Basement progress! tis nearly painted
** may need to remove Basement Hall from event request form for a bit while renovations are happening (both kitchen and medialab)

== New Bans ==
* Add to list of people [https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Asked_to_Leave asked to leave]
* jenny: Possible issue with a guy arose last night, communicated over text message (friend of a friend), he was found in the kids room (not sleeping, just computing), asked to leave and was amenable to engaging in conflict resolution process. sudo discussing.
* Almaz states that the delegates have approved a proposal to lock the classroom.
**Where is this documented? There is evidence that the children's room may be being used inappropriately (bra found in room).
*** jenny: ah, that wuz mine. spent many hours over the past few weekends in there working with and helping babysit for franki and dragon's babies while we were working on their legal case, and it must've fallen out of my bag (i tend to be running late and throw "professional-garb" into my backpack before i leave, and ashoka likes to explore my bag when im not looking. also, it was a bathing suit top, meant to be worn under a neat tanktop [which wuz also in my bag], whereas i often head to omni in a sports bra and tshirt in the event i get to painting / sweating).
*** let the record stand that the room wuz actually being used completely appropriately as a much-needed commons space - an accessible, kid-friendly workspace for a comrade POC mother in our community. she appreciated the rooms very very much, as she does not otherwise have access to any kid-friendly workspaces. wuz also hooking her up with a laptop cuz ashoka tore all the keyboard keys off the last one i gave her :P
**** tldr, via jenny: talk to the community using your space, and don't assume ill will or inappropriate behavior - especially before declaring such a valued community space locked and off-limits.
** Almaz made the proposal last year after things were stolen from the class room. After discussion in one meeting, she met with BAPS to see if they could reach an agreement, since BAPS uses the space and was opposed. Here is the relevant notes from the following meeting (ALmaz wasn't there so Julian reported):
"Our proposal is to add a lock with a code to the doors to the room. Anyone who wants to use the room when it is free can get the code from us. We have discussed this with BAPS and they are in agreement with this arrangement. We appreciate your attention to this request.
*** Julian: Almaz communicated with me that this proposal will largely be withdrawn by GCEA, but that we should return to it next time
**** we're going to find a locked cabinet for the space to see if that keeps things satisfactorily secure."

== Working Group Report-Backs ==

=== Building & permits ===
Meetings: not currently happening
* Kitchen meeting next Wednesday, 6pm in the basement. come!
* Medialab progress - come help out this Saturday afternoon!
* This group needs help; https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/building

=== Commons ===
Meetings: Second and Fourth Mondays at 5pm
* Biohack The Planet folks donated 50 nice black chairs, as well as 5 microphones! huzzah!
* This group needs help:
** https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/commons
** https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/booking

**MEETING ADJOURNED AFTER FALLOUT BETWEEN ALMAZ AND JENNY / ROBB RE: ABJECT LIES OVER RECENT COMMONS WG INCIDENTS, COLLECTIVE AGREEMENTS AND GCEA'S $2400 IN UNPAID INVOICES. SORRY, ALL. **

== Last Meeting Notes ==
https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Event:2018/07/19_Delegates_Meeting

= End of Meeting =
* please archive these meeting notes by copying the entire pad contents onto the omni wiki
* then please erase the contents of this pad
* then please cut & paste a blank template from here: https://omnicommons.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Delegates_Meeting_Notes_Template&action=edit
* previous notes are archived here: https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Meetings

[[Category:Delegates Meeting]]

Event:2018/08/02 Delegates Meeting

2018-08-06T18:23:11Z

Lynnhowe: Created page with "There was no meeting due to no quorum and only 4 people present."

There was no meeting due to no quorum and only 4 people present.

Event:2018/07/30 Commons

2018-07-31T02:20:50Z

Lynnhowe:

Event:2018/07/30 Commons

2018-07-31T02:18:00Z

Lynnhowe:

== Agenda ==
* Introductions (5 min)
* Pending Event Requests (30 min)
* Recurring Events (5 min)
* Commons Finances & Sliding Scale & Overdue invoices (5 min)

== Attendees ==
*Julio, Lynn, Katrina, Laura
* facilitator: Julio

== Pending Event Requests ==
* Film Shoot (8/13) DR PP for contract- Laura: Anka can be there.
* Direct Action Training (8/18) SR? PP? Julio will talk to them
* Tiny Garage Concert (8/18) DR PP Laura emailed, not available
* It is a workshop (8/24, 8/31) DR PP Laura
* Biohack the Planet: (8/31-9/1): PP Julio, contract, invoice, insurance... Josiah Maureen
* Everyone Deserves a Doula Launch party (9/6): julio will contact them.
* EBDSA General Meeting (9/9,Oct, Nov) PP Julio, contract ready, 3 months.
* Counter Culture Labs 5 Year Anniversary Party (9/14) BR, PP Lynn, talks continuing
* Art and Music Gathering (9/29) PP: Julio; still working with Rayc and Angel
* Mad Props 2018 (10/9) PP Lynn corresponded. They are discussing and haven't responded. Lynn will follow up
* Awesome Orchestra (10/20) PP Lynn; 12pm-10pm offered $500, Lynn suggested $800 since it's a Saturday all day. Lynn will contact them to see if still interested.
* The Basic Byebye Show (10/26) PP Laura
* Song for Mapuche (10/28) PP Joe; Working with them. Asked for an update.
* Taylor Lockwood’s 2018 Mushroom Photo Tour, Ballroom 11/9: PP Julio: Contract
* Emerging Illusions fashion show (10/10) PP Joe
* EBAlternative Book and Zine Fest (12/08): PP Laura (was Almaz) has said she would take this but didn't contact them. Now speaking to Laura. Contract drafted. Question about security needs.
* Tuning Project (1/28) PP: Laura

==Recurring Events==
* Capoeira: Haven't been prompt about apying despite invoice and reminders. Lynn will discuss with him tomorrow.

[[Category:Commons]]

== Last Meeting Notes
https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Event:2018/07/09_Commons

===========================================================================================

Omni Commons Commons Working Group Meeting - Monday July 9, 2018, 5-6.30pm

== Agenda ==
* Introductions (5 min)
* Pending Event Requests (30 min)
* Recurring Events (5 min)
* Keeping bookable area clean, free from stuff
* Commons Finances & Sliding Scale & Overdue invoices (5 min)

== Attendees ==
* Joe, Lynn, Julio, Almaz, Laura-remote, Josiah
* facilitator: Lynn, time keeper: , note taker: Laura, Julio

== Pending Event Requests ==
* Sewing Rebellion: 7/22 PP: Maria
* Mentorship and Project Night for POC, QTPOC, WOC, Women: PP Almaz; No response. Will delete next week
* Butoh Vision (7/13) - PP: Julio: Published
* EBDSA General Meeting (7/14) PP: Almaz Published
* Le Moana from New Zealand presents the dance production 1918 (7/18) PP:Almaz. They had too many technical requests. DELETED
* Graffiti Camp for Girls (8/10 - 8/12) PP Julio: make sure it doesn't get any paint on the floor
* Collective Perspective on Community Building (8/10): PP Almaz; will reach out again. Coordinate with Julio as there may be overlap with Graffiti Camp
* Launch Party Care not Cages (8/25): PP Lynn. helping them
* CCL event Biohack the Planet: (8/31-9/1): PP Julio, contract, invoice, insurance... Josiah Maureen
** Lynn will send process to Maureen (cc: all)
* Gurdjieff Movements Ballroom 9/2, 9am-12pm (3 Sunday mornings in a row): PP Lynn, didn't like disco room floor, now want Ballroom Sunday Morning for 30/hr
* Art and Music Gathering (9/29) PP: Julio; still working with Rayc and Angel
* Awesome Orchestra (10/20) PP Lynn; 12pm-10pm offered $500, Lynn suggested $800 since it's a Saturday
* Song for Mapuche (10/28) PP Joe; Working with them.
* Night of the buffalo (9/29) PP: Lynn; DELETED
* Taylor Lockwood’s 2018 Mushroom Photo Tour, Ballroom 11/9: PP Julio: Contract
* EBAlternative Book and Zine Fest (12/08): PP Almaz
* Rachel Walker (Fundraiser for Ugandan LGBT Non-profit) Ballroom (10/6): PP: Joe, check in to see if still interested. DELETED
* Oakland Tech hs rowing team physical fitness classes Lynn hasn't heard back; Not happening

==Recurring Events==
* Capoeira starts June 1, one month trial MWF in entrance hall, PP:Lynn. Capoeria now has a contract for July and August. Month trial went wll. Laura and Lynn met w Marcelo. They are interested in stewarding the space over hte long term. He proposed helping take stuff to the dump, putting in lighting and putting up murals in the entrance hall, also a new awning.
* GUST - Second Thursdays - Activist flashdancemob rehearsal - $20/sesh - PP:Jenny
* CDP meeting once a month now

== Fire Certificates ==
* Laura looking for fire certificate (official). Will send to list (especially Joe)

== CCL wanting to use Disco Room ==
* if they want to use the space for specific purposes, we can do it
* if they need permanent occupation of space (even for storage), they would bring it to delegates (Laura willing to help them put a proposal together)

== Keeping bookable areas clean, free from stuff ==
* Almaz will make a sign (include donations@omnicommons.org OR info@omnicommons.org)
* Lynn/Joe will bring it up at the delegates meeting
* Jenny suggested talking about paying for janitorial services at the next finance meeting. Commons suggests areas that need regular cleaning are accessible bathroom, Entrance Room, Disco Room, Ballroom)

[[Category:Commons]]

Event:2018/07/30 Commons

2018-07-31T02:16:01Z

Lynnhowe: Blanked the page

Event:2018/07/09 Commons

2018-07-31T02:14:35Z

Lynnhowe: /* Last Meeting Notes */

Omni Commons Commons Working Group Meeting - Monday July 9, 2018, 5-6.30pm

Event:2018/07/09 Commons

2018-07-31T02:14:21Z

Lynnhowe: /* Keeping bookable areas clean, free from stuff */

Omni Commons Commons Working Group Meeting - Monday July 9, 2018, 5-6.30pm

== Last Meeting Notes ==
https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Event:2018/06/25_Commons

Event:2018/07/09 Commons

2018-07-31T02:14:10Z

Lynnhowe: /* CCL wanting to use Disco Room */

Omni Commons Commons Working Group Meeting - Monday July 9, 2018, 5-6.30pm

== Keeping bookable areas clean, free from stuff ==
* Almaz will make a sign (include donations@omnicommons.org OR info@omnicommons.org)
* Lynn/Joe will bring it up at the delegates meeting
* Jenny suggested talking about paying for janitorial services at the next finance meeting. Commons suggests areas that need regular cleaning are accessible bathroom, Entrance Room, Disco Room, Ballroom)

[[Category:Commons]]

== Last Meeting Notes ==
https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Event:2018/06/25_Commons

Event:2018/07/09 Commons

2018-07-31T02:13:57Z

Lynnhowe: /* Fire Certificates */

Omni Commons Commons Working Group Meeting - Monday July 9, 2018, 5-6.30pm

== CCL wanting to use Disco Room ==
* if they want to use the space for specific purposes, we can do it
* if they need permanent occupation of space (even for storage), they would bring it to delegates (Laura willing to help them put a proposal together)

== Keeping bookable areas clean, free from stuff ==
* Almaz will make a sign (include donations@omnicommons.org OR info@omnicommons.org)
* Lynn/Joe will bring it up at the delegates meeting
* Jenny suggested talking about paying for janitorial services at the next finance meeting. Commons suggests areas that need regular cleaning are accessible bathroom, Entrance Room, Disco Room, Ballroom)

[[Category:Commons]]

== Last Meeting Notes ==
https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Event:2018/06/25_Commons

Event:2018/07/09 Commons

2018-07-31T02:13:42Z

Lynnhowe: /* Recurring Events */

Omni Commons Commons Working Group Meeting - Monday July 9, 2018, 5-6.30pm

== Fire Certificates ==
* Laura looking for fire certificate (official). Will send to list (especially Joe)

== CCL wanting to use Disco Room ==
* if they want to use the space for specific purposes, we can do it
* if they need permanent occupation of space (even for storage), they would bring it to delegates (Laura willing to help them put a proposal together)

== Keeping bookable areas clean, free from stuff ==
* Almaz will make a sign (include donations@omnicommons.org OR info@omnicommons.org)
* Lynn/Joe will bring it up at the delegates meeting
* Jenny suggested talking about paying for janitorial services at the next finance meeting. Commons suggests areas that need regular cleaning are accessible bathroom, Entrance Room, Disco Room, Ballroom)

[[Category:Commons]]

== Last Meeting Notes ==
https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Event:2018/06/25_Commons

Event:2018/07/09 Commons

2018-07-31T02:13:18Z

Lynnhowe: /* Pending Event Requests */

Omni Commons Commons Working Group Meeting - Monday July 9, 2018, 5-6.30pm

==Recurring Events==
* Capoeira starts June 1, one month trial MWF in entrance hall, PP:Lynn. Capoeria now has a contract for July and August. Month trial went wll. Laura and Lynn met w Marcelo. They are interested in stewarding the space over hte long term. He proposed helping take stuff to the dump, putting in lighting and putting up murals in the entrance hall, also a new awning.
* GUST - Second Thursdays - Activist flashdancemob rehearsal - $20/sesh - PP:Jenny
* CDP meeting once a month now

== Fire Certificates ==
* Laura looking for fire certificate (official). Will send to list (especially Joe)

== CCL wanting to use Disco Room ==
* if they want to use the space for specific purposes, we can do it
* if they need permanent occupation of space (even for storage), they would bring it to delegates (Laura willing to help them put a proposal together)

== Keeping bookable areas clean, free from stuff ==
* Almaz will make a sign (include donations@omnicommons.org OR info@omnicommons.org)
* Lynn/Joe will bring it up at the delegates meeting
* Jenny suggested talking about paying for janitorial services at the next finance meeting. Commons suggests areas that need regular cleaning are accessible bathroom, Entrance Room, Disco Room, Ballroom)

[[Category:Commons]]

== Last Meeting Notes ==
https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Event:2018/06/25_Commons

Event:2018/07/09 Commons

2018-07-31T02:13:03Z

Lynnhowe: /* Attendees */

Omni Commons Commons Working Group Meeting - Monday July 9, 2018, 5-6.30pm

== Pending Event Requests ==
* Sewing Rellion: 7/22 PP: Maria
* Mentorship and Project Night for POC, QTPOC, WOC, Women: PP Almaz; No response. Will delete next week
* Butoh Vision (7/13) - PP: Julio: Published
* EBDSA General Meeting (7/14) PP: Almaz Published
* Le Moana from New Zealand presents the dance production 1918 (7/18) PP:Almaz. They had too many technical requests. DELETED
* Graffiti Camp for Girls (8/10 - 8/12) PP Julio: make sure it doesn't get any paint on the floor
* Collective Perspective on Community Building (8/10): PP Almaz; will reach out again. Coordinate with Julio as there may be overlap with Graffiti Camp
* Launch Party Care not Cages (8/25): PP Lynn. helping them
* CCL event Biohack the Planet: (8/31-9/1): PP Julio, contract, invoice, insurance... Josiah Maureen
** Lynn will send process to Maureen (cc: all)
* Gurdjieff Movements Ballroom 9/2, 9am-12pm (3 Sunday mornings in a row): PP Lynn, didn't like disco room floor, now want Ballroom Sunday Morning for 30/hr
* Art and Music Gathering (9/29) PP: Julio; still working with Rayc and Angel
* Awesome Orchestra (10/20) PP Lynn; 12pm-10pm offered $500, Lynn suggested $800 since it's a Saturday
* Song for Mapuche (10/28) PP Joe; Working with them.
* Night of the buffalo (9/29) PP: Lynn; DELETED
* Taylor Lockwood’s 2018 Mushroom Photo Tour, Ballroom 11/9: PP Julio: Contract
* EBAlternative Book and Zine Fest (12/08): PP Almaz
* Rachel Walker (Fundraiser for Ugandan LGBT Non-profit) Ballroom (10/6): PP: Joe, check in to see if still interested. DELETED
* Oakland Tech hs rowing team physical fitness classes Lynn hasn't heard back; Not happening

==Recurring Events==
* Capoeira starts June 1, one month trial MWF in entrance hall, PP:Lynn. Capoeria now has a contract for July and August. Month trial went wll. Laura and Lynn met w Marcelo. They are interested in stewarding the space over hte long term. He proposed helping take stuff to the dump, putting in lighting and putting up murals in the entrance hall, also a new awning.
* GUST - Second Thursdays - Activist flashdancemob rehearsal - $20/sesh - PP:Jenny
* CDP meeting once a month now

== Fire Certificates ==
* Laura looking for fire certificate (official). Will send to list (especially Joe)

== CCL wanting to use Disco Room ==
* if they want to use the space for specific purposes, we can do it
* if they need permanent occupation of space (even for storage), they would bring it to delegates (Laura willing to help them put a proposal together)

== Keeping bookable areas clean, free from stuff ==
* Almaz will make a sign (include donations@omnicommons.org OR info@omnicommons.org)
* Lynn/Joe will bring it up at the delegates meeting
* Jenny suggested talking about paying for janitorial services at the next finance meeting. Commons suggests areas that need regular cleaning are accessible bathroom, Entrance Room, Disco Room, Ballroom)

[[Category:Commons]]

== Last Meeting Notes ==
https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Event:2018/06/25_Commons

Event:2018/07/09 Commons

2018-07-31T02:12:41Z

Lynnhowe: /* Agenda */

Omni Commons Commons Working Group Meeting - Monday July 9, 2018, 5-6.30pm

== Attendees ==
* Joe, Lynn, Julio, Almaz, Laura-remote, Josiah
* facilitator: Lynn, time keeper: , note taker: Laura, Julio

== Pending Event Requests ==
* Sewing Rellion: 7/22 PP: Maria
* Mentorship and Project Night for POC, QTPOC, WOC, Women: PP Almaz; No response. Will delete next week
* Butoh Vision (7/13) - PP: Julio: Published
* EBDSA General Meeting (7/14) PP: Almaz Published
* Le Moana from New Zealand presents the dance production 1918 (7/18) PP:Almaz. They had too many technical requests. DELETED
* Graffiti Camp for Girls (8/10 - 8/12) PP Julio: make sure it doesn't get any paint on the floor
* Collective Perspective on Community Building (8/10): PP Almaz; will reach out again. Coordinate with Julio as there may be overlap with Graffiti Camp
* Launch Party Care not Cages (8/25): PP Lynn. helping them
* CCL event Biohack the Planet: (8/31-9/1): PP Julio, contract, invoice, insurance... Josiah Maureen
** Lynn will send process to Maureen (cc: all)
* Gurdjieff Movements Ballroom 9/2, 9am-12pm (3 Sunday mornings in a row): PP Lynn, didn't like disco room floor, now want Ballroom Sunday Morning for 30/hr
* Art and Music Gathering (9/29) PP: Julio; still working with Rayc and Angel
* Awesome Orchestra (10/20) PP Lynn; 12pm-10pm offered $500, Lynn suggested $800 since it's a Saturday
* Song for Mapuche (10/28) PP Joe; Working with them.
* Night of the buffalo (9/29) PP: Lynn; DELETED
* Taylor Lockwood’s 2018 Mushroom Photo Tour, Ballroom 11/9: PP Julio: Contract
* EBAlternative Book and Zine Fest (12/08): PP Almaz
* Rachel Walker (Fundraiser for Ugandan LGBT Non-profit) Ballroom (10/6): PP: Joe, check in to see if still interested. DELETED
* Oakland Tech hs rowing team physical fitness classes Lynn hasn't heard back; Not happening

==Recurring Events==
* Capoeira starts June 1, one month trial MWF in entrance hall, PP:Lynn. Capoeria now has a contract for July and August. Month trial went wll. Laura and Lynn met w Marcelo. They are interested in stewarding the space over hte long term. He proposed helping take stuff to the dump, putting in lighting and putting up murals in the entrance hall, also a new awning.
* GUST - Second Thursdays - Activist flashdancemob rehearsal - $20/sesh - PP:Jenny
* CDP meeting once a month now

== Fire Certificates ==
* Laura looking for fire certificate (official). Will send to list (especially Joe)

== CCL wanting to use Disco Room ==
* if they want to use the space for specific purposes, we can do it
* if they need permanent occupation of space (even for storage), they would bring it to delegates (Laura willing to help them put a proposal together)

== Keeping bookable areas clean, free from stuff ==
* Almaz will make a sign (include donations@omnicommons.org OR info@omnicommons.org)
* Lynn/Joe will bring it up at the delegates meeting
* Jenny suggested talking about paying for janitorial services at the next finance meeting. Commons suggests areas that need regular cleaning are accessible bathroom, Entrance Room, Disco Room, Ballroom)

[[Category:Commons]]

== Last Meeting Notes ==
https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Event:2018/06/25_Commons

Event:2018/07/30 Commons

2018-07-29T02:22:53Z

Lynnhowe: Created page with "https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Event:2018/07/09_Commons (PUBLISHED) Omni Commons Commons Working Group Meeting - Monday July 9, 2018, 5-6.30pm == Agenda == * Introductions (5 m..."

https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Event:2018/07/09_Commons (PUBLISHED)
Omni Commons Commons Working Group Meeting - Monday July 9, 2018, 5-6.30pm

== Agenda ==
* Introductions (5 min)
* Pending Event Requests (30 min)
* Recurring Events (5 min)
* Keeping bookable area clean, free from stuff
* Commons Finances & Sliding Scale & Overdue invoices (5 min)

== Attendees ==
* Joe, Lynn, Julio, Almaz, Laura-remote, Josiah
* facilitator: Lynn, time keeper: , note taker: Laura, Julio

== Pending Event Requests ==
* Sewing Rebellion: 7/22 PP: Maria
* Mentorship and Project Night for POC, QTPOC, WOC, Women: PP Almaz; No response. Will delete next week
* Butoh Vision (7/13) - PP: Julio: Published
* EBDSA General Meeting (7/14) PP: Almaz Published
* Le Moana from New Zealand presents the dance production 1918 (7/18) PP:Almaz. They had too many technical requests. DELETED
* Graffiti Camp for Girls (8/10 - 8/12) PP Julio: make sure it doesn't get any paint on the floor
* Collective Perspective on Community Building (8/10): PP Almaz; will reach out again. Coordinate with Julio as there may be overlap with Graffiti Camp
* Launch Party Care not Cages (8/25): PP Lynn. helping them
* CCL event Biohack the Planet: (8/31-9/1): PP Julio, contract, invoice, insurance... Josiah Maureen
** Lynn will send process to Maureen (cc: all)
* Gurdjieff Movements Ballroom 9/2, 9am-12pm (3 Sunday mornings in a row): PP Lynn, didn't like disco room floor, now want Ballroom Sunday Morning for 30/hr
* Art and Music Gathering (9/29) PP: Julio; still working with Rayc and Angel
* Awesome Orchestra (10/20) PP Lynn; 12pm-10pm offered $500, Lynn suggested $800 since it's a Saturday
* Song for Mapuche (10/28) PP Joe; Working with them.
* Night of the buffalo (9/29) PP: Lynn; DELETED
* Taylor Lockwood’s 2018 Mushroom Photo Tour, Ballroom 11/9: PP Julio: Contract
* EBAlternative Book and Zine Fest (12/08): PP Almaz
* Rachel Walker (Fundraiser for Ugandan LGBT Non-profit) Ballroom (10/6): PP: Joe, check in to see if still interested. DELETED
* Oakland Tech hs rowing team physical fitness classes Lynn hasn't heard back; Not happening

==Recurring Events==
* Capoeira starts June 1, one month trial MWF in entrance hall, PP:Lynn. Capoeria now has a contract for July and August. Month trial went wll. Laura and Lynn met w Marcelo. They are interested in stewarding the space over hte long term. He proposed helping take stuff to the dump, putting in lighting and putting up murals in the entrance hall, also a new awning.
* GUST - Second Thursdays - Activist flashdancemob rehearsal - $20/sesh - PP:Jenny
* CDP meeting once a month now

== Fire Certificates ==
* Laura looking for fire certificate (official). Will send to list (especially Joe)

== CCL wanting to use Disco Room ==
* if they want to use the space for specific purposes, we can do it
* if they need permanent occupation of space (even for storage), they would bring it to delegates (Laura willing to help them put a proposal together)

== Keeping bookable areas clean, free from stuff ==
* Almaz will make a sign (include donations@omnicommons.org OR info@omnicommons.org)
* Lynn/Joe will bring it up at the delegates meeting
* Jenny suggested talking about paying for janitorial services at the next finance meeting. Commons suggests areas that need regular cleaning are accessible bathroom, Entrance Room, Disco Room, Ballroom)

Event:2018/07/19 Delegates Meeting

2018-07-20T20:36:22Z

Lynnhowe: Created page with "Omni Delegates' Meeting - 19 July 2018 7pm-9pm for instructions on preparing and archiving these notes, please see the bottom === Agenda === * Introductions, Meeting Roles,..."

Omni Delegates' Meeting - 19 July 2018 7pm-9pm

for instructions on preparing and archiving these notes, please see the bottom

=== Agenda ===
* Introductions, Meeting Roles, and Delegates Count [10 minutes]
* Access Check-in [5 minutes]
* Announcements [5 minutes]
* Bans [5 minutes]
* Working Group Report-Backs [15 minutes]
* Member Collective Updates (10 minutes)
* Proposal X: [15 minutes]
* Proposal Y: [15 minutes]
* Discussion Z: [10 minutes]

=== Introductions ===

Introduce yourself: Name; Preferred Pronoun; Affiliation; any brief announcements; say whether you're a delegate; let us know about any access needs you have†
*Anka
*Julian
*Joel
*Almaz
*Sierk
*Philip
*Emji
*Rachel
*Laura
*Helen

† Is everybody able to participate fully in this meeting? Do people have unmet needs or concerns?

=== Meeting Roles ===
* Facilitator/s: Laura
* Explanation of hand signals: "deaf applause", "raised hand", "point of process", "direct response"(wildcard), etc.
* Stacktaker: Anka
* Timekeeper: Sierk
* Notetaker/s: Julian
** URL of this pad: https://pad.riseup.net/p/omninom
* Vibe Reader:
* Next meeting's facilitator(s): Philip

=== Delegates ===
* ABDC: inactive
* BAPS: Julian
* CCL: absent
* CSC: absent
* FNB: Philip
* GWS: Rachel
* LL: Anka
* Sudo: Sierk
* TIL: inactive
* GCEA: Almaz
* Quorum: 6/8

== New Bans ==
* Philip - some people use the computers and are disruptive
* [these notes are partial and will be reconstructed by julian later, because at time
** Julian -
** Sierk - practicaly, this is limited. ideally its nice but we don't have that many people
** Alma
** Almaz - Stephanie will be a member of our collective
** Laura - we have a longstanding policy on this front
** Anka - we have a policy one way or another, but people end up here one way or another -
*** make clear signs - please don't use the internet longer than an hour if others are waiting. please use the sound at a reasonable volume
*** ask people to clean up after themselves
*** If people are cool with it, I can make the signs
** Rachel what was the issue?
*** Philip - there are a variety of people who stay, some who sleep sometimes, people giving a lot of
** Sierk - there are a variety of people who use the computers, but some are who attracted where problems regularly happen. we are a commons and we should be. but practically, there are . very few people actually have responsibiliy.
* Laura - signs can only make it easier to deal with that area. perhaps add something about 10pm - at 10 if youre not a collective member.
* Julian - its not as if the computer area attracts problems. some people need
* Sierk - the common space, if you're not part of a collective, then the computers are a thing. the computers are architecturally obscured, and so people "hide in plain sight." "a few people who cause problems" - probably something we could do there
* Add to list of people [https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Asked_to_Leave asked to leave]

== Working Group Report-Backs ==

=== Building & permits ===
Meetings: 1st & 3rd Mondays @ 6pm
* Laura: What can we do about the trash situation? Too much compost; trash and recycling full 2-3 days before pickup; poor sorting.
** What about additional pickups? Every additional pick up cost the same addtional amount.
* Sierk - info on electricity/capoeira
* Almaz - Mama Habiba. "what are you doing with the money, when is the kitchen going to be fixed." people are waiting for that.
* Laura - I sent an email about the trash situation. there was a discussion about FNB not bringing in so much fruit this time of year.
** generally, are people interested in adding an extra pick-up. I know that we will when the cafe is started.
** Helen - we're trying to work on source reduction, we hope we can reduce the problem on our end
** Sierk - after Sunday there's some that Phat Beets generates. on Sunday, compost is basically full; we're at low capacity somehow.
** Philip - we are beyond trash everytime, no matter.
** Laura - I'm hearing that our capacity with 1 pickup just isnt' enough period. will bring this to Finance to figure out how feasible this is.
** Anka - could we reduce?
*** Julian - we have difficulty coordinating and this seems especially difficult to coordinate.
* This group needs help; https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/building

=== Commons ===
Meetings: First and Third Thursdays at 6pm
* Almaz - we've had success with the events, but some cancelations due to cleanliness around donation dumping in entrance hall but also
** we don't want donations left in the building without them being sent to the donations email list.
* Laura - financially we are doing okay
* This group needs help:
** https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/commons
** https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/booking

=== Communications ===
Meetings: Second and Fourth Wednesdays at 6pm
* Julian - none

=== Finance ===
Meetings: Currently conjoined with Fundraising, 2nd & 4th Mondays at 6pm
* Cafe lease update
** they have agreed to all the details of the lease, they have 2 copis to sign & return to Brian. lease should commense in August
* All tenant leases have been updated.
* We need new Proof of Insurance from GCEA (exp 4/18), FNB (exp 7/18), Phat Beets (exp 3/18)

=== Fundraising ===
Meetings: Currently conjoined with Finance,, 2nd & 4th Mondays at 6pm
* Laura - a timeconsuming task that needs to happen for folx donated$250+
** Laura - an IRS thing notifying big donors
** any takers?
*** Anka and Sierk

== Member Collective Updates ==
What is going on with your collective? What are you working on? What have you accomplished? Any events coming up? Any difficulties you are encountering that you need help with?

=== ABDC ===
* Can we have an update on ABDC move-out of Ticket Booth Room and moveing of equipment into the basement?
** Almaz - there stuff is still there
** Laura - behind on rent
* Sierk - much ABDC stuff has been moved down to the basement for the medialab, nand some to the other place
* Laura - two folx said they would bottomline

=== BAPS ===
* Julian - same classes running

=== CCL ===
*

=== CSC ===
*

=== FNB ===
* Helen - no reports
* Philip - we want to get the downstairs freezer repaired, this will use more electricity

===GCEA===
* Almaz - we have an Immigrant Rights event involving ACLU. know your rights (legal rights)
** Train the Trainers on July 28th, all in English - for folx to then put it on the following day
** Know Your Rights on July 29th. this will ben happening in 8 languages.
** a number of other organizations, Bay Area Legal Aid

=== GWS ===
* Rachel - planning meeting on Saturday

=== LL ===
* Anka - screening of Albatross this Sunday. gearing up for a November film festival. direct folx to 2nd annual Films to the People Film Festival

=== Sudo ===
* Sierk - its quiet; much more happening in August

=== TIL ===
*

== Proposal: Timeless, Infinite Light moves out of Upstairs Corner Space by Aug 15, 2018 . Discussed 7/6/2018 ==
Timeless, Infinite Light is in the process of dissolving as a collective. We will need to move out of our space into Omni as we transition out and we found a smaller space that will better suit our current needs. We would like to put in 30-days notice and be fully moved out of our space by August 15th.
We would like to terminate our lease with Omni early. We are currently on a year lease. It would have been better for us to sign a month-to-month lease, but we came to this decision very recently and it wasn't in our minds when we signed the last lease. We would like to pay a pro-rated rate of $150 for our final 15 days in August. We will remove our belongings from the space and clean it out so that it is ready for another collective to move into the space. We would like to have our security deposit of $1000 (which we paid in 2014) returned to us within 30 days of cleaning out the space. We will clean fully with the exception of any materials that the collectives we currently share the space with wish to have remain in the space.
We currently share our space with Chiapas Support Committee and Womens’ Global Strike and will stay in communication with them during this process to make sure the space continues to be usable for them.
We're sad to leave the Omni as we've been a part of it since the beginning, and we're amazed by how far it's come in such a short time. We feel really honored to have been part of so many inspiring events and projects here, and we hope to continue participating in other ways in the future.

=== Discussion ===
* Laura - any concerns since the last meeting?
* Almaz - none reall
* Laura - the offset preinter?
** Emji - twas material print machines, belonged to someone else

Consensus
** abstain Sudo & FNB
In favor: GWS, FNB, GCEA, BAPS
Passes
* Joel - we'll coordinate move out w/ the other groups GWS & CSC

== Proposal: Community Statement to Endorse OneFam’s Last Stand on Historic 7th Street: Maintain community control of historic neighborhood space. Discussed 7.6.2018 ==
Statement:
We stand with OneFam against eviction!
OneFam is a space operated by working class mostly people of color, where folks feel welcomed and included. The displacement of black and brown residents and businesses by more affluent white residents is now the norm everywhere, including the once vibrant 7th Street. OneFam is the last pre-gentrification business in this area, and is being illegally and unjustly evicted.
OneFam/Bikes 4 Life and 7th St Rev Cafe are important to the local community.
We want the eviction process to be stopped and for landlord Arnold Fields to sit down with OneFam to work out a plan so they can stay in their space and business and so he can be compensated for his investment.
We want OneFam to stay and continue to operate. Sincerely, the undersigned,

=== Discussion ===
* Anka - is it too late?
** Julian - basically no, even tho we already delivered the petitions. the endorsement serves two other purposes - 1) moblizing 2) legitimacy
* Almaz - I've been sharing this!

Consensus -
Abstain: Sudo
In Favor: FNB, GCEA, GWS, LL, BAPS

== Proposal to endorse/support the National Prison Strike, 8/21-9/9/2018 . NEW, not yet discussed ==
Proposed by Sierk, 7/19/18
"In April 2018, Jailhouse Lawyers Speak, a network of inside prison organizers, put out a press release calling for a two-week national strike beginning on August 21, the anniversary of George Jackson’s assassination, and extending until September 9, the anniversary of the Attica Prison Rebellion in 1971. The call has been taken up inside from coast to coast, and across at least 17 different states. Through a coordinated series of work strikes, hunger strikes, sit-ins, and boycotts, prisoners will demand an end to prison slavery."
("Endorsements [matter] because visibility & awareness directly protects against repression & retaliation.")
More info online:
- Press release / endorsement form: http://sawarimi.org/national-prison-strike
- Oakland IWOC event: https://www.facebook.com/events/398893970603091/

=== Discussion ===
* Sierk - overviews the various materials emailed out, to introduce what is being proposed, and summarizes some of the context linked here.
** I will also want to do an event here
* Laura - part of the discussion delegates could have with members would be how to help make this visible
** creative ideas to bring more visibility
* Almaz - this is a good idea to show our solidarity concretely. perhaps each collective could make a banner of some kind, and then
** perhaps we could also attend the demonstration together as Omni collective members.
* Sierk - a banner up outside
** there will be carpools to the Noise Demonstration at San Quentin on 25th
** phone zaps we can call our folks onto. every minute someone spends on the phone leads to less time in folx on solitary
** some limitations on what we can do -
*** only their language: its mainly supposed to be promoting language on the inside. the goal is to not promote external messaging
*** strict no fundraising ask
* Julian and Sierk will coordinate around print needs
* Julian - we should narrow the meaning of the endorsement - perhaps interpretting this as the right for prisoners to strike and make demands
** Sierk - the language here isn't about "prison abolition" per se. the demands per se are relatively conservative.
* Anka - would it be better for each collective
* Rachel - GWS we supported the hunger strike
** Sierk, Julian - IWOC is IWW
*** Laura - they've done stuff here before
*** Julian - they were part of doing solidarity work for 2016 strike
*** Sierk - they haven't put out the call, they are boosting the call

== Discussion Items ==
*From Laura: We received this email today. I have replied and requested that the person tell me how much they are offering, but they haven't gotten back. Are we inclined to do his and what is the minimum compensation we want?
**"I'm writing from the Shotgun Players nearby on Ashby Ave. We're looking to purchase or borrow 7 church pews for a show that will be running November - January. (4 @ 9', 1 @ 11.5', and 2 @ 15').
One of our company members mentioned to me a while back that you may have some in storage that aren't used often. Please let me know if that's the case and if you'd be interested in selling or lending them to us."
* Anka - we use the pews, they are effective and efficient to set up
** they could fall apart?
* Rachel - we've used them in events, they are comfortable, make the room comfortable
* Sierk - there are also a bunch downstairs
** reading the email I assumed they need them only temporarily.
** for people that don't know this performance company - Shotgun Players; they charge No One Turned Away for Lack of Funds
*** they are somewhat socially conscious
* Almaz - I know people are attached to them. they are a pain in the neck. we need to space to hold.
** its about time for the to be used for big events
* Julian - I could be persuaded,
* Laura- I'm generally anti-pew, but I do understand the utility of them. liberated lens uses them probably more than any other collective. what would an optimal number for Liberated Lens to use
** Anka - for any collective that uses the stage, they are more convenient
*** perhaps as compromise we could rid of approximately half
*** for the films, we use maybe 3 double rows of pews
*** the smaller ones are more convenient
*** maybe if they took the longer ones.
* Laura - getting rid of some of the pews on a permanent basis?
** what about renting some number of them as a trial basis
* Laura - they must pick them up and return them
* Philip - the ones in the basement, there is a cleanliness issue.
** Laura - we have a steamcleaner
** Philip - during food not
* Almaz - maybe bring the downstairs ones upstairs
* Helen - the ones up here are mainly in use, but the ones
** we need something to replace the pews presumably?
* Laura - I think we have enough replacement chairs
* Sierk - getting rid of some of them, we can see how we feel about it
** we could make some of them easier to move perhaps
* Laura - the pews downstairs are used because they are there
* Anka - eventually, the kitchen and media lab will take more basement space, and moving the downstairs pews
* Helen - does the cafe want pews?
** Laura - no
* Laura - I'll take all this under advisement

*From Laura
With the departure of TIL, ABDC, we should consider actively recruiting new collectives. Part of that recruitment should include stating what the requirements are to be a member collective with delegate representation on the board (as opposed to a tenant or project). After review of past discussion and proposals, these are the criteria I was able to identify. I would like feedback on them before publicizing, or making a proposal to clarify the requirements, if we think that is needed.
**Criteria to become and remain an Omni Commons Member Collective
Have a minimum of 5 active members (note: should we require collectives to state what are their membership criteria and process?)
Have a horizontal, participatory decision-making process (note: we also do not ask about this in the member collective questions)
Comply with requirements for members to serve on Omni working groups:
Each member collective should have a minimum of 2 members in working groups, with an additional WG participant for every 10 members. (This is in the member collective handbook but I can’t find the proposal)
Previously: Each Member Group of the Omni will be required to populate at least 3 seats in at least 3 committees. Member Groups with more than 12 members will be required to populate at least 5 seats in at least 3 committees. (Passed 2014/08/28 Delegates Assembly)
Endorse the Omni Commons statement of solidarity, statement of purpose, and safer space policy, and demonstrate how the activities of the collective contribute to them.
Be either a tenant or a fiscally sponsored project of Omni Commons
* Laura - send me an email with thoughts
* Philip - these are relatively stiff requirements, and they are few and far between, and some collectives
* Julian - two questions here. criteria, and how to recruit. the criteria mainly seem good tho the member #s is a bit high
* Anka - what's the ask?
** Laura - not to ask for more member collectives yet
* Laura - we might have an influx of new collecive applications, such as the capoeira group - so running it by us would be good
* Sierk - are we interested in more member collectives or more tenants (or both)? these seem like good guidelines. we want member collectives to join to aid in decision-making structure. we also need more to be involved in the cooperative work of the Omni as a whole. but we could give some collectives waivers, etc based on how active.
* Helen - we want to have member collectives and we mainly don't want to be a landlord with tenants. the requirements to have certain numbers and the . the groups that we want to have are collectives. you can't have collectives of one person. somehow you want the collective to have some members to it.
* Almaz - we should have more collectives, sure, but more diverse collectives. before introducing new collectives we need to review our policy with respect to internal social divisons and harm to one another. a few people are doing a lot of work, and they are burning out. reviewing these policies shouldn't block us from brining new collectives, but we need to assure that our division of labor and our mutual accountability be best.
* Rachel - its hard to have collectives these days. you have to have some money to pay the rent
** Julian - not all collectives are rent-paying tenants. BAPS for example
* Anka - we probably don't
** a separate meeting? to prepare what
** Almaz - a separate meeting to respond to unsolved issues in the past. how do we bring the statement of solidarity into effect. an omni-wide retreat
*** I don't think it would be hard to bring collectives in here
* Julian - I'm hearing these as two proposals - one broader (Almaz), one more specific (Laura(
* Laura - dealing with this whole question of making the Omni more welcome is definitely part of inviting new member collective
* Rachel - my experience of becoming a member collective is that it's quite a process already; we don't met all the criteria as it is. it's already a rigorous process
* Laura - at this point, I do feel that we have a sense of what the needs are
** Helen - the document here has not spoken to a number of the other qualities - there does need to be some guidance. what characteristics in the past have made for successful
** Anka - I think these elements are interconnected - and we should make a date
* Almaz - we could maybe use the delegates meeting in two weeks perhaps as a retreat instead- go over our policies and requirements as a whole
** Laura - maybe when we get back in september
* Julian - my point wasn't that these two things aren't related but that they are literally two different meetings - one which is the retreat as a whole, and one which focuses on the member criteria
** Laura - Monday the 30th
* Laura - I would like to schedule a meeting to discuss this specifically as an ad hoc committee - criteria for member collectives - make it more smooth and inclusive
* Almaz - I think that these shouldn't be two meetings but that they should be dealing with everything at once
* Laura - I would like to schedule this ad hoc meeting
* Julian - I am hearing that Almaz's concern is that if we don't prioritize an Omni-wide retreat over this, then it will get pushed off again and we'll bring new member collectives into a problematic atmosphere
* Laura - I don't think this is practical to put off because it's a near term reality that new member collectives may be on their way in, and to delay, but the meeting is over already

== Last Meeting Notes ==
https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Event:2018/07/06_Delegates_Meeting

= End of Meeting =
* please archive these meeting notes by copying the entire pad contents onto the omni wiki
* then please erase the contents of this pad
* then please cut & paste a blank template from here: https://omnicommons.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Delegates_Meeting_Notes_Template&action=edit
* previous notes are archived here: https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Meetings

[[Category:Delegates Meeting]]

Event:2018/07/06 Delegates Meeting

2018-07-06T18:41:28Z

Lynnhowe: Created page with "Omni Delegates' Meeting - 5 July 2018 7pm-9pm for instructions on preparing and archiving these notes, please see the bottom === Agenda === * Introductions, Meeting Roles,..."

Omni Delegates' Meeting - 5 July 2018 7pm-9pm

for instructions on preparing and archiving these notes, please see the bottom

=== Agenda ===
* Introductions, Meeting Roles, and Delegates Count [10 minutes]
* Access Check-in [5 minutes]
* Announcements [5 minutes]
** Ken and Gerald presenting new light fixtures going into the basement, could be anywhere, quick mount, LED, can mount 6 in line with 1 plub, low cost. Looking for volunteers to help mount in the basement, then to proceed to other sections of the OMNI.
** Gerald: Saturday forum report back
** Joe: SF Mime Trpupe opens East Bay season Sat 7/7 in Cedar Rose park Berkeley.
\
* Bans [5 minutes]
* Working Group Report-Backs [15 minutes]
* Member Collective Updates (10 minutes)
* Proposal: Timeless, Infinite Light moves out of Upstairs Corner Space by Aug 15, 2018
* Proposal: Community Statement to Endorse OneFam’s Last Stand on Historic 7th Street: Maintain community control of historic neighborhood space [15 minutes]
* Discussion Z: [10 minutes]

=== Introductions ===

Introduce yourself: Name; Preferred Pronoun; Affiliation; any brief announcements; say whether you're a delegate; let us know about any access needs you have†

† Is everybody able to participate fully in this meeting? Do people have unmet needs or concerns?

=== Meeting Roles ===
* Facilitator/s: Rachel
* Explanation of hand signals: "deaf applause", "raised hand", "point of process", "direct response"(wildcard), etc.
* Stacktaker: Almaz
* Timekeeper:
* Notetaker/s: Lynn
** URL of this pad: https://pad.riseup.net/p/omninom
* Vibe Reader:
* Next meeting's facilitator(s):

=== Delegates ===
* ABDC:
* BAPS: Julian
* CCL: Ken
* CSC:
* FNB: Phil
* GWS: Rachel
* LL: Gerald
* Sudo:
* TIL: MJ, Joel
* GCEA: Almaz
* Quorum:

== New Bans ==
*
* Add to list of people [https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Asked_to_Leave asked to leave]

== Working Group Report-Backs ==

=== Building & permits ===
Meetings: 1st & 3rd Mondays @ 6pm
* Ken wants to say - there are new LEDs, check em out?
* This group needs help; https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/building

=== Commons ===
Meetings: First and Third Thursdays at 6pm
*
* This group needs help:
** https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/commons
** https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/booking

=== Communications ===
Meetings: Second and Fourth Wednesdays at 6pm
*

=== Finance ===
Meetings: Currently conjoined with Fundraising, 2nd & 4th Mondays at 6pm
*

=== Fundraising ===
Meetings: Currently conjoined with Finance,, 2nd & 4th Mondays at 6pm
*

== Member Collective Updates ==
What is going on with your collective? What are you working on? What have you accomplished? Any events coming up? Any difficulties you are encountering that you need help with?

=== ABDC ===
*

=== BAPS ===
* Writing group holding monthy sessions.

=== CCL ===
* Ken: Cruising for the summer

=== CSC ===
*

=== FNB ===
*Mine troop shows in July as fundraisers. Need volunteers

===GCEA===
*

=== GWS ===
* Rachel: continue to be part of the poor people's campaign, quite an experience, Lori Nairne 1 year anniversary of her death. There will be a rememberance, August 18, at the Omni.

=== LL ===
* Gerald: trying to restructure. Showing Reluctant Radical about the environment; the next film about an island where seagulls go to mate

=== Sudo ===
*

=== TIL ===
*Just released a book, poetry, its on the their website

== Proposal: Timeless, Infinite Light moves out of Upstairs Corner Space by Aug 15, 2018 ==

Timeless, Infinite Light is in the process of dissolving as a collective. We will need to move out of our space into Omni as we transition out and we found a smaller space that will better suit our current needs. We would like to put in 30-days notice and be fully moved out of our space by August 15th.

We would like to terminate our lease with Omni early. We are currently on a year lease. It would have been better for us to sign a month-to-month lease, but we came to this decision very recently and it wasn't in our minds when we signed the last lease. We would like to pay a pro-rated rate of $150 for our final 15 days in August. We will remove our belongings from the space and clean it out so that it is ready for another collective to move into the space. We would like to have our security deposit of $1000 (which we paid in 2014) returned to us within 30 days of cleaning out the space. We will clean fully with the exception of any materials that the collectives we currently share the space with wish to have remain in the space.

We currently share our space with Chiapas Support Committee and Womens’ Global Strike and will stay in communication with them during this process to make sure the space continues to be usable for them.

We're sad to leave the Omni as we've been a part of it since the beginning, and we're amazed by how far it's come in such a short time. We feel really honored to have been part of so many inspiring events and projects here, and we hope to continue participating in other ways in the future.
* Julian: sorry about this. Should talk about the lease. There is no termination clause in the lease. Julian would interprete that to mean that no clause, no consequence. We should check that
* Phil: Omni rules if there is no collective, then you wouldnt be expected to continue the lease.
* Ken - you said you are stopping as a collective but you are getting a smaller space to continue to function.
* MJ: will take some time to fully dissolve as a collective; the new space will be more like art work work space instead of publishing.
* Ken: you sell the books?
* MJ: we do all the work for the authors, sales, stock, promotion for these marginalized authors. We are in the upstairs space, sharing with GWS and CSC.
* Rachel: we don't know whether we need another space partner or whether the rent will change since we haven't used it much.
* MJ: another collective could move in
* Ken: Is everyone at the Omni ok with this?
* Almaz: someone will have to review the contract agreement.
* Joel: This is our first step in making this move.
* MJ: we are asking for generousity in breaking the lease and in getting pro-rated rate and getting seurity deposit back.
* Julian: I don't see that the delegates/Omni has a choice in oking this request. Don't think it needs to be a proposal
* Almaz: Should be seen by the Finance group esp return of deposit
* Rachel: We need to vote on it.
* Ken: Since there is a formal proposal, we should vote on it. MY understanding is that Omni rules on collective decisions. Makes a motion to vote.
* Julian: should not vote on a first introduction of a proposal
* Almaz: wait for Finance Group to review the details of the lease transaction.
* Julian: could do a straw poll as a sense of how the delegates feel.
* Joe: I agree with voting next delegates meeting which will also allow for finance review.
* Rachel: put this on the agenda for the next meeting.
*
=== Discussion ===

== Proposal: Community Statement to Endorse OneFam’s Last Stand on Historic 7th Street Maintain community control of historic neighborhood space [15 minutes] ==

We stand with OneFam against eviction!

OneFam is a space operated by working class mostly people of color, where folks feel welcomed and included. The displacement of black and brown residents and businesses by more affluent white residents is now the norm everywhere, including the once vibrant 7th Street. OneFam is the last pre-gentrification business in this area, and is being illegally and unjustly evicted.

OneFam/Bikes 4 Life and 7th St Rev Cafe are important to the local community.

We want the eviction process to be stopped and for landlord Arnold Fields to sit down with OneFam to work out a plan so they can stay in their space and business and so he can be compensated for his investment.

We want OneFam to stay and continue to operate. Sincerely, the undersigned,
* Julian: I can read the statement.
* Gerald: That little spot is the last corner on 7th street that has any expression of black, culture, music, bike place. This is the essence of gentrification. What are you calling for - because we want to support real people who have been part of this community for years.DSA will be supporting them.
* Julian reads the letter attached to the endorsement.
* Almza: how long has OneFam been in business?
* Julian: at least since 2009. Current situation been in process for months. Landlord claims back rent is due: he says 9 months, OneFam says since January but it doesn't account for costs of repairs they have done or needed or services canceled.
* MJ: the complexity is there, but as a last stronghold of black people/culture, there is no reason why Omni shouldn't support them.
* Ken: Curious about whether this strategy will aggravate the situation or make it better.
* Phil: It is common to have these liens.
* MJ: if they are asking for support, we should follow their request.
* Almaz: asking for our support, we should do it?
* Rachel: is this part of a public campaign they are running?
* Julian: yes, 7000 signatures already, going to court, every possible route is being checked including a way to pass a legacy status on businesses and more.
* Rachel: Take it back to our collectives and vote at the next meeting. Individuals can also sign this on your own - he will send an individual one out.

=== Discussion ===

== Example Discussion Item ==

== Last Meeting Notes ==
https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Event:2017/MM/DD_Delegates_Meeting

= End of Meeting = 8:19 pm
* please archive these meeting notes by copying the entire pad contents onto the omni wiki
* then please erase the contents of this pad
* then please cut & paste a blank template from here: https://omnicommons.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Delegates_Meeting_Notes_Template&action=edit
* previous notes are archived here: https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Meetings

Event:2018/06/21 Delegates Meeting

2018-06-23T14:59:46Z

Lynnhowe: Created page with "Omni Delegates' Meeting - June 21 2018 7pm-9pm for instructions on preparing and archiving these notes, please see the bottom === Agenda === * Introductions, Meeting Roles,..."

Omni Delegates' Meeting - June 21 2018 7pm-9pm

for instructions on preparing and archiving these notes, please see the bottom

=== Agenda ===
* Introductions, Meeting Roles, and Delegates Count [10 minutes]
* Access Check-in [5 minutes]
* Announcements [5 minutes]
* Bans [5 minutes]
* Working Group Report-Backs [15 minutes]
* Member Collective Updates (10 minutes)
* Proposal - Media Lab: [10 minutes]
* Proposal - Fiscal Sponshorship: [10 minutes]
* Discussion - Cleanup Responsibilities: [10 minutes]
* Discussion - "Outsiders" using bathrooms: [10 minutes]

=== Introductions ===

Introduce yourself: Name; Preferred Pronoun; Affiliation; any brief announcements; say whether you're a delegate; let us know about any access needs you have†
* Lynn, MaryAnn, Phil, Steve, Sierk, Ken, Almaz, Rachel and Robb and Julian on line
† Is everybody able to participate fully in this meeting? Do people have unmet needs or concerns?

=== Meeting Roles ===
* Facilitator/s: Lynn
* Explanation of hand signals: "deaf applause", "raised hand", "point of process", "direct response"(wildcard), etc.
* Stacktaker: Almaz
* Timekeeper:
* Notetaker/s: Lynn
** URL of this pad: https://pad.riseup.net/p/omninom
* Vibe Reader:
* Next meeting's facilitator(s):

=== Delegates ===
* ABDC:
* BAPS: Steve
* CCL: Ken
* CSC: MaryAnn
* FNB: Phil
* GWS: Rachel remote
* LL: robb remote
* Sudo: Sierk
* TIL: inactive
* GCEA:almaz
* Quorum:

== New Bans ==
*
* Add to list of people [https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Asked_to_Leave asked to leave]

== Working Group Report-Backs ==

=== Building & permits ===
Meetings: currently on hiatus / 1st Wednesdays 6pm (kitchen)
* This group needs help; https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/building

=== Commons ===
Meetings: currently ad hoc
* Commons Work Group: no problems with Capoeria, did leave door open at first but not now, very good at clean up. Taping too narrow for aisleway, esp wheelchair, good positive attitude from them. They want to continue with a new contract.
** should be at least 36", ideally 48"
* This group needs help:
** https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/commons
** https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/booking

=== Communications ===
Meetings: currently on hiatus
* this group is maxed out and needs new energy! ping the list: https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/comms

=== Finance ===
Meetings: Currently conjoined with Fundraising, 2nd & 4th Mondays at 6pm
* Laura has updated Member Collective Handbook: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lQrDIBz1zg5xUl2quCA3RBWvINBnABb6UkWHoVsq400/
* in discussions with BAAM and Sudo Mesh about signing formal lease (since they are both 501c3s that use dedicated space in ccl and sudo)
* discussions about hiring a bookkeeper, researching independent contractors in general (eg; how to go about fairly paying those community members bottomlining our books, event booking, cleaning/janitorial etc) - obv would be proposed to delegates to make final call
* cafe lease still not signed - concerns over stipulation in contract that they be required to hold regular open hours

=== Fundraising ===
Meetings: Currently conjoined with Finance, 2nd & 4th Mondays at 6pm

== Member Collective Updates ==
What is going on with your collective? What are you working on? What have you accomplished? Any events coming up? Any difficulties you are encountering that you need help with?

=== ABDC ===
* transitioning to new space in e. oakland / helping to build screenprinting area in basement (if medialab approved)

=== BAPS ===
*

=== CCL ===
* CCL hiatus for summer, planning 5th anniversary event in the fall.

=== CSC ===
* Waffles and Zapatismo, getting ready for annual artfair August 11 1 to 5pm, free, got a grant $2000, may have artist doing t shirts. Intial announcement went out. Omni will get some of the funds.

=== FNB ===
*FNB doing well financially per Phil, unhappy about the meal Sunday lack of proper cookhouse

===GCEA===
*

=== GWS ===
* GWS want to do some organizing meetings at Omni. Also. continuing taking part in the Poor People's Campaign, had 2 speakers at the rally at Capitol on monday

=== LL ===
*

=== Sudo ===
* Sudo, solarpunk meetups starting on Fridays - will have regular discussions/hacking on solar power, alternative energy, offgrid living
* Last Sunday was first reboot of digital security workshops, more to come!

=== TIL ===
*

== Media Lab Proposal ==
* via Laura and Jenny on May 17th
** Full proposal: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ebaHkaSeCWHKKEjbg6u-VvDzifF-eFuBX_b_HmdDv0E/edit#
*** notes from last meeting: https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Event:2018/05/17_Delegates_Meeting#Proposal:_Omni_Media_Lab
** We propose to build a community media laboratory for the production of propaganda and educational materials for campaigns and projects. Our mission is to transform the most neglected space in Omni Commons into a place for creative production available to Omni members, and, eventually, local artists, activists, organizers, and members of the general public (either supervised or trained), sustained through sliding-scale donations, grants, mutual aid, and creative reuse. A new working group will steward supplies, tools, and resources, as well as host educational hands-on workshops. Approval of this proposal means the formation of an official committee of the Board to manage a Media Lab, and acceptance of the following general plan.
** To be voted on at this meeting (postponed from 6/7/2018

=== Discussion ===
** Steve wants to know if there are question from BAPs.
** CSC yes, CCL yes, Sudo yes, FNB yes,
** Steve asks what is the general concept. Sierk and Ken describe pooling of resources to be a internal and externalcommunity resource with a volunteer work group overseeing the organization and maintenance. People would be trained to use the equipment and agree to help out. Sliding scale donation.
** GWS yes LibLens yes, BAPS yes. Agreed!

== Fiscal Sponsorship Proposal ==
* Proposal is via Bill Budington, a longtime sudo room member and regular event organizer:

"This is a request for the Omni Commons to be the fiscal sponsor for the Grassroots Infrastructure Trust (http://site.www.umb.edu/faculty/salzman_g/Grass/Trust/index.htm) grant, given to the North American Anarchist Studies Network for the purpose of funding our annual conference. This conference, held this year in Montreal, QC, Canada, and next year in Atlanta, GA, USA, is to advance the study of topics concerning anarchist infrastructure, revolutionary potential, and non-hierarchical living. It features speakers from across so-called North America and indeed, around the world. The grant was rewarded in the sum of $2000.
* Steve suggests we do this and don't need to keep a fee.
* Sierk - or donate the fee back. MaryAnn - lets approve it and then have a second vote about how to handle the fee if .
** BAPS yes, CSC: YES, CCL YES, Sudo, yes, FNB yes GWS yes LibLens yes. Approved

For more information, visit https://wiki.naasn.org/."

== Discussion: Omni clean up and responsibilities ==
* Steve: we are waiting for a concrete proposal to be floated - No information now.
* Almaz: We need to share more responsibilities, many people do a lot of work, others don't. Phil is doing a lot of cleaning, others do some, others not enough. Maybe he could check on supplies as well? Maybe we should pay Phil a stipend to do this with a budget? Or ask for help from others?
* Phil: the main thing is we need more bathroom checking several times a day. We also discussed how the cafe might be monitoring, and Capoeira is keeping the space clean 3 times a week. Almaz: the Commons group takes responsible for event group cleanup, but who is responsible for the rest of the facility.
* Sierk: we could do this right now.
* Almaz: slowly take more responsibility.
* Phil: main point is sweeping, mopping, garbage is ongoing regular for him, but the bathroom thing is a the main really big problem and others have complained. This should be discussed in collectives.

== "Outsiders" using Omni Bathrooms == (15 minutes)
* Ken: Breaking of toilet issue by an outsider coming in - how should this clean up and fix up be handled? Who should be responsible? It show disrespect to the place.
* Phil: toilet situation has been very bad for awhile with ongoing frequent clean up needed, getting out of control. On the other hand, will taking away bathroom privileges cause worse responses.
* Sierk - do we actually know if there is one particular person? Have never seen outsiders being worse than members, renters. Maybe we need a regular clean up plan like other businesses. Phil does a lot of the work.
* MaryAnn - why do neighborhood people living here, have to use our bathroom.
* Sierk, they are drinking. Otherwise more street and neighborhood used instead.
** Sierk - also people living in cars and vans around here using Omni space and bathrooms.
* Ken: people use public and other venue bathrooms in exactly those ways - it will be an onoing problem that we need to address.
* Sierk: Does the 'clean up and responsibilities' proposal address any of this? Maybe we need to incent or pay people to clean up - or a donation box? So many people in the building these days.
* Ken: A cleaning work group? Steve: in Europe, they have monitors and they get tips.
* Steve: is there a role for the cafe in this toilet issue?
** Phil thinks so.
** Sierk says only that entrance level bathroom would be their concern and again agrees public use may be more than just volunteers can handle.

==Discussion: Consensus Process==
* MaryAnn: last meeting a discussion about Helen's proposal about process. CSC discussed that proposal and agreed with Liz's statement that collectives should not come back to the board after a decision has been made in a timely proper method.
** Sierk: Sudo discussed this also and how Sudo can make sure people get the information in time to discuss it before the Delegates meeting.
** Steve: BAPS discussed Helen's proposal and felt there were other important issues along with it to still be considered. We should instruct all the collectives to discuss it, bring their questions to the Delegates Meeting, and then discuss again. Not in favor of moving quickly.
*MaryAnn: one important question is: is the concensus of the delegates the same as the concensus of the collective members. Can a member block a delegate voting process?
** Phil: LL brought up the issue of a collective blocking something because they didn't discuss it or send an informed delegate.
** Almaz: MaryAnn's point is a good one - Can one person black a decision instead of a collective as someone did in the situation of approving Almaz as Secretary?
*** Steve: Agreeing with Almaz. We have 2 levels (collective level and general assembly level).which need to be kept separate. Each collective autonomously decides how to run their internal affairs (eg 80% to pass, then all are bound by that) Another collective may have a 100% percent process. Both are valid. Each delegate has to represent that collective's internal process.
** Ken: There is no block on Almaz right now factually tho that doesn't change this discussion. The Omni is bound by its bylaws as a 501c3, as do those collectives that are 501cs. We do need to be clear about what is a block.It is not just what the 'founders' may think a block is and when they could block things.
** Sierk: Sudo delegate can only approve what the collective decided but others think any member can block. We have to revisit this.
** GWS discussed and had understood that only a delegate representing a collective could block a vote after the collective had discussed doing that.
** Ken: sounds like we don't have a clearly agreed on process - Delegates have a majority vote can't block without a collective block.
** Almaz: GCEA: can't do that.
** Steve: I believe the Delegates represent the collectives and was the practice until Marc blocked Almaz when the collective had not made a decision to do so. We need to clarify that.
** Almaz: works with many non profits and so person's history here should matter.
*** Ken: Not trying to imply any onus on you Almaz but this a history thing we have which is not in concert with current 501c3 bylaws and rules. Need to codify that, no longer allow the older thing or we codify the allowance. Thanks to MaryAnn.
** MaryAnn: the burden is on us as delegates to make certain that we inform and discuss what the proposals are and then to come to the delegates meeting vote accoredingly.
*** Rachel agrees with MaryAnn
** Sierk: will agree with that, that all can participate in a timely and informed way, Liz had some good suggestions, polling etc might help that.Ken: Send email of all proposals to all members. Sierk will work on that. Almaz would like to move this to the next meeting.

Meeting adjourned 9:01 pm

== Last Meeting Notes ==
https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Event:2017/MM/DD_Delegates_Meeting

= End of Meeting =
* please archive these meeting notes by copying the entire pad contents onto the omni wiki
* then please erase the contents of this pad
* then please cut & paste a blank template from here: https://omnicommons.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Delegates_Meeting_Notes_Template&action=edit
* previous notes are archived here: https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Meetings

[[Category:Delegates Meeting]]

Event:2018/06/11 Commons

2018-06-12T15:17:15Z

Lynnhowe: Created page with "Omni Commons Commons Working Group Meeting - Monday June 11, 2018, 5-6.30pm == Agenda == * Introductions (5 min) * Event Security (20 min) * Pending Event Requests (30 min) *..."

Omni Commons Commons Working Group Meeting - Monday June 11, 2018, 5-6.30pm

== Agenda ==
* Introductions (5 min)
* Event Security (20 min)
* Pending Event Requests (30 min)
* Recurring Events (5 min)
* Commons Finances & Sliding Scale & Overdue invoices (5 min)

== Attendees ==
* Lynn, Julio facilitator: , time keeper: , note taker: ,

== Event Security ==
* Jeff had a successful event for the first time supporting us.
** Julio will have a follow-up this week.
* Awesome Orchestra requested security due to ABC permit
** Lynn got CRC contact from Julio and they are all in conversation.

== Pending Event Requests ==
* EBDSA Info Meeting Repeal Costa Hawkings (6/23-6/30) PP: Julio
* Maayan Simon (6/29 F all day) PP: Lynn
* Film Screening of ENRON: The smartest guys in the room (7/1) Ballroom Checking with LibLens - DELETED
* The Reluctant Radical Screening, Ballroom (7/10) PP: Joe.... Now LL event, Julio will invoice Anka when they know. PUBLISHED
* EBDSA Night School Housing (7/12) PP: Lynn
* Butoh Vision (7/13) - PP: Julio
* EBDSA General Meeting (7/14) PP: Almaz?
* Le Moana from New Zealand presents the dance production 1918 (7/18) PP:Almaz will talk to them .. Lynn, Laura, and Katrina can be there on the day. Laura asking for update. They have questions that Robb needs to answer.
* Bay Area Micro Fusion Classes, Ballroom (7/28-29) PP: Almaz
* Art ad Music Gathering (9/29) PP: Julio
* Night of the buffalo (9/29) PP: Lynn
* Rachel Walker (Fundraiser for Ugandan LGBT Non-profit) Ballroom (10/6): PP: Joe, check in to see if still interested.
* Oakland Tech hs rowing team physical fitness classes Lynn hasn't heard back

==Recurring Events==
* Capoeira starts June 1, one month trial MWF in entrance hall, PP:Lynn
* Dance Rehearsal- Octavia & Hannah (9 different dates - Wed & Sat) PP:Joe
* GUST - Second Thursdays - Activist flashdancemob rehearsal - $20/sesh - PP:Jenny
* Worker’s Discussion Group (3/18) - PP Julio; recurring event contract and invoice in place
* Freestyle Soccer: Laura: Renter emailed about starting up again in June. I said he would have to pay for the space he contracted in April but didn't show up for. Haven't heard back so they prob aren't going to continue.
* Bahiya Group, currently M,W through end of May, PP Lynn

==Other==
* ROAR debrief: will draft letter and send from official omni address
* to discuss next time: how to use rules equally across groups

== Member Collective event procedure ==

== Commons Finances and Sliding Scale ==

[[Category:Commons]]

== Last Meeting Notes ==
https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Event:2018/05/28_Commons

Event:2018/06/07 Delegates Meeting

2018-06-10T17:31:08Z

Lynnhowe: Created page with "Omni Delegates' Meeting - 7 June 2018 7pm-9pm for instructions on preparing and archiving these notes, please see the bottom === Agenda === * Introductions, Meeting Roles,..."

Omni Delegates' Meeting - 7 June 2018 7pm-9pm

for instructions on preparing and archiving these notes, please see the bottom

=== Agenda ===
* Introductions, Meeting Roles, and Delegates Count [10 minutes]
* Access Check-in [5 minutes]
* Announcements [5 minutes]
* Bans [5 minutes]
* Working Group Report-Backs [15 minutes]
* Member Collective Updates (10 minutes)
* Proposal: Omni Media Lab [15 minutes]
* Proposal: Delegates Decision-Making Process [15 minutes]
* Discussion Z:
* Outsiders using Omni Bathrooms (15 minutes)
* Omni Clean up and responsiblities
* Discuss the idea of starting a neighborhood council against gentrification at the Omni (which may or may not connect to the work a new group that meets at the Omni has been doing—baytanc.com/)
* Fiscal Sponsorship for North American Anarchist

=== Introductions ===

Introduce yourself: Name; Preferred Pronoun; Affiliation; any brief announcements; say whether you're a delegate; let us know about any access needs you have†

† Is everybody able to participate fully in this meeting? Do people have unmet needs or concerns?
* Mary Ann
* Lynn
* Julian
* Phil FNB
* Clive Poets House
* Sierk - Sudo room - may need to step out for tail bone discomfort, if there is something important please take into consideration that
* Ken - CCL
* Rachel - GWS
* Florence - with the Poets House
* Almaz - GCEA
* Liz - LL

=== Meeting Roles ===
* Facilitator/s: Lynn + Julian
* Explanation of hand signals: "deaf applause", "raised hand", "point of process", "direct response"(wildcard), etc.
* Stacktaker: Phi;
* Timekeeper: Rachel
* Notetaker/s: Julian
** URL of this pad: https://pad.riseup.net/p/omninom
* Vibe Reader: Lynn
* Next meeting's facilitator(s): perhaps Almaz

=== Delegates ===
* ABDC:
* BAPS: Julian
* CCL: Ken
* CSC: Mary Ann
* FNB: Phil
* GWS: Rachel
* LL: Liz
* Sudo: Sierk
* TIL: inactive
* GCEA: Almaz
* Quorum: 8/9

=== Announcments ===
* CSC is sponsorhing a Palestine update & concert and Arnaldo is doing an conversation - Saturday at the balroom - 6:30-10:30pm - there will be food
* OneFam Block Party BBQ 2-6pm this Saturday, Julian will send email
* Poets House - Beat Aesthetic - this Saturday 1-4pm - in the basement
* DJ group will be doing a cleaning tomorrow afternoon as their event - apparently there was a mess on Sunday in the ballroom that got put onto them
* GWS - mobilization next Monday with the Poor People's Campaign to let the Sacramento capitol building know that the 5 pillars of the national group (targeting 30 states, 1000 people been arrested) - to change the moral narrative in the country;
** there is an organized effort for rides - if anyone wants to go can email or call 415-640-4250
** Sierk - could someone send information to the Omni discuss list?
*** Rachel - Jenny is ging

== New Bans ==
* Phil - Cheyenne was banned from the Omni for sexual harassment. at a FNB meeting at the longhaul came and was disruptive again.
** Sierk - there was more sexual harassment by this person a couple weeks ago. a person asked for a safe space ban, but then retracted it?
*** Julian - do we want to support this person, if so could we be more proactive?
**** Clive - when I was in school I was part of offering short 12 step programs
***** about 8% successrate. those people who are committed have a high recovery rate
*** Almaz - last time I made this point again
*** Rachel - it seems like the drinking is the problem, and as an alcoholic - there is little you can do
**** Almaz - if we at least invite this person to a CSC meeting, maybe they can show that this person cares about him
**** Rachel - these sorts of persistent problems
** Sierk - I only know him as a community member here, but I do know this he volunteers at a homeless center, and he's been at the longhaul. people who frequent that see him re
*** a lot of bans here have to do with mental health and people alienated by community. perhaps being able to offer resources for mental health, addication, homelessness resources could be one way to support folks.
*** personally, my thought is that we shouldn't ban people, we should ban behavior. having ways back for people to be able to come back and participate in this community
* Julian - we should
** Almaz - yes, CDC should take this up and in
* Rachel - is this person is upset?
* Lynn - if there is a committee
* Rachel - this needs to be a really frank discussion. we love you when you're sober, but when you're drunk your offensive.
** Clive - I'm more than happy to offer myself as a resource in this way.
* Florence - was he informed of his options and our feelings about him before banning - be able to raise the options amid the process?
* Julian - there is distinction a temporary ban versus a permanent ban
* Add to list of people [https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Asked_to_Leave asked to leave]

== Working Group Report-Backs ==

=== Building & permits ===
Meetings: 1st & 3rd Mondays @ 6pm
* Sierk - I'm on the committe, but there haven't been emails or meetings in the past two weeks
** people are working on a lot of things right now, but no direct communication in
** Ken - there's no meeting minutes but things happen
*** we were just painting the basement this afternoon
* This group needs help; https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/building

=== Commons ===
Meetings: First and Third Thursdays at 6pm
* Lynn - Capoeira is having three nights a week in the entrance hall to see how it works for everyone. tomorrow night there will be instruments. about 10 people in their classes Weds and Mon
** Ken - it was no issue for us
*** there are fridges out there, they belong to Sudo and are being used for harvesting compressors
**** does freon leak, is the question Marc is researching
*** Lynn - they did ask about making more room
*** Ken - we could stack the friges

* This group needs help:
** https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/commons
** https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/booking

=== Communications ===
Meetings: Second and Fourth Wednesdays at 6pm
* Julian - honestly we haven't been meeting

=== Finance ===
Meetings: Currently conjoined with Fundraising, 2nd & 4th Mondays at 6pm
*

=== Fundraising ===
Meetings: Currently conjoined with Finance,, 2nd & 4th Mondays at 6pm
*

== Member Collective Updates ==
What is going on with your collective? What are you working on? What have you accomplished? Any events coming up? Any difficulties you are encountering that you need help with?

=== ABDC ===
*

=== BAPS ===
* Poets House is doing a class - the Beat Aesthetic and why we need it today, Saturday 1-4pm and continuing on second Saturdays monthly
* other BAPS classes are running as they have been

=== CCL ===
* classes running
* 5 year anniversary coming

=== CSC ===
* the Palestine event!

=== FNB ===
* the FNB freezer can be fixed through
* bicycle fundraiser has been a good fundraiser
* demonstration - Livermore - Hiroshima anniversary

===GCEA===
* on July 29th - an Immigrant Rights forum. this year it will be bigger even than last year
* Women's Healing Circle Cohort some
* a childrens event soon
* weekday classes

=== GWS ===
* the Moral Monday action
* co-sponosored an reportback from what's happening in Haiti at La Peña the other day. it was a fundraiser for alternative media. the power elite runs the dominant media. the state is killing people that organize. the people are very well organized. $3.5k was raised for a youth radio group. a great crowd of about 100 people, mixed.
** Almaz - anything on video for this? it would be great
** Rachel - the panel was excellent but no video

=== LL ===
* next film night is June 24th, the last Sunday of the month. Screening some films by Submedia - a well established anarchist media collective. organizing for the next Films for the People short Film Festival November 10th

=== Sudo ===
* our regular weekly events continue. hardware hack nights continue
* some new events in the works
** monthly blender meet up (modeling and video), will hopefully come up soon - could be a collab with LL
** starting the 17th, cryptoparties again - some people that organized in the past
*** Sudoroom and Sudomesh
* Sudomesh is a non-profit now, while Sudo is no longer
* a proposal in coming weeks
* a reminder - when there is an event and people leave the door open
** a few Saturdays in a row the door was open 3-4 hours
*** apparently people have walked into SudoRoom and things have been taken - fridge, things from the table, phone, chargers
** Almaz - for those events there are point people
** Sierk - I have asked people to bring
** Almaz - write down the date and time of this occurence so we can figure out who is leaving the door open
*** Sierk - PB, sometimes elaves the door open. i have reminded some people
**** I have no one to point fingers at
* Lynn - if you see the door open, you can close it. you can just tell people you're closing it because it is unattended or that if it should be open it should be attended

=== TIL ===
*

== Proposal: Omni Media Lab ==
* via Laura and Jenny on May 17th
* Full proposal: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ebaHkaSeCWHKKEjbg6u-VvDzifF-eFuBX_b_HmdDv0E/edit#
* notes from last meeting: https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Event:2018/05/17_Delegates_Meeting#Proposal:_Omni_Media_Lab
* We propose to build a community media laboratory for the production of propaganda and educational materials for campaigns and projects. Our mission is to transform the most neglected space in Omni Commons into a place for creative production available to Omni members, and, eventually, local artists, activists, organizers, and members of the general public (either supervised or trained), sustained through sliding-scale donations, grants, mutual aid, and creative reuse. A new working group will steward supplies, tools, and resources, as well as host educational hands-on workshops. Approval of this proposal means the formation of an official committee of the Board to manage a Media Lab, and acceptance of the following general plan.

=== Discussion ===
* Ken - there was an additional thing. this working group would follow the format of the commons working group.
* Julian - we should enoucage the working group to prioritize brining in new
* Almaz - why do we not move this on to the next assembly for this reason?
** someone - it was discussed last meeting
*** correction: it was discussed at the May 3rd Delegates meeting and officially proposed via both the consensus list and at the Delegates meeting on May 21st. The following groups (beyond discuss and consensus) were CC'd n all emails relevant to meeting, planning, collaborating on the proposal: GWS, LibLens, ABDC, Comms working group and several individuals who added their names to the medialab mailing list
* Ken - I wasn't aware of this protocl of not being on more than 2 working groups
** Julian - I think we don't discuss this because we habitually don't follow it because of involvement burnout
* Sierk - we were done this way - people were considering to make a collective of this. the goal is that this be used to bring more people into the OMni
** it needs to be a communal resources, so for it to be that it needs to be a working
** the idea
* Ken -right now there are at least 3 people new
** Rachel - today there was a bunch of new people involved in painting
* Liz - I wanted to clarify what needs to be voted on
** if there is a budget we need to approve the budget - 615-770 dollars. mostly for spiffing up the basement
** budget, floor plan,
** is there a blocking concern that we need to adddress?
* Almaz - have collectives seen this?
** Sierk - its been on the emailing list, it was raised at the last meeting
** as Sudoroom delegate, I can't vote bc Sudoroom has discussed
* Liz - the people proposing this ahve offered a spreadsheet
** the plan is that this could actually generate income for the Omni, so it should hypothetically be self-sustain
* Julian - the proposal includes not only the budget, floor plan, but also the formation of the working group
* Voting
* Almaz - who is proposing this?
** Sierk - when ABDC's proposalw as to move things downstairs, Jenny added a proposal to invite people to come discuss this, there was a meeting. there were two meetings with lots of people. people planned and discusseed the details from plan, to budget, to new involvement.
*** Almaz - ABDC proposal was passed and voted on.
*** Sierk - there is no entity proposing this. its just an informal group
*** Almaz - I'm unclear on what how this relates to the ABDC proposal
**** Sierk - it's a point of reference, that was the same meeting.
*** Almaz - so this was put forward by Jenny?
**** Sierk - present by Jenny but worked on by a group of people.
* a number of the collectives ahve not had chance to discuss this
* the work on this continues and we're happy with that
* we delay the vote - must take a vote NEXT MEETING

== Proposal: Delegates Decision-Making Process ==
* via Helen on May __

Background:
* Note that this proposal is not about consensus procedure.
* Our OMNI decision process is supposed to work like this: delegates take proposals to their collectives, the collectives discuss them and voice any concerns. Then the delegates bring the concerns, if any, to the delegates' meeting, the proposal is perhaps modified, and if the concerns are met, the delegates agree to it. Otherwise it must go back to the collectives for more discussion, etc.
* Hasty decisions: The delegates are obligated to discuss all proposals with their collectives. But sometimes a proposal seems so banal that the delegates approve it without consulting their collectives - they assume that no one will have concerns.
* Overly hasty decisions: It has happened that a hasty decision has been made by mistake, and someone does have a serious concern. That is the rare situation that this proposal is intended to deal with.

Proposal:
* Before a proposal is approved by the delegates assembly, the delegates are supposed to discuss it with their collectives and solicit any concerns. Sometimes the consultation process is not carried out, and delegates agree to a proposal without discussion in their collectives.
* In that case a collective member may have concerns that have not been addressed.
* Any OMNI member in good standing, who is in this situation, can explain their concern and ask that the full process be carried out from the beginning. Ordinarily that will mean that the original agreement of the delegates is void. Note that this is only an option when the proposal has not been discussed in the collectives.

=== Discussion ===
* Ken - it sounds to me that this particular proposal doesn't address the issue we were just dealing with. the issue for Sudo sees to be that
** if the proposal is made on an email that goes to all the collectives
** if no particular objections are made. if everyone is checking their emails
** if a serious proposal has been made, people can be
* Rachel - I feel like we need a stronger proposal that actually has some deadline. this issue that collectives haven't met. if something has passed just because a collective agrees too late
** it would be good to have a time limit included in the proposal so that
* Liz - i'm not clear on what's proposed here except that we affirm the process
** our liberated lens process is that we don't get to block things just because we didn't discuss them when we had enough time to do so
** you don't get to hold up progress for everyone just because you have been lackadaisical.
* Mary Ann - sometimes CSC changes our meetings and then it happens that 2 delegates meetings happen before a CSC meeting can happen
** Lynn - when that happens, perhaps you could let the delegates know that this is the problem at this time
* Almaz - for us, if we aren't meeting we just send it to email. you can send the proposal as an email to everyone
* Sudoroom - we miss meetings sometimes but then people don't like how something happened and then they change things. the sudoroom as they are now, someitmes there is a meeting with no quorum so then a delegate can't make a decision. Sierk has identified
** Liz - a lot of these conversations can be had online, especially with a hackerspace. there are platforms for nline collective decisions. maybe there would be a way to supplment those
** Sierk - Sudomesh has been using loomio for some months. my proposal to Sudo will be to do this
* Liz - I'm still unclear on if this is a proposal that needs to be voted on
** Julian - I think it's helpful to formalize protocols
* Mary Ann - the Cafe proposal was long delayed.
** the proposal we need is to assure
* Ken - if we're going to have a proposal about this, we need to have a high priority in collectives affirming the value of making timely Omni decisions. there is a direct responsibility
* Julian - I think the Cafe proposal for some time wasn't sheparded so partly it wasn't just assured that there was conversation
* Sierk - that's incorrect. there was a breakdown in consideration for the cafe proposal and sudoroom wasn't in favor.
* Rachel - if there is really a proposal, for overturning
* Julian - this has been a useful conversation anyway.
* Sierk - if proposals could be sent to all the collectives discussion lists
* Liz - an Omni loomio? then there would be onoging conversations and voting

== Example Discussion Item ==

== Last Meeting Notes ==
https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Event:2017/MM/DD_Delegates_Meeting

= End of Meeting =
* please archive these meeting notes by copying the entire pad contents onto the omni wiki
* then please erase the contents of this pad
* then please cut & paste a blank template from here: https://omnicommons.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Delegates_Meeting_Notes_Template&action=edit
* previous notes are archived here: https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Meetings

[[Category:Delegates Meeting]]

Event:2018/05/17 Delegates Meeting

2018-05-20T18:38:30Z

Lynnhowe: Created page with "lOmni Delegates' Meeting - May 17, 2018 7pm-9pm === Agenda === * Introductions, Meeting Roles, and Delegates Count [10 minutes] * Access Check-in [5 minutes] * Announcements..."

lOmni Delegates' Meeting - May 17, 2018 7pm-9pm

=== Agenda ===
* Introductions, Meeting Roles, and Delegates Count [10 minutes]
* Access Check-in [5 minutes]
* Announcements [5 minutes]
* Bans [5 minutes]
* Working Group Report-Backs [15 minutes]
* Member Collective Updates (10 minutes)
* Proposal: Omni Media Lab [15 minutes]
* Proposal Y: [10 minutes]
* Discussion from Feedback Loop : [15 minutes]

=== Introductions ===

Introduce yourself: Name; Preferred Pronoun; Affiliation; any brief announcements; say whether you're a delegate; let us know about any access needs you have†

† Is everybody able to participate fully in this meeting? Do people have unmet needs or concerns?
* Julian - BAPS - wtvr/Julian - delegate
* Ken - CCL - delegate - 5 yr anniversary for CCL in September
* Brian - Finance WG, Secretary, - He/him - has to leave at nine PM.
* phil - FNB
* Marcus - he/him - all around Omni
* Charlie - Considering no pronouns - "the people are doing well"
* Laura - Finance/FR/Commons Media lab WGs, She/her
* lynn - commons wg - she/her, President
* Helen - fnb - she/her
* rachel - global women's strike - she/her - delegate
* Mary Ann - Chiapas support committee - delegate
* LIz - lib lense - she/her - the 27th of May, movie, the Chinese Exclusion act.
* Jenny - she/her - Sudo delegate - fin/fund wrkgrps - quickbooks pro certified + can help get cheap software - poor people's action in sacramento on this previous Monday.
* Robb - Sudo/LibLens, he/him/they
* Almaz - GCEA - she

=== Meeting Roles ===
* Facilitator/s: Julian
* Explanation of hand signals: "deaf applause", "raised hand", "point of process", "direct response"(wildcard), etc.
* Stacktaker: Lynn
* Timekeeper: Charlie
* Notetaker/s: Brian, Jenny, Laura
** URL of this pad: https://pad.riseup.net/p/omninom
* Vibe Reader: Marcus
* Next meeting's facilitator(s):

=== Delegates ===
* ABDC:
* BAPS: Julian
* CCL: Ken
* CSC: Mary Ann
* FNB: Helen
* GWS: Rachel
* LL: Liz
* Sudo: Jenny
* TIL: inactive
* GCEA: Almaz
* Quorum: 8/9

== New Bans ==
* Add to list of people [https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Asked_to_Leave asked to leave]
* Cheyenne (via sudo) has been asked to leave for safe space reasons after repeatedly becoming aggressive in the space and sexually harassing a member. This was the second time he was asked to leave. He wont be allowed back until there is mediation/RJ process.
** Helen - Did he request mediation? Answer: Not sure. Tho it should be protocol (is, but not always practiced) to inform folx of the existence of our mediation process
***Talk to Matt Stewart, Dante, Paul from sudo
** Rachel: Did he leave when asked? Answer (Robb): Yes, from what I've heard he left fairly amicably. It wasn't this smooth the previous times he'd been asked to leave.
** Almaz: WE need to make sure to invite him to a mediation process. Ask him why he is acting out. Maybe invite him to CDC (?) meeting.
*** Task: Jenny will pass Cheyenne's contact information to Julian and Almaz.

== Working Group Report-Backs ==

=== Building & permits ===
Meetings: 1st & 3rd Mondays @ 6pm
* This group needs help; https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/building
* Laura - What happened to all the trash cans?
** Laura: Several Months ago several people went around and made sure there were trash cans everywhere that there should be trash cans, and now they are all gone. Does anybody know where they went?
*** Phil: A few of the green bins has these metal rods as a feature, and they keep falling out, so they wont close and need to be replaced.
*** Laura: My plea is to keep one of the trash cans in all of the usual locations, and do our best to leave them there.
*** Robb: I propose we put the name of the room on each trash can, on the trash can. (Laura: But first we'll need to find them).
*** Charlie: Directly below us, in the closet (cafe area) there are four or so.
*Jenny: Kitchen meeting update. Had a meeting with someone last week who has architect experience. HE is working on a plan for us, and also had a conversation about getting suppliers, etc. very positive meeting. Next step is to send out these plans to kitchen supplier markets, and then you get quotes. They'll come up with what kind of equipment will fit best in there, and you get model nubmers for equipment and then we can go around looking for those pieces of equipment as donations.
* Jenny: Next steps for the kitchen is to make up layout/floor designs and we'll send those out to collectives that are invested in the kitchen, and we'll get the layout and take feedback from groups based on the initial drafts.
** Almaz: IF he is going to do the kitchen plan he should come to the delegates meeting and do a presentation. Then we can all go talk to our collectives.
** Jenny: Once we get to a place where we have a design, I'll ask him to come give a presentation
** Robb: HE is not an architect, but he does 3D models for architects. Apparently since we are not making any major structural changes we don't need to have an architect sign off on it. He'll give us everything, and then we can submit to the city. WE do also have an architect to sign off on it, for good measure, but right now we just need to figure out what people want who are going to be using the kitchen.

* trash pile in entrance hall? (what are we going to do with teh pile of stuff in the entrance hall)
**Robb: Sunday. Rayc had a thing in the basement. WE thought we were going to have an opportnity when we did the fire inspection to get it out, but we didn't. WE'll have a vehicle on this sunday, so I expect it to be gone on Monday.
** Lynn: The hard deadline (from my perspective) is that the CApoeira are going to be doing classes on June 1st, so we need to get it gone before then.
** Robb: Yes, we're definitely planning on getting stuff out of here in the next few days. Will be done well before then.
** JEnny: There is a mailing list Dumprun@omnicommons.org, which is a list of people who have trucks who have been helpful in the past to Omni. Nobody has used the list in a year and a half, but the list does still exist.

=== Commons ===
Meetings: First and Third Thursdays at 6pm
* This group needs help:
** https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/commons
** https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/booking
* Lynn: starting June 1 there are weekly Capoiera events 3 evenings in a week
**Lynn: Capoeira group which does classes here and around the community. MWF in the entrance hall is the current class schedule. They would like to do this forever, since they lost their existing space. we're not sure if this is going to work. They are a physically active group, and they can also be louder. We've been talking to them about the sound issues and we're going to try to make it work. This is evolving as we go through it. Also, people will be accessing the building still, so they will need to make a walkway or something for people to pass them by. But we want to make this happen because they are a good commmunity group, and a good partner. If there are issues or concerns you can call me, I live just across the street, and I'll take point on resolving issues.
** Phil: Would we want to direct people to a side entrance during their classes?
** Robb: We cant just leave the side door open. And we dont have key codes on the side door.
** Helen: What about the Cafe?
** Lynn: Cafe hasn't started yet, but we'll need to renegotiate this when the Cafe actually openss
*** jnny: cafe hours ends @ 6pm
*** laura: and they'll need 6 months for buildout/renovations
** Ken: When are they doing this class? 7-8:30PM Monday WEdnesday Friday. Could they provide a tangible person to staff the back door, and let people in.
** Rob: It seems like if we got some velvet stanchions running along the wall, an obvious isle, that seems like a good solution.
** Almaz: I just wanted to say, if they have their own person watch the door, to make sure that its being monitored. I dont think it would be a problem for Omni folks to come in. They should be able to come in through either door (?). They should have their own person sitting on the door to make sure nobody else is coming.
** Lynn: I Don't think they are resposnible for monitoring the door once their classes is started, but yes definitely for before classes.
** General agreement.

=== Communications ===
Meetings: Second and Fourth Wednesdays at 6pm*
* mailing list: https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/comms
* Julian: Met last week in SAn Francisco at Aspiration Tech.
* Jenny: We decided that we couldn't do much, because we've been primarily working on the kitchen campaign. There have been some stalls on getting that work started. Communications want to film people doing work on the basement once thats happening, and use that to launch phrase two of the kitchen campaign.
* Julian: When there are drawings of things we can use them as material for the campaign. WE are thinking about having a launch event for the next phase of fundraising. May include music and food, possibly projections of the demolition work.
* JEnny: So if you are excited at the intersection of omni communications and making some exciting events, to help push this forward.

=== Finance ===
Meetings: Currently conjoined with Fundraising, 2nd & 4th Mondays at 6pm
* Cafe lease will take effect June 1. Cafe will be called Cafe Caracol.
** Laura: Will take effect as of June 1st. I'm going out of the country as of may 21st. I'm going to try to get them set up with keycards before I go.
** Then we had a discussion about what Caracol means. either Snail, Conch (that calls people to meetings), or spiral to heaven
* Jenny: We're moving to a new bank soon. Beneficial State Bank. They allow unlimited signers, subaccounts, and other nice things. Owned by beneficial state organization, who we were thinking about getting a loan from last year. They are at 14th and Franklin, in Oakland. Very accessible. I had the most pleasant bank experience of my life, which I don't typically say. For multiple reasons (that many people are aware of) we need a different bank.

=== Fundraising ===
Meetings: Currently conjoined with Finance,, 2nd & 4th Mondays at 6pm
*

== Member Collective Updates ==
What is going on with your collective? What are you working on? What have you accomplished? Any events coming up? Any difficulties you are encountering that you need help with?

=== ABDC ===
*

=== BAPS ===
* We were contacted by somoe folks re: a summer school program. summer class in the works.

=== CCL ===
* Ken: Main thing we have to offer is a NYT article about the Horror of genetic engineering. One of our members (Alan) was featured in the article, and he has organized a bunch of events which we may or may not be associated with. None of the things discussed in the article are things that we do here at the Omni. We are doing good things with Genetic engineering, like using yeast to make insulin, or real vegan cheese.
* Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/14/science/biohackers-gene-editing-virus.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FGenetic%20Engineering&action=click&contentCollection=science&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=collection

=== CSC ===
* MAryanne: We have an event tomorrow evening in the Ballroom. From the women who went to the Zapatista....? IT turned out to be a huge event. A whole bunch of them are going to give a report on what they learned, and what happened at the event. WIll be a discussion with audience involvement as well. 7:30-9:30PM in the Ballroom. Will be good!
** https://omnicommons.org/calendar/events/indigenous-women-inspire-the-world/
** fb event: https://www.facebook.com/events/2048714808751290/

=== FNB ===
* Helen: Nothing to report

===GCEA===
* Almaz: Not much to report except for ongoing events. Saturday there is a community get together at the Omni. One of our members is graduating from university, so we'll be celebrating.
** https://omnicommons.org/calendar/events/gcea-woman-family-healing-circle-and-music/

=== GWS ===
* The poor people's cafe is every monday for the next six weeks. Poor people are bringing poor people's issues to the capital, to raise attention. Direct action events. There are themes each week (eg, racism night, the military industrial complex, env degradation, etc). Martin luther king, taking off from his campaign 50 years ago this may.
* Haiti Reportback: Sunday June 3rd at La Peña. Reportback from one of the women in our org (marget prescot) went to Haiti and traveled through the country. Fundraiser for community radio station in Haiti. https://www.facebook.com/events/1459361677506926/

=== LL ===
* Liz: We've been going through an ongoing process of restructuring lib lense. WE have a new process for accepting members, and we have a new membership agreement document that we've been drafting but haven't consented on yet. Will do so soon, then should go into effect. Then we are going to increase our outreach mission to bring more people in, because we have a small group of people who are highly involved, and we need to expand or we're all going to get burned out. One of our members directed us to a woman who is interested in film making meet ups. We may start doing film making meetups as an ongoing event.

=== Sudo ===
* Jenny: WE had a great sudo party last night where the architecturally inclined friend came to the kitchen meeting, came over to sudo afterwards for our weekly mac and cheese party/meeting. ITs not really a meeting. WE designed a second floor for Sudo room in Auto-cad. It was fun.
* Rob: The Rayc Collective, electronic music group performing semi-out of sudo.
* Jenny: Someone's mission to bring happy hardcore to omni.
**Almaz: Can sudo do any trainings for IT use? Since we have computers in the basement now, any group can teach anything. IF you guys could do some training for how to use computers.
** Jenny: There is already instruction in place for digital security projects. WE are about to reboot those. There are a few people who have bottomlined those. WE used to have them monthly. Matt stewart has put together a digital literacy workshop which focuses on core skills. I'm going to start, with three other people, doing those on the regular. AS public open workshops. How to find what you need to find on the internet, how to set up an email account, how to set up a website that yuo can manage on your own. If you would like to collaborate on curriculum, or things that people you work with would really like to learn
** Almaz: Start learning linux. Also, should talk to fred.
** Charlie: Installing Ubuntu from a USB, and how to use its different UI. Its not a small project for many linux interested individuals.

=== TIL ===
*

== Proposal: Omni Media Lab ==
* via Jenny & Laura, 5/16:
* We propose to build a community media laboratory for the production of propaganda and educational materials for campaigns and projects. Our mission is to transform the most neglected space in Omni Commons into a place for creative production available to Omni members, and, eventually, local artists, activists, organizers, and members of the general public (either supervised or trained), sustained through sliding-scale donations, grants, mutual aid, and creative reuse. A new working group will steward supplies, tools, and resources, as well as host educational hands-on workshops. Approval of this proposal means the formation of an official committee of the Board to manage a Media Lab, and acceptance of the following general plan.
* Full proposal: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ebaHkaSeCWHKKEjbg6u-VvDzifF-eFuBX_b_HmdDv0E/edit#

=== Discussion: Omni Media Lab===
*Jenny: Budget is aroung 700 dollars for upgrading the basement area, paint, lights, etc. Painting walls, floor, get better lights. Brighten the space up again, its a little gloomy. Also HVAC and ventilation in that area (not included in the current budget).
* Rob: If you turn on the fan in the basement its a wind tunnel.
* Jenny: Its really really loud.
* Rob: It just needs oil.
* Jenny: Yes, but we need to do something about it.
* Rob: there are other areas that need work, but not the basement.
* Helen: I just scanned the document that you sent, and it didn't make much sense to me. The doc included an equipment list, does that mean that we'll need to be aquiring new things in order for this to be viable?
** JEnny: no, we already have a bunch of stuff. WE're mostly just buying paint and fixer upper stuff. We'll be meeting again soon, so if anyone wants to brainstorm for this, we'd lvoe to have you join us.
*Marcus: Two things, with regards to the HVAC my concern has less to do with air flow and more to do with air quality. The air quality down there is a little worse than it is up here. I had looked into this when I was making my coworking proposal a year and a half ago or whatever. I wanted to know if there would be any objections if I led a campaign to get HVAC's in there, through donations or whatever. Air purifiers, to help reduce mold and such.
**general agreement, no real vote taken but there were mumblings of support, and no objections.
* Liz: ideas for items to add to udget: stocking up on ink/toner cartridges, reams of legal-sized paper, poster sized paper, reams for plotter printer. (additional thought: media lab will probably require a monthly budget to keep supplies stocked. Maybe this will have to be developed after it is complete and in production and after seeing how quickly resources get used, but group will need to submit another proposal for a regular budget draw for this lab)
** julian: 1 other thing that would be cool would be avoiding overstretching existing volunteers... invite new people to steward/join - outreach plan for getting new people involved.
*Ken: We will/need to educate people about how to use things. And have those people do trainings.
**Julian: This is a proposal, so please remember to discuss this with your organizations.

== Discussion: Feedback Loop - Helen, Mary Ann, Julian ==

* Helen's draft "proposal on concensus process"
* Proposal on our consensus process
** Background
*** The goal of a consensus process is not to vote a proposal up or down, but rather to find a way to meet the purpose of the proposal that we can all agree to. For a description of a careful consensus process, go to the Seeds of Peace website. Most of our collectives are small, and use an informal process, but one that hopefully gives all members a chance to be heard.
*** Our OMNI process is supposed to work like this: delegates take proposals to their collectives, the collectives discuss them and voice any concerns. Then the delegates bring the concerns, if any, to the delegate's meeting, the proposal is perhaps modified, and if the concerns are met, the delegates agree to it. Otherwise it must go back to the collectives for more discussion, etc.

** Proposal
*** Sometimes the OMNI process is not carried out, and delegates agree to a proposal without discussion in their collectives. In that case a collective member may feel that their concerns have not been met. Anyone who feels that way can explain their concern, and ask that the full process be carried out from the beginning. Ordinarily that will mean that the original agreement of the delegates is void. Note that this is only an option when the proposal has not been discussed in the collectives.
** commment on proposal - Helen - we were thinking about the incident around blocking. what does it mean to block something. it seems to me the problem is deeper than that—it concerns what a consensus process intends to do, and the way its different from a simple up and down vote. consensus is not about yes or no but about building consensus, a place that we can all agree on. our process is often informal and things fall through the cracks.
*** danger is that this could be abused. but if thew collectives have had discussion amongst their collectives that shouldnt ba a problem
****Maryanne: There is the responsability for delegates to go back to their organizations and discuss the issues we're talking about here. We go to our people and they let us know how we should vote. IT seems to me that if a proposal comes up, and it hasn't been discussed with the collectives, then we shouldn't vote.
*** ken: steve and julian had mentioned some things, which is that our block process needs to be codified if you're going to use it... cites yar/running wolf
** laura: two bad things when groups dont talk t their collectives - they're not aware, and decision get held up. need to balance both.
** julian: following discussion at last meeting, sent out a doc that helen had shared - 24p doc on consensus process.

* interviews via collectives - delegates haven't replied to us!

* getting involved in neighborhood politics
** as a way to offer Omni a unified social direction and building political education around racism and classism in the neighborhood
** ken suggests participating in the Temescal Street Fair

*Discussion
**Julian: Some of the feedback we've heard is that checking in with delegates and at collective meetings, would be a good idea. Conversation 3 is an idea that came together, we were noticing that one potential gap in the omni is that aside from delegates meeting we dont have an orientation. WE don't have a good "all omni" project to help onboard people. HAving some sort of, potentially, involvement in the neighborhood would be a good idea. In particular the project around caspers plaza (?).
**Ken: one of the things, and I thought I sent this out, the biz improvement district is having their annual street fair in teh first week of jUne. Last year, omni participated in it. WE get a space on this side street of 48th and telegraph. WE get that little alcove there. Any collective that wants to have direct interface with the public, the B.I.D., and all the things involved there, thats the actual neighborhood street fair. I am willing to organize that. I've forgotten the date exactly, but I think its June 10th. I'll confirm and get back to people. Last year it came together at the very last minute.

*Helen's proposal, Helen: So we were just thinking about the incident in which someone was disatisfied with an agreement which was made, and tried to go back and change it. There was a whole discussion around what it means to block something. This proposal seeks to address the difference between what we want Concensus to do, and what actually ends up happening given how much experience people

== Example Discussion Item ==

== Last Meeting Notes ==
https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Event:2018/05/03/Delegates_Meeting

= End of Meeting =
* please archive these meeting notes by copying the entire pad contents onto the omni wiki
* then please erase the contents of this pad
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[[Category:Delegates Meeting]]

Event:2018/05/03/Delegates Meeting

2018-05-04T19:12:55Z

Lynnhowe: Created page with "Omni Delegates' Meeting - 3 May 2018 7pm-9pm === Agenda === * Introductions, Meeting Roles, and Delegates Count [10 minutes] * Access Check-in [5 minutes] * Announcements [..."

Omni Delegates' Meeting - 3 May 2018 7pm-9pm

=== Agenda ===
* Introductions, Meeting Roles, and Delegates Count [10 minutes]
* Access Check-in [5 minutes]
* Announcements [5 minutes]
* Bans [5 minutes]
* Working Group Report-Backs [15 minutes]
* Member Collective Updates (10 minutes)
* Proposal: ABDC Transition [15 minutes]
* Discussion: Basement Media Lab [15 minutes]

=== Introductions ===

Introduce yourself: Name; Preferred Pronoun; Affiliation; any brief announcements; say whether you're a delegate; let us know about any access needs you have†

* Joe FNB he/him
* Mary Ann - she/her - Chiapas (Delegate)
* Sierk - he/him - Sudo (Dele
* Marcus he/him - volunteer
* Kazoo - we - ABDC
Tonia - she - ABDC
* Vienna ABDC -she/her
* Sarah ABDC - she/her
* Laura - she/her - commons/finance
* Brian - He/him - Finance
* Clive - poets house
* Almaz - GCEA (Delegate)
* Kiwi - GCEA member
* Steve - BAPS
* Julian - by name - BAPS
* Robb - he/him - Sudo
* Jenny - she/her - Sudo/finance
* Lynn - she/her - Working group member

† Is everybody able to participate fully in this meeting? Do people have unmet needs or concerns? Den is better for people with difficulty hearing

=== Meeting Roles ===
* Facilitator/s: Joe
* Explanation of hand signals: "deaf applause", "raised hand", "point of process", "direct response"(wildcard), etc.
* Stacktaker: ALmaz
* Timekeeper: Kazoo
* Notetaker/s: Brian, Jenny, Laura,
** URL of this pad: https://pad.riseup.net/p/omninom
* Vibe Reader: Brian
* Next meeting's facilitator(s):

=== Delegates ===
* ABDC: Kazoo
* BAPS: Steve
* CCL: Ken
* CSC: Maryanne
* FNB: Joe
* GWS: Rachel remote
* LL: Robb
* Sudo: Sierk
* TIL: inactive
* GCEA: Almaz
* Quorum: Yes

== New Bans ==
* Bobby Qui from Village
** Safe Space ban initiated 5/1 by Jenny after a series of reports from Needa Bee of escalating harassment and theft. Informed by Robb 5/2. Needa open and hoping for mediation / intervention / restorative justice process.
* Add to list of people [https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Asked_to_Leave asked to leave]
** Julian: How did the conversation go (that Robb had yesterday with BQ outside the Omni)?
** Rob: Told him about the ban, he was fairly defensive, acted like nothing was wrong. I told him about the mediation list. I didn't say who instigated the ban, I didn't give him too many details.
** Joe: I'm concerned that mediating between a pretty difficult domestic situation would be an awful lot for us to get involved in.
** Jenny: Needa agrees, and I've been talking to her about other resources.
** Joe: So if we do get a mediation request, do we forward that to an outside source?
** Jenny: There is an ongoing process with the village people.
** Julian: Just a note, without disagreeing with it, that theft is not considered a safe space ban qualifier, but harassment is. Just making the distinction.
** Questions about next steps.
** Marcus: I've heard from Needa that he has been taking property to sell, including property from here (Joe: a computer in the office, as example).

== Working Group Report-Backs ==

=== Building & permits ===
Meetings: 1st & 3rd Mondays @ 6pm
* We passed our annual fire inspection
* This group needs help; https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/building

=== Commons ===
Meetings: First and Third Mondays at 6pm
* We made $4,300 in April, just events working group.
* We could still use more people in commons, if anyone is interested, first and third Mondays. Five O'clock.
* Please don't go into the ballroom MWF From 7-8:30/9PM. There is a dance group doing a rehearsal until the middle of June. When they are in the ballroom its their room, they have rented it.
* There is a laminated sign under the counter in the coffeeshop area. Questions from Ciapas support group regarding an event.
* This group needs help:
** https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/commons
** https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/booking

=== Communications ===
Meetings: Second and Fourth Wednesdays at 6pm
* Julian: We haven't been meeting regularly but we are going to meet next week.

=== Finance ===
Meetings: Currently conjoined with Fundraising, 2nd & 4th Mondays at 6pm
* Taxes due in two weeks, but we've already filed an extension.
* We are discussing switching bank to benficial state bank, a nonprofit bank. We have two allies (friends) who work there, and have been helping us.
* People who are check signers for your collective will need to re-do that process when we set up with the new bank.
* We have a number of major expenses that are on our list.
* Cafe update from Laura. Laura met with Abad and ...? We varbally agreed to a 3% increase, for three three year terms. The intent was to sign a lease by may first, but we needed list of names of members, and their operating name. They haven't gotten back to us yet. Instead of being 3 4-year terms, is now 3 3-year terms
** Rob: I remember Jesse said we needed to demonstrate how we came up with the "market rate" designation.
*** Laura: WE did include those calculations in a previous meeting, which made it into the meeting notes. But I will put the calculation notes into this set of meeting notes.
****At the end of January I did a seardh on Loopnet to see what restaurant leases were going for. The cheapest was a run down looking restaurant building in the Lower Bottoms for $1.83/sqft/month. This is for an enclosed, separate, full restaurant. Sin Fronteras is renting a counter area and a small amount of floor space (approx 644 sq ft total) in a run down building, with no separation from other tenants. They will only be able to sell bevarages and pre prepared food. The final lease price per square foot of about $1.70 seems reasonable.

=== Fundraising ===
Meetings: Currently conjoined with Finance, 2nd & 4th Mondays at 6pm
*

== Member Collective Updates ==
What is going on with your collective? What are you working on? What have you accomplished? Any events coming up? Any difficulties you are encountering that you need help with?

=== ABDC ===
* Kazoo: Two new members with us who are here today. Did everyone read our proposal? *nods* we can't afford rent. We are wanting to discuss the proposal (which we will do in the proposals section)

=== BAPS ===
* Julian: Classes coming up. June 9th, 1-4PM. Basement Library. "The Beat Aesthetic and Why We Need It Today".
* have reserved the space (basement library), second saturday of the month. There is an expansion plan but that isn't happening yet, but would involve more classes being here.
* Questions about asking for donations, answer is yes, you can ask for donations for the Omni.
* Marx was right reading group continues. Second part of communist manifesto this Sunday.
* Endnotes, and Writing with World Stuff classes also taking place (basement?).
** Joe heads-up about how basement can be loud if there is a ballroom event.

=== CCL ===
* Ken: there are a whole bunch of classes going on. COming up is the 5th anniversary of existence event

=== CSC ===
* Mary Ann: We have events 5/18 - Chiapas Womens Gathering Reprot Back; 6/9 Chilean musician tour of Palestine report back with music

=== FNB ===
* Celebrated the 49th anniversary of people's park on Sunday. The UC System announced that they would be building student housing on people's park.
** Next meeting of the UC Board of regents is on 23rd of May at UCSF. Might want to go.

===GCEA===
* Almaz: We have classes M-F at the classroom for use. WE have health events happening once a month, or twice a month. Event on May 19th, Women's Empowerment events once a month

=== GWS ===
*We are mobilizing to bring about 20 women and some men to take part in the first week of actions and CD of the Poor People's Campaign at the State capital building in Sacramento, the day after Mother's Day May 14. It is happening in 30 states around the country. the theme is women and children and people with disabilities in poverty

=== LL ===
* Rob: Not much to report. Dealing with some internal membership changes, what it means to be a member of lib lens. A bunch of film screenings next month, I don't think we have any planned for next month.

=== Sudo ===
* Sierk: New subgroup forming for Sudo. Monthly schoolsharing for DJ's, music related.
* Sudo Mesh is talking strategy for fundraising and figuring out what sort of relationship to have with omni. Being discussed now.

=== TIL ===
*

== Proposal: ABDC Transition ==
Proposal on the pad 4.19.18 but not discussed due to time and no one present from ABDC
*Proposal from Kazoo that ABDC set up a Utility Print Station in the (currently cluttered and under-utilized) basement space.
** "Our proposal is to create greater access to the tools for printing for anyone who is interested, and run an training for newbies every other month. At this point we have trained several Phat Beets members as well as several Omni Commoners in the basics of screen printing. There are two screen printers who have recently asked to join the Coop and we would like to include them in this transition so that they might help facilitate the new basement space. We would like to give them, and everyone at Omni the opportunity to take up leadership in using and maintaining the studio in the basement.
** As we see it, Omni needs a screen printing space. All the collectives want things printed, and it’s great to be able to do it in house. We as a collective are not able (given all of our full-time jobs and other obligations) to be as available as folks would like us to be. Therefore, we would like to propose an open printing studio in the basement with a locked supply closet that Omni members who have done a training with us can have access too. Both Bria and Samuel (Phat Beets) have trained with us enough to have keys to the closet. Also, Marcus (former ABDC) Almaz, Jose, Daveron (former ABDC), Anka, and we’re sure there are other people we’re forgetting, are already capable enough withscreen printing to have keys to the supply closet.
** We would like to make this transition in May. This transition allows the Ticket Booth room to be rented to someone else bringing in valuable rent, and for the basement to become more vital. To be clear, we, ABDC, will not be paying rent. Our proposal is to leave our tools as a donation to the commons so that printing may continue without us. We are happy to offer trainings every-other month in order to help interested Omni members gain skill to fully take-over maintainence of the Utility Print Studio. "

=== Discussion ===
* Kazoo: Proposal, summarizing proposal.
* Laura: IF we decided (for some reason) that we didn't want to have a screen printing lab in the basement, what would happen?
* Kazoo: WE could take that stuff away. There isn't that much stuff down there (lists things). We'd be happy to take it to the other space - but there are people (at least 4) who want to use it and actively steward it here
* Almaz: Is the training by appointment?
** Kazoo: We'd probably do it by calendar and set up calendar dates for trainings. We could arrange for other trainings outside of those dates as needed.
* Kazoo: We imagine that people (affiliated with our project) would have keys to a lockable closet. Stewards would have a key to the storage closet and be able to access as needed
* Joe: How would hte space be delineated?
** Kazoo: I Don't see any reason for it to need to be walled off. Every object can roll.
* Joe: This is silk screen printing right? How big of an image could you print?
** Kazoo: With out light table its about three feet by four feet, 2.5/5? But we have done enormous screens outside using the sun.
* Marcus: How are the rates determined (donation rate)?
** Kazoo: That we have to figure out. About $5/hr covers the cost of ink at the bare minimum. To make it functional, set a donation rate a little higher (eg $10/hr)
* Marcus: I know there were some challenges with the washout station, has that been worked out?
**Kazoo: ITs in the shower room now. ITs not ideal but it functions
* Almaz: From my experience, five dollars is nothing for the ink. The ink is very expensive.
** Kazoo: One of those is $20, and that goes a ways
***Discussion around ink pricing plans, and potentially having other people bring their own ink.
*Julian: Observation, would the five dollars per hours be five dollars per person?
** Vienna: Even if two people were using the space at the same time, they'd probably be working on the same project because of equipment limitations.
* Kazoo: Our proposal is to make it a utility in the sense that we are not paying rent. Like the computer lab, nobody is paying rent for the computer lab. IT doesn't need to make money, we just need it to survive
* Laura: My suggestion is that whoever are the stewards, you keep a count of how much money you are spending and taking in?
** Kazoo: good idea.
*Joe: which corner?
**Kazoo: Back left corner? but it also doesn't seem to matter.
* Laura: when would the move happen?
**Kazoo: We are open and flexible, whenever you say so?
* Laura: I showed the place to a group from Children's Hosptital, so they may end up being interested in the space.
* Kazoo: Could we have May as a grace period?
* Maryanne: Chiapas has discussed potentially wanting to move in there once it is vacant. Our current space is very very difficult. Three groups sharing the space, when its set up for one.
* Kazoo: The rent we were paying was $450/month.
* Mary Ann: I haven't talked to rachel lately, but if that doesn't happen they want to totally redo the office, which I think would be very difficult.
* Rachel we were in the shared room recently and no space. Interested in sharing if there is a possibility with Chiapas
**Kazoo: Maybe Maryanne can rent it and the Children's Hospital can rent it too. May be able to collaborate.
*** There are general discussions about use of the space once Art Bison Moves out. These sounds very early stages

Delegate Vote:
* In favor: Ken (CCL), Mary Ann (CSC), Joe (FNB), Almaz (GCEA), Steve (BAPS), SIerk (Sudo)
* Abstain: LL, Rachel GWS

== Discussion (to become proposal): Basement Media Lab ==
via Jenny 5/3:
* Over the past 9 months, there have been many discussions about, and a good deal of work put into, the basement area formerly known as Material Print Machine as a potential inter-collective media lab for printing, copying, button-making, screenprinting, banner-making, zine-making, newspapers etc. Interested folks who've discussed the idea and/or worked on cleaning and clearing out that space include Jenny, Robb, Abe, Julian, Needa Bee, Marcus, and others I'm probably forgetting right now.
** The structure that seems most fitting is that of a working group, open to anyone to join and help steward and maintain the resources we already have available. The idea would be to lock valuable materials / supplies in a cabinet and host workshops, media-making sessions and offer access based on sliding-scale donations to cover materials/supplies/maintenance costs.
** For more info on the resources we already have available as well as a proposed layout, see: https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Basement#Media_Lab

*Jenny: Summarizing proposal. Turning the basement into an intercollective media lab. This plan is still in the early stages of development. There are several different types of media equipment in basement. The structure, which hasn't gotten too far along with interested groups, would be a working group to steward the training and management of the space (plus collect donations, etc). Talked with Rob, Abe, Julian, Marcus, Needa Bee about this. There is a link to the wiki page which was started about five months ago, of what it could potentially look like. Need new lights for the basement.

* Laura: Could we paint before we totally move in. (rob: the whole basement) (Kazoo: You can also pain the floor, using concrete paint).
* Ken: What space delineation?
**Jenny: basically from CCL and up (I think thats what was said).
***General discussion about how to improve the space before we enact this plan. General agreements, general support of painting the space.
** Ken: Could bring in some walls on wheels with carpet on them to make mobile dividers between the space
* Julian: I have a few ideas about that, which I am thinking through currently. One class could be basic print design (little Zine, little book), it would be a workshop. So come in and we'll practice laying out text, etc. Print design courses.
* Ken: For 20 years or so I taught classes on drafting and design, computer graphics, etc. Once you have it all set up, if you would like to have public classes I would be happy to be involved in that.
* Rachel - would be great to have a banner making, button making space like this.
*Sierk: There is a tiny arts and crafts room in Sudo Room, which sortof conflicts with the electronics section. There are people in Sudo that are waiting for something like this proposal (or the previous proposal) to happen. (It sounds like Sudo may move stuff down to basement if this happens).
*Almaz: You mentioned material donations, what sort of donations are you thinking of?
** Offer access sliding scale based on donations, donations would also go towards maintenance of machines, thats sort of thing (Almaz: Kindof the same as the ABDC proposal)
*Jenny: The last delegates meeting, Scott came and expressed interest in hosting a book store in here. They were interested in doing a radical publishing house. (there is a damaged piece of equipment in the basement whose name I missed, but someone from that group may be willing to repair it)
* Julian: reading the comment from Rachel. It seems that people sound like they want there to be
* Laura: I would like to clarify that you two (Vienna and...) would be interested in being part of this? (yes was the response)
* Rob: I think that we should make sure that this is giving something to the Omni. It will be using space, electricity, resources, etc. (general agreement).
* Tonia: Do you imagine people bringing their own supplies to print upon? (General discussion of that, looks like there would be circumstances of people bringing their own, and providing our own).
* Marcus: There is a huge cost difference between buying shirts on your own, versus doing it with a sellers permit.
** Jenny: Omni has a sellers permit, which we could use for wholesale purchases.

* Jenny will take these thoughts and comments and come back with a more developed proposal. Will make a list of people to reach out to (Kazoo, new ABDC members, Robb, Marcus, Abe, Julian, Laura, Ken, Rachel/GWS, Almaz, Sierk/sudo,

== Discussion - meeting w/ Stacey (friend of AORTA) ==
* Joe: Niki and I and Yar and steve, met with a woman named stacy who was going to write up a proposal about the structure and issue of power sharing and racial issues at the Omni. First thing was the cost, between $1,500-$6000. She would start with interviews with any sort of incident that falls into these racial categories. There would be group meetings and eventually proposals. She encouraged us to get in touch with a different group that does these kind of things (like Aorta and Seeds). She has done a lot of work with disability advocates and non-profits. This is something that Nikki started, if you remember the thread about this issue. She helped us remember that people like her and Kazoo and Sarah had mentioned that there was a lot of history around this, and it wasn't just motivated around the New Years event or a single event.
* Julian: I had the impression that at some point nikki was going to put together a proposal as a followup to that meeting.
* Steve: Nikki will also be talking to Aorta. It's a process of checking out possible facilitators.
* Joe: This is a small thing, but I put up a poster that was in the shape of a tombstone. IT said "white superiority is killing me", it moved to the basement and now it is gone.
* Julian: Observation related to that: I saw it move, I noticed it in the middle of the entrance hall, then not so prominently, then over across the wall here, in the "things we are giving away" section. It felt like someone was trying to make a counter statement. I agree that it is totally notable that this happened.
* Kazoo: I have noticed that we had posters that people have modified, or cut up, or cut off. IT has happened to some of our posters.
* Rachel: how does this discussion relate to what is in the below message. Sounds like there are people in Omni ready to do this work. is that what this message is saying below?
* They are separate efforts that came out of the same discussions
Rachel: ok thx. that sounds like a lot of $ in the first effort.

== Discussion Feedback Loop reportback ==
* email to discuss: 4/26/18
Dear Omni Commoners,

This is a message from Helen, Julian, and Mary Ann. We have met today at the direction of the Omni delegates assembly in response to concerns raised by our community members.

We are investigating any instances of racism, sexism, classism, or other oppression that people have experienced at the Omni, whether members of collectives or not. Please send us an email introducing us to anyone that has had such experiences who is willing to talk about it in a private interview. These interviews may be anonymous if desired. Please get consent first. The goal is to establish whether there are patterns of practices that the Omni as a whole could consider and act to change in order to better serve our role as a radical community center.

Sincerely,
the Feedback Loop
* Mary Ann: I will be going to the Commons working group to discuss how the event process works. We'd also like to check in with people that know people who have left because of oppressive experiences - from the email thread that would seem to be Niki and Kazoo - if anyone else would be open to talking with us, reach out to Mary Ann or Julian
* Kazoo: Where did the email go out to? Commons?
** Julian: IT went to the discuss list. IT wasn't a proposal so it wouldn't neccesarily go to the delegates list. There is a list of the mailing lists on the wiki.
* Steve: I personally know two people who have directly encountered racist actions at the Omni and subsequently left. I've talked to them since about possible solutions. They don't want to have anything to do with it. I've already tried to invite them to talk to us, and they have said no.
* Kazoo: the structures of white supremacy and patriarchy are so embeded in our actions that it's hard to notice them. it's the air that we believe. perhaps white
people and white men should take it on as something for us to self-work on. perhaps we don't need testimonies on what we're doing that's harming folx, but people should be self-reflecting
** jenny: relevant historical tidbit, at one point had a "dismantling patriarchy" men's reading group. notes/readings here: https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Dismantling_patriarchy
*Maryanne: That makes sense but its a different stage. The focus here is to look at whether there are policies or practices that we have in place that lead to or encourage discrimination. What we are looking for to start with, is our practices and whether they are equally enforced. We aren't neccesarily looking at behaviors of individuals.
* Kiwi: I am hearing the concern, but its very important that individuals who come to be served, the best way to have is diversity. I'm looking around the room, not seeing much diversity. Representation is important. If I have a concern and there is someone who speaks my language, I can go talk to them. To solve those kind of problems it is good to have diversity. Omni needs to also have delegates who are people of color as well. We should have latino, asian, african, y'know, like california is. Should be part of the broader delegates conversation.
** Rachel: I agree with Mary ann the approach of starting with looking at practices and procedures
*Almaz: WE (CDC Working Group) are working on these issues as well. The email that was sent was not written out to a lot of people. WE need to announce this more publicly. Send it somewhere that more people will see. You can also go if you have time, and I know capacity is an issue, we can go to specific omni groups' meetings (eg sudo on wednesday, liblens on sunday) and have discussions at the various omni meetings. Get people into discussions, maybe prepare questions in advance. Give people the opportunity to talk about it and then afterwards give feedback.
** Julian: I totally agree. ITs mostly that we wanted to get information out after the meeting. I think that something that would be really great would be for each delegate to check in with each collective that we are trying to have these conversations. I like Almaz' point that we should have specific questions to send out to the different groups.
* Almaz: And also Kazoo's point, I know 7-10 people that had a bad experience. If you try to approach them they are not going to be interested in discussing things. They are already checked out. I sometimes say "come to the Omni" and people say "only if you come with me".
* Kiwi: Also it would be good to have implicit bias training, on how to behave around people who are different from your background. For both racial and gendered conversations.
* Kazoo: Implicit Bias training would be good for everyone. It would be a major task, but it would be good.
* Steve: That would be really good, but it would involve a lot of a person looking in the mirror.
* Kiwi: Thats why you need professionals. Need a trainer.
* Joe: I have a suspicion that at the root of some of the things (incidents) is the feeling that people are worried about the Omni being hurt. The structure of the Omni is such that a few people have put in so much blood and sweat, its like a mother with their child. A person can go overboard thinking someone doesn't know how to do it right. Thats the part where information sharing and structure is really important. More training and information may help people deal with that issue. I'm sorry if that sounds too general, or too blaming, but I have a feeling that that is part of things.
* Julian: My comment is potentially a change of topic. But its something that came up during our conversations. Both at last delegates assembly and during the side meeting. It was the concensus process. Maybe we are not all on the same page about how the concensus process is supposed to work. Blocks, etc. HElen was going to find a resource for concensus process so we could do a refresher around the process and how we practice consensus. Helen found one and sent out an email about it. Maybe we can have a discussion about this
** www.seedsforchange.org.uk/consensus
** Mary Ann: General thought, the working group will try to do a reportback in the future, but might take some time due to timing difficulties

== Discussion out front working group? ==

==Last minute announcement==
* Almaz: During meetings, sometimes people can make a large amount of noise while on the computers. During our last meeting this happened. I tried to bring it up with someone who was loud during our event, but the person was non-responsive and didn't want to keep quiet or move to the basement.
* Almaz: Also, projectors for the Omni. Found one in the Sudo room, white one, is that sudo room projector or an Omni projector? I usually borrow the Lib Lens projector.
**Rob: Someone from ABDC borrowed the white sudo room projector. The larger grey one is Nikki's and is essentially the OMnis (she is letting us use it). That lives in the AV room, and is typically there. Someone from ABDC borrowed it, but didn't return it to the AV room, so there was a few weeks where nobody knew where it was. The misplacement of the Projector was a misplacement.

== Last Meeting Notes ==
https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Event:2018.04.19_Delegates_Meeting

= End of Meeting =
* please archive these meeting notes by copying the entire pad contents onto the omni wiki
* then please erase the contents of this pad
* then please cut & paste a blank template from here: https://omnicommons.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Delegates_Meeting_Notes_Template&action=edit
* previous notes are archived here: https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Meetings

[[Category:Delegates Meeting]]

Event:2018.04.19 Delegates Meeting

2018-04-20T21:30:28Z

Lynnhowe: Created page with "Omni Delegates' Meeting - April 19 2018 7pm-9pm === Agenda === * Introductions, Meeting Roles, and Delegates Count [10 minutes] * Access Check-in [5 minutes] * Announceme..."

Omni Delegates' Meeting - April 19 2018 7pm-9pm

=== Agenda ===
* Introductions, Meeting Roles, and Delegates Count [10 minutes]

* Access Check-in [5 minutes]

* Announcements [5 minutes]
* Bans [5 minutes]
** Phil: There was an incident recently. There was someone being very loud.
*** Discussion around people leaving the building at 10PM. We are essentialy closing the building.
*** Last night, Bliff, said he was a member of Sudo Room, but it turns out that he wasn't. So he does need to leave around 10PM. If someone is beliggerant, or causes problems then they are asked to leave.
*** Bliff and Mitchel are put on notice. Not banned, but making a note that phil discussed the rules with them.

* Working Group Report-Backs [15 minutes]
* Member Collective Updates (10 minutes)
* Proposal X: [15 minutes]
* Proposal Y: [15 minutes]
* Discussion Z: [10 minutes]

=== Introductions ===

Introduce yourself: Name; Preferred Pronoun; Affiliation; any brief announcements; say whether you're a delegate; let us know about any access needs you have.

† Is everybody able to participate fully in this meeting? Do people have unmet needs or concerns?

*Joe FNB
*HElen FNB (Delegate)
*David
*Matthew (sudo, not delegate)
*Brian (finance comte)
*Scott (unafil- Sudo)
*Steve BAPS
*JUlian BAPS (delegate)
* Philip, FNB
*Maryanne (CIapas support cmte)
*Laura (Finance, commons WG)
*lynn (commons wg)
* Almaz - Remote
* Rachel - Remote

--- Meeting Roles ---
* Facilitator/s:Lynn
* Explanation of hand signals: "deaf applause", "raised hand", "point of process", "direct response"(wildcard), etc.
* Stacktaker: Julian
* Timekeeper: Joe
* Notetaker/s: Brian
** URL of this pad: https://pad.riseup.net/p/omninom
* Vibe Reader:
** Next meeting's facilitator(s):

=== Delegates ===
* ABDC:
* BAPS: Julian
* CCL: Ken
* CSC: Mary Ann
* FNB: Helen
* GWS: Rachel
* LL:
* Sudo:
* TIL: inactive
* GCEA:Almaz
* Quorum: 6/9 active collectives

== Announcements ==
* Scott Nanos has a 3min announcement :)

** Scott here on behalf of self and Cafe. Wants to meet with Sudo.
** Has been heavily involved in OMni, Baps, cmte orgnzer, book seller. Has run a bookstore. Mnge bookstore by oakland pub library, editor afrofutures newspaper (passed around copy)
** Been talking to Jose, and have been trying to move a new cafe into the Omni (Sin Fronteras). Has been frustrated by difficulties in getting the cafe in here.
** Wanted to come out and advocate on behalf of the Cafe, say it really really should happen. A COT(?) cafe would be a cure to any atrophy that is occuring right now. would bring great energy to the space.
** Would bring more people to the space, would help us address social issues.
** W/ Regards to CAFE, please spread the word that it is good. Reach out to David Kerr, or Laura. I am also happy to meet with anyone to talk about any issues that they have
** Also, the space the cafe is being asked to rent is way more than they need (pretty sure I got that right - Brian)
** Came up with an idea to set up a donation based community bookstore in the back half of that room. Would be of no cost to anyone, would benefit the Omni. Free Bookstore idea.
** IDea would be to have a freebookstore with nobody running it, would educate local youth on how to run a bookstore.
** In conclusion: The cafe would be great, and a bookstore would also be great.

* Neighbors (2x) wish to speak / cant stay late

** There are noise complaints, with regards to someone (missed it).
** I try to be cool about it, we were here before anyone set on the steps. OUr cars have been broken into, people are screaming profanity outside my daughters window. I feel like you don't care
** My elderly neighbor with MS is suffering too. FEels like they are in her living room.
*** Phil: The main interaction we have with them is that we do let them use the restroom.
** CAn you let the homeless people outside into the Omni. IF you are a community organization, can you do some outreach to them?
*** Matthew: Came here after some discussions with homeless people. (missed some things?) We are trying to establish dialogue with the people out front. They are scared to come in here, they are worried that they would in "rough standing". I have become friends with the men who hang out out front, I can;t condone their behavior.
** Matthew: We are very open to dialogue and communication about this stuff.
** Joe: what did the guys out front ask you to bring to the meeting today?
** Matthew: They have a number of concerns. They feel like if we let them know what is going on, that they can accomodate us. They feel like there hasn't been very much communication. The gentlemen out front feel like the -last- group who was here was rude to the Omni folk, but that they are not. We did a building cleanup outside the building, so we are trying to build those bridges. Apparently angel has been working on communication? If we tell them to leave, then they will move down the street, and would damage the relationship.
** Neighbor: Or you could let them into the Omni. I am willing to help supervise them sometimes when that happens.
** Joe: I think we should form some sort of working group to address the issue.
** David: There have been a lot of cycles of engagement with the folks who sit on the steps. Welcome to the ranks of people working to address this issue, and being part of that dialogue. There have been waves, and they are often helpful with keeping the area out front clean. The problem seems to be that there are lapses of responsibility, rather than major issues.
** Kevin(?): How many people hang out outside?
** Neighbor: Usually two.

Lynn: Shall we close the discussion soon and pick this back up with the idea to start a working group?

** Matthew: asking for time to correct behavior now that we are talking about it. Ask for compassion as we try to address this process. The Omni can only police the public sidewalk to a certain degree. The noise issues can be really big issues, and we want to address those, but we also don't want to start dictating what happens on a public sidewalk. Want to make sure that Omni gives them ample chances to correct their behavior. Discourages textbook/patronizing rhetoric towards the guys outside.

Laura: If something is happening, I can come over. I live nearby.
Neighbor: Its not like we need someone to come over, but it gets out of hand.
Laura: I want to give you another point of contact.

== New Bans ==
*
* Add to list of people asked to leave

== Working Group Report-Backs ==

=== Building & permits ===
Meetings: 1st & 3rd Mondays @ 6pm
*
* This group needs help; https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/building

=== Commons ===
Meetings: First and Third Thursdays at 6pm
*
* This group needs help:
** https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/commons
** https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/booking

=== Communications ===
Meetings: Second and Fourth Wednesdays at 6pm
*

=== Finance ===
Meetings: Currently conjoined with Fundraising, 2nd & 4th Mondays at 6pm
*

=== Fundraising ===
Meetings: Currently conjoined with Finance,, 2nd & 4th Mondays at 6pm
*

== Member Collective Updates ==
What is going on with your collective? What are you working on? What have you accomplished? Any events coming up? Any difficulties you are encountering that you need help with?

=== ABDC ===
*

=== BAPS ===
*

=== CCL ===
*

=== CSC ===
*

=== FNB ===
*

===GCEA===
*

=== GWS ===
*

=== LL ===
*

=== Sudo ===
*

=== TIL ===
*

= Discussion =
*Do not currently have quorum.

Discussion [10 min] for 04/19/2018: Hear feedback from neighbors across street, Elena and Irina. Ask is made that if possible, this item be prioritized early in the meeting due to neighbor's toddler that will need to go to sleep.

* Report MaryAnn that delegates assembly take a look at any underlying rules, policies or practices (formal or informal) involved in creating perceptions of racism. At a previous Delegates Meeting, MaryAnn agreed to consult with a person that has many years of experience in restorative justice about the issues we are facing, and as to how it might be best to proceed. This person's recommendations included:
The delegates should interview those involved in the New Years incident, as well as those with concerns about structure and blocking. The recommendations also include that if the delegates believe structural changes are needed, that it take action to make changes. If, after gathering evidence through interviews, outside mediation or restorative justice seems necessary, then that should be obtained. Additionally, if we end up making structural changes, we can obtain a neutral professional that specializes in evaluating nonprofit/DIY structure to review our structure.

** Discussion
** This came up a few weeks ago. I agreed to talk to my friend of mine who is very experienced in racial justice issues, and get opinions on the best way to proceed. What he said is that this group (which is the board of directors in the bylaws), should further investigate and get more information (get all the facts), and find out what the exact nature of the complaints are though. Not to treat it as though we are trying to judge whether an incident is racist or not. And you have to accept that the perception is what needs to be addressed. You need to see what is underneath it. What is the rule, or preference, or policy underlying that caused the conflict. See if we have rules or policies that dont work so well, and see if we want to change any of them. Esp, to see if they are applied differently to different people/collectives. The other policy that it was very clear was controversial was the issue of a block. When I told him, I told him that I didn't understand it myself. I don't understand if anyone at the Omni can block something at any time. HE said that needs to be clarified. ITs good that we already established a process for electing people.

**We need to have a look at our policies and perspectives ourselves, before we go to an outside group. Those outside groups are super expensive. Once we do that review Maryannes friend can recomend good people to check in

** Julian: I wanted to explain the email I sent out because I think there was some confusion about what I Was trying to communicate.
*** I heard three dimensions of what you are reporting on here. There is the investigation component, there is the blocking question, and then the general assessment of the policies
**Maryanne: and also the acceptance of the perception of racial prejudice.
** Julian: what I Was trying to communicate was with one component of the first item here. AS I understood it, with regards to specific events, teh delegates assembly should get together to figure out the facts of that event/those events. What I wanted to say was that we already have a process for this which is more in line with Omni values. WE dont want to be arbitrating this sort of thing
**Maryanne: that was never the intention
** Julian: that makes sense, I am clarifying what I thought and was trying to say. But we have a way of addressing mediation here.

** Steve: I think we need to get specific here in order for this to have meaning, are we talking abotu NYE, or Mediation, or what? There are different things to say about each one of those. Can we make this specific, and have a look at one of the specific instances?
** Joe: I really don't understand what we'd get out of going over the specifics again. We've had those two incidents. WE've had people in the past say they left, and they know other people who have left, because of equity or power balance. I Think its clear that we have a problem, and that we should look at ways for dealing with it.
** Steve: Yes, thats my point. We are talking about making policy now. I dont think we can make good policy without going into the details of the issues.
** KEn: Can we clarify what the two incidents were?
** Maryanne: If we are including the running wolf mediation as an incident, I didn't speak about that. I was asked to talk to this person specifically, about the blocking of Almaz due to what happened on NYE.
** Ken: Do we have in the bylaws anything about a block
** Julian: I dont think there is...
** Ken: We have a history here, and I'm not here from the beginning, but there was history of omni as a 501c3. In order to be a 501c3 we need to do things properly according to rules. Because we have a history of being able to block things. IF we don't have the rule codified, then people can be reasonably surprised, and that can lead to difficult feelings. This can lead to discord. We need to either stop the blocks, or codify the blocks.
** Julian: I Think that makes sense, my understanding is that the principle of the block is not effective at the Omni level of governance because there is a secondary purpose to the block. THe purpose of the block (to my understanding) is to force conversation to continue. ITs supposed to force concensus. The case where concensus is impossible, there is an 80% override of a block. Ultimately it can be overridden, by actual voting. So what was confusing is that it was used contrary to the purpose of a block, it was not used to continue discussion. A block should be used at the end of the discussion, rather than the beginning.
** Ken: That definition doesn't feel like what we've been doing while I have been here. It feels like people block things because they don't like them.

**Lynn: WE should check in about this discussion. WE've discussed this a bit, but at this point it feels like we need to figure out next steps? (paraphrasing?)

** Steve: There is no concensus on what the concensus process looks like, and how blocks work. So I'll add mine. Blocks form part of a discussion, within a concensus process. It doesn't have to do with methodology, or process itself, but if there is a discussion on an issue that the group has to decide, and one or two members of the group are disatisfied with whats going on. IF they dont want to go along with it, then they can block so that we can change some elements of what we are talking about. This has to do with decisionmaking with a group. When Occupy came along there were all sorts of concensus building processes that were brought in. If you had 20 people in a group you would discuss it until you could ultimately agree. My understanding is that has gotten way to common to use a block as a way of ending discussion, and that does not feel like it is within the spirit of concesus decision making.

**Laura: Nikki also had done some research and info to report back. She hasn't been able to do that. What we should be talking about is what kinds of things we need to do in order to have a productive evaluation. RAther than discussing what we don't agree with on this or that point, we need to look at what we need to do to work through those

**Helen: I think the first suggestion was to actually gather the facts of what happened (at the events). WE have all heard various people say various things, but we don't actually know the full story. I feel like gathering information is something that we should do.

Maryanne: We can either form a committee to investigate it, or invite people to come here and talk to us, but it should be done privately. IF the person wants to come to the board and talk through it, they can do that but that sounds very daunting . I think we could start a working group to address this. There are some complaints that have been thrown out that I want to hear both sides of.

**Ken: I am in favor of...I read the two emails. I was glad that she responded. IT helped clarify things, but I felt like there were still holes. It might be easiest if we take both of those written things, and make an account of what transpired. Go through each of the things with each of the people. So we have a continuum of the events, and what happened. What happened in the incident. To me it sounds like a huge amount of misunderstanding. IT blew up into something based on misunderstanding.

**Julian: I want to re-state my concern. IT sounds like what is being proposed is a group to investigate what happened at an event. If the purpose is to make an evaluation of fault, I think thats a bad idea. But if there is a working group to discuss what the problems are, then we may want to broaden the scope. We may not just want to look at one event, and might want to look at many others.

**Helen: You are absolutely right, but people only have so much capacity, maybe only start with one.

** Joe: I want to bring up other incidents. I think its relevant to a bigger policy and power balance evaluation. How many people knew that almaz group didn't pay rent for four months while she was in Africa, and that she was threatened with eviction. To me that presents a power imbalance, and I feel like that should have been brought up. I don't want to go into that situation too much, but it feels like there is a flaw.

**Maryanne: I actually agree with Julian that the purpose of investigating is not to find fault with people, but to find fault with practices or policies that are not working. IF we are interviewing people about these incidents, then other things are going to come up. We should talk to our orgs and community about this, and maybe they have stuff that hasn't been talked about.

**Steve: I dont understand the relevance of rent paying to a policy conflict regarding the Omni organization. IT looks a little bit like criminalizing debt to me. But I have to say that back last year when Almaz was first setting up her program, I explained to her the relationship that BAPS had to the Omni that we dont pay rent. She raised the idea of GCEA being in that kind of situation. And did so for a couple of months, and then that was reverted back to some kind of rent situation and I never understood why. But that I Don't think is really what we have to deal with. Thats a pragmatic issue between her org and the Omni as a whole. I want to say something about raising at something that seems to pertain to personal attitudes and I Want to hold that in question.

**Lynn: Do we have action steps, or moving forward steps ?
**KEn: First, lets stop calling it an investigation. That gives all the wrong ideas.
**General agreement**
**Maryanne: I feel like it will be hard for people to come up and discuss this before the board.
**Steve: If policy is being made, we should make sure to include this.

Who would be interested in being on the committee:
**Julian, Maryanne, Helen.

**Joe: Should we also discuss the committee that we were discussing with Matthew? I can be on that committee.
**Lynn: Anybody else?
**General: not yet**

Laura: Lee outside, had a seizure yesterday. Had several seizures recently. IT has been chaotic.

= Ongoing Proposals =
* Proposal for Officer-elect Selection Process, on pad since 5 April 2018
** Process proposal doc located here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QKCzL1jCDZWoY8VYrB6tc3kHaASICSqVK41lyIoeNgQ/edit?usp=sharing
** Email comments from Patrik and Laura's responses in line:
*** Patrik: Does someone have to have been officer-elect the previous year in order to be considered for the officer position? What if you have already filled that role before, and don't need the extra year of training? What if we really like last year's Treasurer and want them to stay on - will this effectively enforce 1 year term limits?
*** Laura: Two reasons for doing this are to have more people handling the large amount of administrative work it takes to keep the Omni running, and to keep power from accumulating in a few people. So, yes, this does mean that officers will usually serve only 1 year at a time. If there is someone who is doing a great job as one of the officers, they can keep on doing a lot of that work as a volunteer after their term ends. There will just be someone else with the ultimate responsibility and signing documents. If someone wants to be an officer again they can run for officer-elect again and work in the support role for a year.
These positions could be called officer-in-training or vice-officers or jr officers - the process and roles are what is important, not the name.
*** Patrik: I would leave out the "people may nominate others". That doesn't mean anything unless the person in question is actually willing to run. In practice, nominating others just means that people wind up endorsing specific candidates, and I thought we wanted to avoid that at this stage in the process? (There was some confusion about nominating others at the recent CCL election as well, and it felt like some folks were amplifying their own preferences by campaigning for a specific slate of candidates.)
*** Laura: OK
*** Patrik: The part about "Debate ... will not be allowed in the meeting or over email" may not be enforceable (what are we going to do if people do discuss candidates over email?), and may be counter-productive if there is some essential information about the candidate that needs to be shared.
*** Laura: Public criticism of each other is destructive and de-motivating. The information from the delegates meeting about nominees’ qualifications and capacity for carrying out the officer role will be shared in collective meetings. If someone has questions about the qualifications or capacity of the nominee, that question can be asked in a constructive way in the delegates meeting, as it would be in a job interview. If there is public criticism over email we will remind people that that isn't how we treat each other and it is a violation of the process we have agreed to.
***Patrik: What happens when we can't find a nominee for one of the positions?
*** Laura: The same thing that happens now.
***Patrik: "each delegate will list all their collective’s acceptable choices, and indicate their first choice" - what happens with those first choice votes?
*** Laura: "The candidate with the most acceptable votes and at least ⅔ of the quorum present wins. If there is a tie, the nominee with the most first choice votes wins. "
*** Patrik: "The candidate with the most acceptable votes and at least ⅔ of the quorum present wins." - what if no candidate receives 2/3 of the quorum?
*** Laura: We look for other nominees or look into why people don't want the candidates, if we don't already know.
*** Patrik: What happens when after 1 year, the officer-elect withdraws, has dropped out,
*** Laura: Hopefully if this happens it isn't the week before the year ends. We would talk about the situation and decide what to do. We can't anticipate every unusual situation that might develop and, as it is with most things we do, this is an experiment and if it doesn't work as a process we can change it.
*** Patrik: ...or is clearly not suited for the task?
*** Laura: If the person selected ends up not being able to handle the position or some kind of unanticipated negative characteristic is discovered, the current officer can recommend against the officer-elect assuming the role, or the board can vote to not approve the person. I have added this language as 5A:
A. If at any time an existing officer comes to believe that the officer-elect should not assume the officer role, the officer may make a negative recommendation to the delegates who will decide what to do at that time. For example, they may: allow the officer-elect to continue; choose a new officer-elect; extend the term of the current officer; select a new officer, or other actions they may agree are appropriate.
*** Patrik: ...or if someone else with more experience wants to run for the position?
*** LAura: The more experienced person can run for an officer -elect position (or whatever we want to call it), keep volunteering to help the selected officer or finance working group (where the secretary and treasurer meet to discuss admin stuff), or wait for an irregular situation to develop where we need someone to step in as an officer.
*** Patrik: Personally, I would prefer that we NOT elect officers a year in advance. And if more than one person wants to learn how to fill a
certain officer role, I'd say the more, the merrier! Maybe one will prove to be far more suitable for the position than the other after
that one training year. I would recommend calling them "officer in training" (because they have not been elected yet), and allow more
than one to be in training at the same time. And since it's just a training role, there's no need to have a big delegate vote on who's
going to be president a year from now.
***Laura: Just as it is now, anyone can volunteer to help any of the officers and learn what those roles involve at any time. But just volunteering doesn't have the social obligation of having been chosen by the group to fulfill a responsibility. You can think of this a 2 year term with different duties each year. If someone already has the ability to perform the job, then the first year is a support role.
***Patrik: Then when it comes time to actually elect officers, we can specify that candidates need to have been "officer in training" before, or have filled the same role at Omni or another similar nonprofit organization.
If we really do want to force turnover in the officer positions, we could do that by imposing term limits: e.g. nobody can serve in the same role for more than two years in a row, or serve as officer for more than three years in a row.

*Discussion
Maryanne: We don't like it but we dont want to block. Stand aside
Ken: When I put it to CCL, only patrick raised issues, laura answered all his questions. I believe he was satisfied.
Helen: We didn't take a position, so its alright with us
Julian: Don't have any issues with it
Almaz: Supports [reports to Julian via text message]
Rachel: In favor
5 in favor, 1 stand aside of 9 active collectives. Passes

Maryanne: Would the voting part of this process apply to all officers? IT seems like the reason that the conflict occured is that we don't have a process for that. And thats kinda funky. What I do like about this proposal is that it takes it back to the collectives, and it gives people part of the process (Which is good). And I am wondering whether we could have a similar process for regular officers in the future.
Laura: Well the process for electing representatives -is- this process, with the caviat that at the end of the year of training the person currently in the position gets either recomended or not recomended by the person.

* Proposal to have worker owned cafe in the Entrance Hall, on the pad since October 2017.
**UPDATE The latest lease draft is here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TuEEMPJ-2i_qe8QyUhWyyjrYsmbDzWw9RaleytYY6cQ/edit?usp=sharing
**Laura: We need to make an effort to pass this as soon as possible so that the cafe can begin construction and open. If we cant consent on this (or most of it with a couple of details to be worked out) at this meeting, my suggestion is to call a special meeting or use the unanimous written consent mechanism in the bylaws to pass this by May 1.

*** Proposal Discussion:
** Laura: I want to know from each collective, what they need to know in order to come to a decision. I Would like to resolve this as soon as possible. What does each group need to happen in order to make this happen?
** Steve: I Was here when cafe was first proposed. IT sounded like everything was okay with a certain rent level, but the rent has to be higher because this is a 501C3. Why do we need to do this elevated rate, rather than the original rate
** Laura: Our lawyer jesse said that we need to give them a market rate rent, because if we dont then our 501c3 status would be used to subsidize a for profit corporation.
** Maryanne: But thats not the issue at hand.
** Julian: One issue that came up with us is the four year lease term, both that the terms were for that long (request, adj to 2 year periods). I read lease, but not sure if this was addressed: Brought up that the lease could be re-negoatied at end of term. ...(something about sudo having a conversation with them).
** LAura: Sudo only meeting once a month, has made it more difficult.
** Lynn: Shall we go around and ask the delegates what each group's issues are with the cafe?
** steve: I Thought rent was holding us up, if thats not a problem for the cafe, then I'm all on board with the cafe
** Maryanne: We approved it months ago.
** Someone: we are fine (?)
** Joe: What are the concerns from Sudo?
** Ken: I did request, some ppl in CCL raised issues months ago, and I Thought those issues were addressed. Since there is a new lease agreement, I wanted to make sure we have the conversation again. Have only one note right now, one person says the rent should be higher, but I think that when we talk with him that he won't have any major objections. Also,
** Laura explained how she determined the market rate designation: looked at nearby rates, based it off of of those and our equivalent space. We also adjusted the amount of sq feet that they are using, so that the $1050/month makes sense.
** Ken: the one guy raised a few other issues. Some stuff about duration of lease. But also security access, since we are making the center area a public area and cant really lock dwn the doors.
** Scott: IF anyone can communicate to sudo, RE: the terms of the lease. The issue of going 6months of non-rent paying, and doing a bunch of work in that time, its a good faith issue. The Omni needs these improvements. There should be a forward push on getting the cafe in.
**Some Discussion. Missed it***

Maryanne: My whole group was at the Aca cafe on SAturday for a book reading. One of the people went up to Jose afterwards where the cafe issue stood. Our member expressed frustration about not knowing what was going to happen? Each delegate should be getting their organizations to discuss this and getting feedback.
Julian: Yes, it is frustrating. Surprised to hear frustration focused at the collectives, because we were under the impression that this was going to be brought up with a new lease to be discussed (which was sent out three days ago).
Ken: Just went to talk to the people in teh sudo room. One person in there sounded like they had heard about it and that nobody sounded like they wanted to block it, and she did say that Jenny was super excited about it.

Rachel agree. Yes we do
*Thanks!

Delegates count off:
CCL-Ken: YEs
FNB: Yes
BAPS- Julian: YEs
Chiapas support cmte - Maryanne: yes
GCEA : Yes
GWS: Yes

The lease that came out three days ago was very similar to the previous one, and the objections sudo had were not related to that.

Kevin: Clarifying, we have agreed to have a cafe, not to the final version of the lease
Laura: I believe that we are agreeing to the lease, but we are still potentially changing it? (not sure if I got that right-Brian)

Julian: It seems like we should verify that what we are consenting to is : the lease as it exists, with minor potential changes.
**general agreement that this is what we voted on**
Phil: Didn't get into bands, *making a note of that for later?*
**Julian: Scott also proposed bookstore. Do we want to address that?
**Laura: IT sounded like he was just discussing that as an idea. If this is something he really wants to do then he can come back and make a real proposal.
**Phil:
**Joe: I'm not totally in favor of the library thing, we already.
**
Alamz: we support the coffee shop not library. Lets have the coffee shop first

Rachel Is the bookstore instead of the cafe?
* Julian: no, it was effectively a separate proposal
Rachel ok thx. good

DK: I realize this is after the cafe discussion, but I wanted to add that I think the renewal terms every 4 years, should include an assessment of the rent, ie the 2x options to renew could be based on a mutually-agreeble amount. My thought was the cafe could include a P&L statement after 4y prior to renewal, and this could be considered by Omni with regards the next terms rent rate. 12 years is a long time and there is some notion that the rent paid should be fair, not a burden on the cafe but also fair to omni who has to pay down a large mortgage for decades etc etc

= New Proposals =

*Proposal from Kazoo that ABDC set up a Utility Print Station in the (currently cluttered and under-utilized)
basement space.
**Our proposal is to create greater access to the tools for printing for anyone who is
interested, and run an training for newbies every other month. At this point we have trained several
Phat Beets members as well as several Omni Commoners in the basics of screen printing. There are two
screen printers who have recently asked to join the Coop and we would like to include them in this
transition so that they might help facilitate the new basement space. We would like to give them,
and everyone at Omni the opportunity to take up leadership in using and maintaining the studio in
the basement.

As we see it, Omni needs a screen printing space. All the collectives want things printed, and it’s
great to be able to do it in house. We as a collective are not able (given all of our full-time jobs
and other obligations) to be as available as folks would like us to be. Therefore, we would like to
propose an open printing studio in the basement with a locked supply closet that Omni members who have
done a training with us can have access too. Both Bria and Samuel (Phat Beets) have trained with us
enough to have keys to the closet. Also, Marcus (former ABDC) Almaz, Jose, Daveron (former ABDC), Anka,
and we’re sure there are other people we’re forgetting, are already capable enough with screen printing
to have keys to the supply closet.

We would like to make this transition in May.

This transition allows the Ticket Booth room to be rented to someone else bringing in valuable rent,
and for the basement to become more vital. To be clear, we, ABDC, will not be paying rent. Our proposal
is to leave our tools as a donation to the commons so that printing may continue without us. We are happy
to offer trainings every-other month in order to help interested Omni members gain skill to fully take-over
maintainence of the Utility Print Studio.

== Last Meeting Notes ==
https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Event:2018/04/05_Delegates_Meeting

= End of Meeting =
* please archive these meeting notes by copying the entire pad contents onto the omni wiki
* then please erase the contents of this pad
* then please cut & paste a blank template from here: https://omnicommons.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Delegates_Meeting_Notes_Template&action=edit
* previous notes are archived here: https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Meetings

[[Category:Delegates Meeting]]

Event:2018/04/05 Delegates Meeting

2018-04-06T16:15:18Z

Lynnhowe: Created page with "Omni Delegates' Meeting - 5 April 2018 7pm-9pm === Agenda === * Introductions, Meeting Roles, and Delegates Count [10 minutes] * Access Check-in [5 minutes] * Announcements..."

Omni Delegates' Meeting - 5 April 2018 7pm-9pm

=== Agenda ===
* Introductions, Meeting Roles, and Delegates Count [10 minutes]
* Access Check-in [5 minutes]
* Announcements [5 minutes]
* Bans [5 minutes]
* Working Group Report-Backs [15 minutes]
* Member Collective Updates (10 minutes)
* Proposal X: [15 minutes]
* Proposal Y: [15 minutes]
* Discussion Z: [10 minutes]

=== Introductions ===
* Helen - FNB
* Carol from Poets' House possible considering joining as a collective.
* Clive with Poets' House, mayhave class thru BAPS
* Angel - LL,
* Lynn - Commons
* Steve - BAPS
* Gerald - LL
* Sierk - FNB, SUDO
* Rachel - GWS
* Mary Ann - CSC
* Laura - Fundraising, Finance, Commons

Introduce yourself: Name; Preferred Pronoun; Affiliation; any brief announcements; say whether you're a delegate; let us know about any access needs you have†

† Is everybody able to participate fully in this meeting? Do people have unmet needs or concerns?

=== Meeting Roles ===
* Facilitator/s: Helen
* Explanation of hand signals: "deaf applause", "raised hand", "point of process", "direct response"(wildcard), etc.
* Stacktaker: Sierk
* Timekeeper: Rachel
* Notetaker/s: Laura, Lynn
** URL of this pad: https://pad.riseup.net/p/omninom
* Vibe Reader:
* Next meeting's facilitator(s): Lynn

=== Delegates ===
* ABDC:
* BAPS: Steve
* CCL: Ken
* CSC: Mary Ann
* FNB: Helen
* GWS: Rachel (Inactive)
* LL: Gerald
* Sudo: Sierk
* TIL: Inactive
* GCEA:
* Quorum: Yes

== New Bans ==
*
* Add to list of people [https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Asked_to_Leave asked to leave]

== Working Group Report-Backs ==

=== Building & permits ===
Meetings: 1st & 3rd Mondays @ 6pm
* Sierk: a lto of people have been out of town. People are working on getting the kitchen permits. There is infromation we need to get re plumbing.
* Gerald: HOw much money do we have for the project.
* Sierk: we have enough money for permits and some demo and all of phase 1
* Gerald: I have a plumber we can utilize for the kitchen. He is supportive of the Omni. What do I do with that?
* Laura: Send an email to buildiing list serve
* Sierk: We have been talking about dealing with the skylights
* This group needs help; https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/building

=== Commons ===
Meetings: Second and fourth Mondays at 5 or 6pm
* Lynn: we are busy putting on a lot of events, BUt since Angel is here. On Saturday night at 2am I could hear loud music from the OMni. I live across the street. We care about our neighbors and we don't want to bother them and don't allow loud music after 11. There was no event booked for that night.
* Angel: I planned an event, a surprise birthday party with close friends, when I saw that there wasnt anything scheduled for that night. I was trying to be aware of the noise issue and didn't intend for it to be that loud. I checked in with other people but we didn't register that it was so loud. I'm here to accept accountability for what happened. I respect the space and it wasn't done maliciously. I will accept whatever you want to do. We had amplified music off the computer.
* Gerald: It ismy understanding that we have tried to soundproof the building and I want to know how loud is too loud in reality.
* Lynn explains policy.
* Rachel: Do we have a policy about booking a room? Are we allowec to just come to the Omni and have an event. I would have thought you would have to book it.
* Lynn: That is what we require. I don't know how many people come and do stuff without booking.
* Helen: mabe it shuold be explicit.
* Mary Ann: the last time there was some kind of scene here, the next delgates meeting after that, I was parked by the building across the street in the red zone. Tere was a cop there with its lights flashing and I got an $80 ticket. The point being is that every time there is anoise complaint, people are calling the cops. Everyone needs to keep that in mind.
* Ken: Thhis is relatively minor compared to the shooting. That triggered a whole bunch of repercussions. People may have the expetation that its ok to go late becasue the bars are open late. But that isnn't the case. We are a focus of attention, but we should have a well know policy that if you want to do your own event, have the courtesy to let the booking people know. You can make a lot of noise in the basement. And check that the noise cant be heard outside.
* Sierk: People have talked to the cops when they sit out there on the corner and they have consistently said it was to prevent car breakins.
* Ken: the BID has said that they have asked the police to have a presence
* Angel: it wasn'tm intention to bother anyone in the neighborhood. I understand that intentions don't excuse impacts. If there are any repercussions in the neighborhood I will take responsibility. I was my event and dont think that others involved should be penalized.
* Ken: Idon't thnk any punishment or action is necessary. Let's just firm up the policy tbat everyone books rooms they are using for events so at least the WG knows what is happening.
* Lynn: as a commons person it sounds like it would be good to have a policy that ANYTHING planned has to be booked and that the same policies that are in our contract apply,even if it is a last minute thing.
* Clive: There is a lot of trash outside of shattuck ave, or graffittit paint
Everyone agrees that Angel

* This group needs help:
** https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/commons
** https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/booking

=== Communications ===
Meetings: Second and Fourth Wednesdays at 6pm
*

=== Finance ===
Meetings: Currently conjoined with Fundraising, 2nd & 4th Mondays at 6pm
* Sin Fronteras has countered the lease we offered. They propose $1050/month + utilities, + internet, + taxes for exclusive use of the entrance hall bar and priority use of a portion of the entrance hall from 6am to 6pm; 4 year lease term w/2 renewals; rent increases 3% for first 4 years only; they would not be a member collective. Laura has the link to the lease if someone wants to see it. Will talk to them in the next week, so looking for feedvack. They want to be able to stay here if they make the initial work.
*Steve:Do we know these people and their names?
*Laura gave names
*Gerald: pleased with the higher rent. What is the consequence of them not being a member collective?
*Laura: no representative to the delegates meeting, would not get the perks of being a member collective
*Gerald, how will they communicate with us?
*Laura: can attend the meetings.
*Gerald: what does exclusive of the bar means
*Laura:priority use of the portion of the entrance hall that they would set up as a cafe, probably rrom or some tables
*Gerald - is it a big deal that people use the door.
*Laura, they understand there will be traffic thru the door
*Rachel: are there structural issues (per David in the past)?
*Laura: No need for drain in the trash room, which had been on David's list and they are entirely responsible for getting permits for the work of setting up the care
*Ken: Very in favor of a cafe, but historically has not been able to happen. Could the details of this be posted for all to read?
*Laura, yes
*Sierk: Some Sudo room members have critical questions, not sure whether everyone's concerns have been addressed. There is a meeting next week.
*Laura will send a document to Sierk, Ken to share with collectives
*Siert: When the cafe is here, will there be more measures to monitor people wondering thru the building
*Laura: eyes on people
*Ken: timeline?
*Laura - none

=== Fundraising ===
Meetings: Currently conjoined with Finance,, 2nd & 4th Mondays at 6pm
*
=== Discussion of Poets' House ===
Carol: We're extablishing an east bay poets' house. This has been done in other cities. It s a plce where poets can gather and have readings. It might include a poetry library. We want it to be inclusinve of all different kinds of poetry. We want to break down the barriers int eh fratured poetry community. WE discovered there are a lot of white elders who only want academic poetry styles. We want to have slams, identity poetry form differnt ultures. We has a ricky start becsue anyone who diin't want that pulled out. But the group is growing and we're feeling optimistic. For space, we a place to have poetry readings, like to have our monthly social justice poetry reading. Another idea is to have hisotic readings, wither bringing in retired poets or read poets who are now dead. Young people dont know about them and we have young people in our group now. We also need an office. I can't see us having an actual house becasue of the expense and repsonsiblity for maintenance. We are wondering if we can work out some kind of space arrangement with Omni. We also would like spece for the library. WE're new and still owrking on our mission statement. ONe fo the things I suggested as models are the mission statements of the Omni and TIL. Any questions?
Steve: Did you see a space that you like?
Clive: we didnt see a space we didn't like.
Carol: we have to take this bakc to our members.
CLive: If BAPS likes the idea we could do a class through you. 10 week class, 3 hours on Saturday afternoon.
Gerald: My miind doesn't work in the abstract, but I can see that the library would be a problem becasue it needs to be taken care of. I ned to hear something more specific.
Carol: entrance area good for readings with the raised stage. Disco Room doesn't have accessibility but the entrance hall does and ballroom. We are starting out so maybe small groups will be expected - 20 to 25 people. Would have to get funding for a library. Would need someone staffed. Could get donated books.
*Laura, we cal talk further after the meeting to get more details.
*Helen: are you interested in renting space before becoming a collective?
*Carol: we don't know, will discuss with group.
*Rachel: Remember, we all pay rent.
*Carol: we think the interest is there.

== Member Collective Updates ==
What is going on with your collective? What are you working on? What have you accomplished? Any events coming up? Any difficulties you are encountering that you need help with?

=== ABDC ===
*

=== BAPS ===
* none

=== CCL ===
* We're cleaning
* Ken: and temescal street fair is happening again if we want space.

=== CSC ===
* We're mostly doing art shows. We are probalby doing something with LL at the end of the month. One of our members is hsowing her videos from Mexico. Maing a film and wants feedback.

=== FNB ===
* People's park anniverary is 4/29

===GCEA===
*

=== GWS ===
* We did a packed event here with women from Empower, a sex worker organization from Thailand. They were fantastic and brilliant. We also have been working with the new Poor People's Campaign. It's gaining momentum and they are baout to do 40 days of civil disobedience around the US dealing with poverty, war, racism, environmental discussion.
*Gerald - are any black organizations participating in the bay area.
* Sacramento is very mixed - black, white, latino, native american. I haven't seen this in a long time. It's just coming together in the bay area.

=== LL ===
* Gerald: Next Sunday we're workng with the Mandela food co-op. There is an increasing sense among young balck people that the capitalist system isn't goingt o give them what they need so there is wit them. increasing interest in cooperatives. Mandela food coop id taking over th edollastore building and we are showing a film about food coops. The next week we are showing Mumia: Long Disatnce Revolutionary, mostly to acquaint people who dont know about him as he has another appeal coming up.
* GErald would like a receipt for the donations he gave to the Omni from and event.
* we need to do somethng about th eskylights becasue it's too light ot show films in the summer

=== Sudo ===
* A SUDO room member started a bi-weekly event from 6-11 on Wednesday about electronic music.
*

=== TIL ===
*

== Proposal ==

= Proposal for Officer-Elect Selection Process =
* Placed on the pad 5 April 2018. Laura, Mary Ann, Yar, and Kazoo developed or commented on the process.
* The process was created with the following criteria in mind:
Prevents public critique of people who are nominated. Public critique discourages people from accepting nomination or nominating themselves, and sows discord and conflict.
Incentivises people who become officers-elect to go through with becoming an officer, while at the same time decreasing the chance that someone who can’t handle an officer position would assume that role.
Isn’t too onerous or time-consuming
Is fair to, and supportive of, nominees and officers-elect.
Prevents entrenched power accumulation

* Process proposal doc located here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QKCzL1jCDZWoY8VYrB6tc3kHaASICSqVK41lyIoeNgQ/edit?usp=sharing
* Process:

Purpose of the Officer-Elect Position

Having officers-elect:
enables OC to train future officers to perform the duties of the officer positions, ensuring continuity;
provides support to the officers to carry out important administrative tasks;
builds in redundancy in case an officer cannot continue in their position before their term is up;
provides the opportunity to serve as an officer for people who might be unlikely to take on a position because they feel they lack capacity or necessary skills.

Officer-elect Responsibilities

An officer-elect shadows and assists the serving officer in order to learn the position. By becoming an officer elect, they are committing to serving as the officer at the end of the current officer’s term.

Officer-elect Minimum Qualifications
Already be a member of an OC collective or an active OC volunteer
Be able to work collaboratively
Be reasonably able to commit to time required for the position on a weekly basis for the following 2 years
Be fluent in speaking, reading, and writing English
For treasurer, have basic math skills and basic familiarity with spreadsheets

Officer-elect Selection Process
When there is an open officer-elect position, the Omni Commons board (aka delegates) will publicize the position and ask for nominations. Nomination recruitment will be carried out for a minimum of 2 weeks before the meeting where selection will take place. People may self nominate or nominate others.
After a minimum of 2 weeks recruitment AND when there is at least 1 nominee for each open position, presentation of the officer-elect will be placed on the agenda for a board meeting (aka, delegates assembly).
The process at the presentation meeting is a follows:
A.Each nominee will introduce themself and have an opportunity to state why they would like to serve as an officer-elect and, eventually, officer of Omni Commons.
B. Delegates will have an opportunity to ask informational questions about the nominees’ qualifications and capacity for carrying out the officer role to which they are nominated. Debate about the merits of the different candidates will not be allowed in the meeting or over email.
C. The nominee’s statement, and the questions and answers will be recorded in the notes.
D. Delegates will share this information with their collectives and each collective will discuss and choose which nominee(s) they support. If there is more than one nominee for a position, the collective will decide which nominees are acceptable and which is their first choice. If there is only one nominee, the collective will decide if the nominee is acceptable. The delegate will represent this choice in the selection process which will take place at the next delegates assembly.
4. The selection process at the subsequent meeting is as follows:
A. The meeting facilitator will pass out to each delegate one blank sheet of paper for each open position.
B. For each open position, each delegate will list all their collective’s acceptable choices, and indicate their first choice.
C. The OC President and Secretary will collect the papers and tally the results off to the side of the meeting. Each candidate will receive 1 vote for each time they are listed as “acceptable.” The candidate with the most acceptable votes and at least ⅔ of the quorum present wins. If there is a tie, the nominee with the most first choice votes wins. If there is still a tie, the existing 3 officers will vote between the tied options.
5. At the end of 1 year, existing officers will make a recommendation to the delegates whether each officer elect should assume the officer position. Delegates will vote to confirm the new officer by majority vote. Blocks will not be allowed because this is not a consensus process.

* Laura - I will send this out to the consensus list. Please read it and send me comments or make comments on the Google doc.

=== Discussion ===

== Example Discussion Item ==

== Last Meeting Notes ==
https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Event:2017/MM/DD_Delegates_Meeting

= End of Meeting =
* please archive these meeting notes by copying the entire pad contents onto the omni wiki
* then please erase the contents of this pad
* then please cut & paste a blank template from here: https://omnicommons.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Delegates_Meeting_Notes_Template&action=edit
* previous notes are archived here: https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Meetings

[[Category:Delegates Meeting]]

Event:2018/03/15 Delegates Meeting

2018-03-16T20:11:01Z

Lynnhowe: Created page with "Omni Delegates' Meeting - 15 March 2018 7pm-9pm === Agenda === * Introductions, Meeting Roles, and Delegates Count [10 minutes] * Access Check-in [5 minutes] * Announcements..."

Omni Delegates' Meeting - 15 March 2018 7pm-9pm

=== Agenda ===
* Introductions, Meeting Roles, and Delegates Count [10 minutes]
* Access Check-in [5 minutes]
* Announcements [5 minutes]
* Bans [5 minutes]
* Working Group Report-Backs [15 minutes]
* Member Collective Updates (10 minutes)
* Proposal X: [15 minutes]
* Proposal Y: [15 minutes]
* Discussion Z: [10 minutes]

=== Introductions ===

Introduce yourself: Name; Preferred Pronoun; Affiliation; any brief announcements; say whether you're a delegate; let us know about any access needs you have†

* Julian,
* Sierk, he/they,
* Pol, living in Oakland, looking to use the space, writing about homelessness
* Ken, CCL,
* Joe, FNB, he/him
* Helen, FNB delegate, usually she/her, a little deaf - please talk loudly
* Laura, Commons/Fundraise & Finance, She/her
* Philip MCDonald, FNB,
* Mary Ann

† Is everybody able to participate fully in this meeting? Do people have unmet needs or concerns?

=== Meeting Roles ===
* Facilitator/s: Julian, Joe
* Explanation of hand signals: "deaf applause", "raised hand", "point of process", "direct response"(wildcard), etc.
* Stacktaker: Philip
* Timekeeper: Ken
* Notetaker/s: Julian, Laura
** URL of this pad: https://pad.riseup.net/p/omninom
* Vibe Reader: Joe
* Next meeting's facilitator(s): Helen maybe?

=== Delegates ===
* ABDC: Lindsey
* BAPS: Julian
* CCL: Ken
* CSC: Mary Ann
* FNB: Helen
* GWS: Inactive
* LL:
* Sudo: Sudo
* TIL: Inactive
* GCEA:Almaz - remote
* Quorum: 7/8 - when almaz joins

== New Bans ==
* Julian: After the last meeting Yar and Julian communicated to ZRW that the delegates were not satisfied with the completion of the mediation. We informaed him that he could continue a process if he wanted to. He was unhappy about being jerked around. Julian apologized. [Julian will fill in details]
* Joe - to the best of my recollections Yar told me that ZRW said he was not interested in having any mediation.
* Julian: My impression is that he has gone back and forth.
* Phil: In the brief time he was here again he was screaming and yelling at Gwen. When he left his computer area a mess.
* Joe: Thank you for taking some responsibility for ZRW being jerked around. It isn't the kind of process that I would have like to have had. There were times that were hard for me. We have a lot to deal with but I think we need to have a better way of accepting people back in after being banned.
* Add to list of people [https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Asked_to_Leave asked to leave]

== Working Group Report-Backs ==

=== Building & permits ===
Meetings: 1st & 3rd Mondays @ 6pm
* Joe: IV ebeen talkeing to David K and a window guy about the kitchen windows. Various people in the kitchen working group are getting information to finalize the plans. A plumber came in and told us we have to remove a lot of concrete. We are using Trello to coordinate the tasks.
** As soon as the rain stops we need to check out the roof; a number of leaks
*** Ken and Sierk concurr
** trying to hire of plummer of color
* Laura: Good progress has been made on the wheelchair accessible bathroom.
* Kitchen meeting is this Monday at 5
* This group needs help; https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/building

=== Commons ===
Meetings: First and Third Thursdays at 6pm
* Laura: We have a new document outlining the process for member collectives to have events in common spaces like the ballroom and disco room. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zzmqX0qquZIHy0Vy5M9iGi4RDE_t33pWGUD8JMgYnMo/edit and https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Member_Collective_Procedure_for_Using_Common_Space_for_Events
** Ken - I can be available for responding to urgent
*** Laura -
* This group needs help:
** https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/commons
** https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/booking

=== Communications ===
Meetings: Second and Fourth Wednesdays at 6pm
* Mostly supporting the ktichen campaign. We are cathcing up after letting things drop a little over February.
* The online fundraising has stalled. We have raised baout $17,000 for phase 1. COnsidering using some of the big donations in phase 1 as matching donations in phase 2. Talking about how to publicize the end of phase 1 and move on to the next. Possibly have a public event. Previously suggested ideas were to have a food related event. Grant has food industry friends inc one who does a popup taco thing. Considering doing that with music. Maybe have a series of food popups/music event.
* almaz: GCEA events and participation have help you to raise funds by having black face on your vidio clip.
** jenny: i don't recall a single video clip of a gcea member in the video - tho multiple black folks from fnb, phat beets, and liblens are represented.
* Lindsay - what's up with the phases?
** Philip - explains.
* Joe - so its cool to use the $25K
* Ken - I've had the idea to do promos to show that we're actually doing work. plans, videos of construction. tangibly promoting the work will be a draw. i've got some pictures, i'll share those
* Sierk - I'm working on the drawings and we can use those for publicity, once there is a stamp on the drawings we can start moving. this is a hard phase bc we need to do this initial work to be able to move forward
* Kitchen this meeting is Monday at 5

=== Finance ===
Meetings: Currently conjoined with Fundraising, 2nd & 4th Mondays at 6pm
* Laura - We've continued to do well on our event income - $3.5-6K/month
* Lindsay - can we talk about event rentals after the meeting? I want to better understand the operations of the building

=== Fundraising ===
Meetings: Currently conjoined with Finance,, 2nd & 4th Mondays at 6pm
*

== Member Collective Updates ==
What is going on with your collective? What are you working on? What have you accomplished? Any events coming up? Any difficulties you are encountering that you need help with?

=== ABDC ===
* We are trying to go in a new direction with rent paying member recruitment. We are havng an event in April to bring new people in and teach them to screen print.

=== BAPS ===
* Continues to have 3 classes. DSA marxist reading group, Endnotes reading group, writing group

=== CCL ===
* Last night we had a company bring in a gun that tests for heavy metals in soil. We tested soil samles from around the building and there is some uranium, and some tree wells have lead and some dont. This machine is on loan, but we are going to try to set up some kiind of community soil testing program.
* On Sunday we're having an introduction to fungi cultivation at far west fungi. Price of admission is potluck.

=== CSC ===
* We have dozens of things going on. The Zapatista artwork has gone to La Pena and East Side Arts Alliance. Willhavae receptions.
* Next Waffles and Zapatismo is 3/31 at 10 am, topic is the 1994 uprising.
*Julian: One of the new Comms WG volunteers came to the Omni after having a great time at W & Z.

=== FNB ===
* Helen - we have settled a place for our Sunday kitchen. we've got the 29th of April of People's Park anniversary
** Long Haul's kitchen is the Sunday

===GCEA===
*

=== GWS ===
* Empower Collective event next Wednesday, 3/21 @ 7pm @ omni - Sex Worker collective from Thailand touring the US."Empower Foundation is a sex workers’ collective in Thailand which for 30 years has been promoting rights and opportunities for sex workers, especially access to education, health and legal advocacy. Over the years 50,000 sex workers have passed through their doors including migrant women from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam."
** please come and spread the word! <3

=== LL ===
* Next film screening is April

=== Sudo ===
* Sierk: A few new events and classes have started. On Saturday there are now classes in programming arduinos started by a new member. Also wants to bring to libraries. Working with LL on monthly 3d animation classes. Other people also owant to work more with other collectives.
* Jenny: We received a donation of 85 laptops from a startup in SF that I've been pestering them about for over a year. We're now trying to raise funds for power supplies and hard drives, and have thus far achieved ~half our goal - $2500/5000 - please ping if you/your collective is willing to make a donation. Our fundraiser is on fb but we accept any form of payment: https://www.facebook.com/donate/198111750959829/
** ~ 60 of those 85 laptops have already been allocated to majority youth / POC / low-income / activist / media-makers. pm me if you know of someone in need - we're organizing multiple tradeups as well.

=== TIL ===
*

== Proposal: Endorse Press Release by Village ==
via Jenny 3/14: https://omnicommons.org/pipermail/consensus/2018-March/001233.html
* Joe: many of us have been supporting the village. They have been building housing out of pallets on E 23rd. They're having new discussions about having to leave (and order by the city). They're having a press conference tomorrow. Jenny had asked that we discuss this with our members to see if we can sign on with our members.

=== Discussion ===
* Mary Ann - CSC got approval
* Helen decided that FNB would agree
* Sudo agreed
* Lindsay - I'm not familiar with the details of the proposal
** various people explain both what the Village will do
* Julian - I haven't heard from Steve but I don't at all imagine he would block

=== Implicit vote ===
* we have consensus

== Discussion: on officers-elect ==
* Julian - particants in this discussion have asked that conversation be temporarily removed; I will share the details of the conversation with those present and revise to a summary before the next delegates meeting.

== Discussion: process for people to return from a ban ==
* Mary Ann - I thought I heard Joe express concerns about the process. I was going to suggest that people interested in dealing with the process issue. a person in CSC that does restorative justice in OUSD could be interested in supporting us in following a better process; i'm not committing him.
** people have to want it to work.
* Ken - if we can step outward a little bit. maybe a dedicated delegates meeting for how to deal with bringing people back.
* a process for people who have been banned; how they could be brought back to the Omni community. given that there are doubts about how this has gone, so we want to.
* we're putting that off

== Last Meeting Notes ==
https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Event:2017/MM/DD_Delegates_Meeting

= End of Meeting =
* please archive these meeting notes by copying the entire pad contents onto the omni wiki
* then please erase the contents of this pad
* then please cut & paste a blank template from here: https://omnicommons.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Delegates_Meeting_Notes_Template&action=edit
* previous notes are archived here: https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Meetings

[[Category:Delegates Meeting]]

Event:2018/02/15 Delegates Meeting

2018-02-18T03:07:34Z

Lynnhowe: Created page with "Agenda February 15, 2018 * Introductions, Meeting Roles, and Delegates Count [10 minutes] * Access Check-in [5 minutes] * Announcements [5 minutes] * Bans [5 minutes] * Work..."

Agenda February 15, 2018

* Introductions, Meeting Roles, and Delegates Count [10 minutes]
* Access Check-in [5 minutes]
* Announcements [5 minutes]
* Bans [5 minutes]
* Working Group Report-Backs [15 minutes]
* Member Collective Updates (10 minutes)
* Proposal: Update OOC Bylaws: [15 minutes]
* Proposal: OC Officer-Elects: [15 minutes]
===Introductions===
Introduce yourself: Name; Preferred Pronoun; Affiliation; any brief announcements; say whether you're a delegate; let us know about any access needs you have†
† Is everybody able to participate fully in this meeting? Do people have unmet needs or concerns?
* Julian
* Jan CCl, delegates
* Rachel, GWS, s
* Jane, GWS, she/they
* Robb, he, delegate,
* Maryane,
* Asia, Phat Beets, she/
* Helen, She, FNb Degelate
* Almaz, GCEA, Delegate, she
* Richard - visitor from UC Berkeley, would like to get more involved here & wants to use commons space.
* Emily - met Julian & lives down the street. Would like to be part of this (project)

===Meeting Roles===
* Facilitator/s: Julian
* Explanation of hand signals: "deaf applause", "raised hand", "point of process", "direct response"(wildcard), etc.
* Stacktaker: Asia
* Timekeeper: Rachel
* Notetaker/s: Robb, Julian
** URL of this pad: https://pad.riseup.net/p/omninom
* Vibe Reader: Jane
* Next meeting's facilitator(s):

===Delegates[edit]
* ABDC:
* BAPS: Julian
* CCL:Jan
* CSC: Maryan
* FNB: Helene
* GWS: Rachel
* LL:
* Sudo: robb
* TIL: inactive
* GCEA: Almaz
* Quorum: 6/9 [active? - Phat, delegates]

==Announcements==
* M.A. - CSC- found a few things missing, paintings. and also the cord for the coffee pot
** if anyone knows where the painting or the cord is please let
** aparently the coffee pot was taken out of CSC closet upstairs, but Rachel from GWS couldnt use bc it didnt have the cord. had to have been somebody w/ a key to the room
*** happy to let people use it, but CSC needs it once a month
*** Helen - does there need to be a new lock on the room closet. its up next to the Omni oiffce, in the TIL office. its supposed to be locked all the time.
*** TIL hasn't been asked yet.
** Phat Beets has a ton of catering stuff
* Julian - Auntie Frances is facing eviction. Have valentines to her & her landlord. If you'd like, you can add a message on a valentine. Court Action to support Auntie Frances at 8am on February 21st. Initiative for statewide rent control, please sign if Alameda resident. Border Patrol author coming to Green Apple Books on Monday & East Bay Booksellers...need people to call bookstores in protest.
* Rahcel - on Monday March 19th at 7pm - 4 women from Thailand, working with a sex worker group in Thailian called Empower Founcation , are on tour. a 50,000 strong organization - very well recongnized internationally. coming to the Bay Area, and GWS is having an event at the Omni. https://omnicommons.org/calendar/events/empower-panel-discussion/
* Asia - Aunti Frances calls
* Almaz - 5 women speakers on March 9th 7pm - [calendar link]

== Bans==
Add to list of people asked to leave
* Julian - RW may sign an agreement statement.
* joe Speaking to one of the Seeds mediators they brought up that in one of the mediation sessions RW or someone from his team noted that all regs at omni are not enforced equally or to all people.
** This mediator recommended that Omni may do well to work with either AORTA or Critical resistance to address thi situation.
*** Helen - do people feel that this is true, that there are issues.
** Mary Ann - is it under consideration that we bring in any group that
*** Robb - I can't think of any incidents that would require that
**Richard - what's the grievance process
**Rachel - is there a working group already dealing with it.

==Working Group Report-Backs==

===Building & permits===
Meetings: 1st & 3rd Mondays @ 6pms
* Yar & Julian signed up to find facilitators for the building and working
* Almaz - its important that the group have a facilitator so that new people have a person to connect with
** Robb- the main problem is that people just weren't showing up for 3 in a row. people keep showing up to meet. the email list is still active, but the meetings aren't happening
***its a practical working group, so weirdly
* Almaz -
** Robb - what do you facilitate?
*Jane
**Robb- work party on sunday the 25th at 5pm. electrical
***Almaz - please send an email to let folx know about that.
* This group needs help; https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/building

===Commons===
Meetings: First and Third Thursdays at 6pm
* Almaz - our meeting was on 2/4 & next is on the 25th. Also a meeting on 2/8.
* Helen - a question raised recently about a disruptive event. there was the idea of something being added to the contract to
* Robb - there was an incident at a recent event. if you have alcohol & more than 50 people, maybe you could benefit from more security. nothing decided since.
**February 3rd
***That event also brought into question our "no calling the police". The event organizers were upset that becaoue Omni rep stopped them from making such a call
****one of their attendees was hurt by the problem person. Fortunately when OPD came they were calm and problem person was also calm
* This group needs help:
** https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/commons
** https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/booking

===Communications===
Meetings: Second and Fourth Wednesdays at 6pm
* Richard - connex w/ local radio

===Finance===
Meetings: Currently conjoined with Fundraising, 2nd & 4th Mondays at 6pm
* Mary Ann - none new
* Robb - property tax exemption is going out today. Jenny mailed it out!
* Cafe - bc they are for profit they can't have a representative on their delegates board. if they can't be a member, then how can they use space here freely? there are a great number of questins about
** Jane - police often come into coffee shops & that's a problem
*** Julian - we can have a no cops policy under right to refuse service
****Asia - having worked out cafes, its all about the pressure
*****"we only have civilian coffee"
*****"no donuts that's all"

===Fundraising===
Meetings: Currently conjoined with Finance,, 2nd & 4th Mondays at 6pm
* kitchen still stalled
* List of tasks for plan prep sent to K WG. Needs volunteers.
* Article on K remodel in Hoodline - http://hoodline.com/2018/02/temescal-s-omni-commons-raising-funds-for-commercial-kitchen

== Proposal: Update OOC Bylaws==
*Following up from the proposal at the last meeting in which it was agreed to change the number of OOC board members and how they are selected, https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Event:2018/02/01_Delegates_Meeting
** we can have the lawyer look over it again
* Voting
** Ayes - CCL, GWS, CSC, FNB, GEA, BAPS
** Nayes
** abstain - Sudo

== Proposal: Election of Directors for OOC and Officer-Elect for OC==
* Nominations for President-elect (Kazoo Studios (KLS)), Secretary-elect (Almaz Tesfazghi), and Treasurer-elect (Robert Benson)
* are there any collectives that would
* All in favor of the proposal - GWS, CSC, FNB, GCEA, BAPS
* Consensus w/ right reserved to block - CLC & Sudo, pending

==End of Meeting==
* please archive these meeting notes by copying the entire pad contents onto the omni wiki
* then please erase the contents of this pad
* then please cut & paste a blank template from here: https://omnicommons.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Delegates_Meeting_Notes_Template&action=edit
* previous notes are archived here: https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Calendar

[[Category: Delegates Meeting]]

Event:2018/02/01 Delegates Meeting

2018-02-06T17:30:54Z

Lynnhowe: Created page with " Agenda February 1, 2018 Introductions, Meeting Roles, and Delegates Count [10 minutes] Access Check-in [5 minutes] Announcements [5 minutes] Bans [5 minutes] Working Group Re..."

Agenda February 1, 2018
Introductions, Meeting Roles, and Delegates Count [10 minutes]
Access Check-in [5 minutes]
Announcements [5 minutes]
Bans [5 minutes]
Working Group Report-Backs [10 minutes]
Member Collective Updates (25 minutes)
Proposal X: [15 minutes]
Proposal Y: [15 minutes]
Discussion Z: [10 minutes]
Introductions
Introduce yourself: Name; Preferred Pronoun; Affiliation; any brief announcements; whether you're a delegate; access needs†
* Kazoo, we/she, ABDC, we need new members
* Elon, Food Not Bombs
* Joe, Food Not Bombs
* Mary Ann, CSC
* Laura, she/her, Finance/Fundraising & Commons, no access needs right now
** plz sign the donation appreciation cards that are currently circulating
* Brian, he/him, finance/committee & secretary, no stated access needs
* Sierk, he/him, Sudo
* Yar, She/her, sudo & CDC working group
** bathroom passed insection!
* Maria, she/her, going down w/ OOC ship, no access needs currently,
* Phil Mc, FNB & Kitchen
* Ken, CCL - building wg & kitch & rats,
* Julian, BAPS & Comms,
* remote-jenny, treasurer, sudo, comms / finance / building / occasionally commons
* Almaz

† Is everybody able to participate fully in this meeting? Do people have unmet needs or concerns?
Meeting Roles
Facilitator/s: Kazoo
Explanation of hand signals: "deaf applause", "raised hand", "point of process", "direct response"(wildcard), etc.
Stacktaker: kazoo
Timekeeper: joe
Notetaker/s: Laura, Brian, Julian
URL of this pad: https://pad.riseup.net/p/omninom
Vibe Reader: Brian
Next meeting's facilitator(s):
Delegates
ABDC: kazoo
BAPS: Julian
CCL: Ken
CSC: maryanne
FNB: joe
GWS:
LL: Liz remote
Sudo: Sierk
TIL: inactive
GCEA: almaz
Quorum: 8/9 active collectives - yes
Announcements
ABDC needs new members - send people! (screen printing or work interested people).

New Bans
Statement by the Challenging Dominant Cultures Working Group on Omni’s Mediation with Running Wolf
Running Wolf and a number of Omni Commoners have successfully completed mediation with SEEDs, under Almaz’s Stewardship. Therefore, Running Wolf should be able to return to the Omni. Regarding the matter of what the delegates meeting minutes from December 21st, 2017 refer to as a “written agreement that Running Wolf will sign agreeing to Omni policies,” there is no written agreement and there are currently no plans for there to be one. Running Wolf has verbally agreed to honor Omni policies and has been accepted by BAPS as a member. BAPS is currently in the process of scheduling a meeting with Running Wolf. A review of the relevant assembly notes shows that at no time has it been consensed that for Running Wolf to return that he must sign such a document. We believe that this is an unreasonable request, insofar as, to our knowledge, Commoners have not previously been required to sign a similar agreement, despite the fact that a number have returned after bans. With respect to the fact that this agreement is documented in the December 21st notes, it is our belief that this reflects a misunderstanding. The document Almaz intended to refer to was not one that Running Wolf would have to sign, but a document that SEEDs would sign, certifying the mediation is complete. Participants in the mediation process can also certify this completion. Almaz and Steve state the process was satisfactorily completed, and our working group affirms this. Almaz is in the process of obtaining the signed document.
Joe: "I'm shocked. RW just slashed [someone's] tires"
Yar doesn't know RW and hasn't been involved in mediation
Laura: Paraphrased: Thought that there was a process where delegates agreed that a document would need to be signed, sounds like he has not completed the agreements.
Laura: "if he doesn't sign the thing, I completely oppose RW coming back to Omni"
Julian...my understanding is that if there was an ... "it is my understanding that nobody else has been required to sign a document to finish mediation."
Phil: seems like he wants business as usual, sleeping here til 6 or 7am every day. sounds like that's what he wants. others at omni won't accept that. at mediation people offered to use computers at reasonable time, "not make this your home"
Ken: i think there was consensus that he has to write this. RW is a unique case. the fact we're willing to try mediating with him, is already a lot. I believe that we did have a consensus that he would need to sign a document".
Yar: this is to something that can't be resolved in this meeting.
Julian: Anyone has a right to a mediation process, this is not a unique offer that has been extended to RW.
Yar: Only a right as much as someone is willing to volunteer their time to run a mediation process.
Kazoo: Can't make a decision now. DO we have a process to resolve this?
Joe: I am going to talk to seeds and ask them how they processed this mediation, and give them this information and I will report back.

Working Group Report-Backs

Building & permits
Meetings: 1st & 3rd Mondays @ 6pm
Yar: Alan has volunteered to facilitate two building working group meetings in February. Dates TBD.
This group needs help; https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/building
Laura: We received new green compost cans and they have been distributed throughout the building. Please use plastic bags in all the cans. When emptying compost, dump the compostables into the large green bins in the trash room and throw the plastic bag in the trash. Would people be interested in a staff training on trash sorting and use of the compost cans? There is a free training available. Remember to put a liner in the bag after you empty it. There is a free training available.
Julian: Is there a document with the training information in it?
LAura: Maybe. Will check
Yar: The wheelchair accessible bathroom passed all three inspections this week.
jenny: Need support in initiating the permit process for kitchen. $30K tee'd up in savings. plz reach out to your collectives re: upcoming building & kitchen mtgs (kitchen general meetings are 1st Wednesdays @ 6pm in the basement. Ken and Sierk have have volunteered to help.

Commons
Meetings: First and Third Thursdays at 6pm (this meeting isn't really happening. We're meeting on an ad-hoc basis)
* This group needs help:
** https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/commons
** https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/booking
* elevator pitch here: https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Working_Groups

Communications
Meetings: Second and Fourth Wednesdays at 6pm - note, generally Weds at 6pm, but more regularly sometimes than this (in cooperation w/ kitchen campaign. if you're on the list you get the heads up
* Working on messaging aroung the kitchen fundraising campaign. Trying to have more active communication to publicize the campaign
* kazoo suggests veggie chili cook off
** eems feasible!

Finance
Meetings: Currently conjoined with Fundraising, 2nd & 4th Mondays at 6pm
* laura: idk lol
* Laura: paperwork and filings that need to happen. Wrapping up the books for last year, etc.
* jenny: prop tax exemption app is gonna consist of 141 documents this year >_< will ping commons, need help reaching out to all 2017 renters
** otherwise finances are pretty solid. have savings now for kitchen, moved mortgage payments to the 8th of every month so it's not a crisis every month as most collective payments dont come in until after the 1st (but plz still pay by the 25th!)
* budget request form for folks doing building stuff etc: https://omnicommons.org/budgetrequest

Fundraising
Meetings: Currently conjoined with Finance,, 2nd & 4th Mondays at 6pm
* see above

Member Collective Updates
What is going on with your collective? What are you working on? What have you accomplished? Any events coming up? Any difficulties you are encountering that you need help with?
ABDC -
Kazoo: ON Saturday we will be completely out of our SF studio. We only have 3 people paying rent so Kazoo is paying the balance. We need 5 more members to make an even split. We are actively looking for people to get invovled. People who are targeted by oppression.
Almaz: I have talked to a few people who are interested. OUr kids benefit a lot fromm having ABDC here.
Kazoo: one thought, what if we switched ABCD to be like a "public utility" that everyone used? People could use the equipment after training.
abdc pays omni $450/mo. they ask $50/mo to be a member but right now kazoo is paying $350/mo and two others $100/mo.
Almaz: It could be open to the public that would pay fees to use it or for training.
Laura - media center idea for the idea, what if this was wrapped up into that?
Ken - why that amount (?) / target number of members. We have had a lot of discussions about this kind of issue in CCL.
potentially recruit more BAAM people & CCL to cross connect w/ ABDC
* Jenny - this should be discussed w/ finance - we often make arrangements out of band of delegates meetings. still issue of rentable room and significant loss of omni monthly income (still under target) - maybe other ways to raise funds eg donation-based used of equipment, was considering this for potential basement medialab. (btw y'all should check out the basement, some of us have been working hard at cleaning it up)
** jenny: re: cost of ticket booth room, because private room that is only accessible private meeting space available (ground floor, window, widened doorway, locked, etc) - which is wheel chair accessible
** Kazoo - one member of the collective has wheelchair access needs. losing that access not cool
**Yar: we are trying to put in a wheelchair lift on the stairs to the basement as part of the kitchen project
*** another idea - might be for abdc to steward renting out the space on occasion for small groups w/ access needs, doing some outreach on that front - cool.
* moving on
BAPS
* Have a new class.. Now known to the Democratic Socialists now boooking classes here.!! The "Marx was Right" reading group will be here periodically.
CCL
* Ken: We had BAAM mushroom foray Last weekend we had 45 members of the public show to collect some shrooms w/ us. New folks joined us. We are making several food products we are making in the lab that we are looking forward to using the kitchen for - mycelium protein. WE want to make an sell it through the omni.
* mushroom tempeh. hipster sensation.
* Continuing insulin project. Working on unpatented version of human insulin.
* Real Vegan Cheese: GE so that you can have real cheese, without there being actual animal product involved.
* CCL rated as CDC Type 1 lab.
CSC
* MaryAnn: We jsut finished a long phase of activity and I thought we were going to have a rest. We are going to continue the Affles and Zapatismo on the last Saturday of the month 10-12 and then a meeting for anyone who wants to join the collective.
FNB
* Joe: asked to join berkeley food network - offered warehouse space which will be vacant until knocked down for housing. like a small branch of alameda county food bank
* waiting for kitchen to happen

GCEA
* Almaz: We are working on grants. We stopped our younger kids afterschool program becasue we don't have enought volunteers. Still serving the older kids.
* african health table - african community convening. will happen every month
* looking for tutors/volunteers for younger kids after school. parents need it but not enough people doing it
GWS
Rachel is absent tonight because of planning meetings for International Women's Day on March 8th. She sends her regards <3
go GWS & March 8th!!!!

LL
*Next film night is Feb 24th, screening “YOU A NOMAD” directed & produced by our former member Shirah Dedman. She and Khafre Jay from Hip Hop 4 Change will attend the Q&A afterwards.
*Anka, Dennis and Robb (with help from Jenny) have been working on a grant to put on the next short film festival
Sudo
*Memorial for Rick Simon, one of the cofounders of the BACE Timebank which has been a sister project since the old space, on Feb 10th from 3-6pm in the entrance hall
*Build Your Own Internet office hours now every Sunday afternoon from 1-2pm if you're interested in learning more and getting involved with the People's Open Network

TIL
* Laura: TIL is going to meet with the Poets who came to a delegates/orientation.
**

= discussion - cafe? =
* laura drafting lease
* we can't rent to a for profit org at a less than market rate, says our lawyer. calculated this reasonably; communicated the rent amount & sent this too them.
* we had been asking for $1k/mo and now laura raised that to $1270. they "weren't completely opposed"
* yar thinks it would be best to keep it at $1k/mo. markets are nonsense. good luck getting anybody else to rent the space for that much under the same conditions. they already agreed to 1k and frankly this agreement is way better and more crucial for omni than it is for them.

= Proposal =
Following up from the proposal at the last meeting in which it was agreed to change the number of OOC board members and how they are selected, Laura has edited the OOC bylaws. The proposed new bylaws are here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lvXpZDX6caHvuBJg9yTKxOSzqOKN_yj385TXdUaNEJU/edit?usp=sharing
* The agreed upon changes are that the board would consist of only 3 people and they would be elected by the OC board (delegates).
* This proposal is to approve the specific changes, which are highlighted in red in Article 3, Sections 1 and 4.
Consensus:
* YES: kazoo (ABDC) julian (BAPS) ken (CCL) maryanne (CSC) Joe(fnb) almaz (GCEA), Liz (LL),
* Stand aside: none
* Blox: Jenny & Yar (sudo) on grounds that it needs to be run by our lawyer Jesse first. Concerns that some of the language might raise flags for IRS.
* other folks are okay postponing another 2 weeks

= Election of Directors for OOC and Officer-Elect for OC =

*Nominations for President (Phil), Secretary (Maria Tostado), and Treasurer (Jose Plascencia) of Omni Oakland Commons
** Jenny asked Jose, they haven't caught up directly but via phone-tag he said he was willing to remain Treasurer of OOC if it just involved a placeholder role.
** jnny: Phil for president! ...who is Elon?? A fnb member, he stands aside
*Vote by secret ballot: 6 yes, 1 abstain.

*Nominations for President-elect (Kazoo Studios (KLS)), Secretary-elect (Almaz Tesfazghi), and Treasurer-elect (Robert Benson)
of Omni Commons
** jnny: nominates kazoo tho hasn't mentioned this prior to this mtg. mebbe liz? also i think melissa expressed interest @ last meeting, will ping her.
*** nominates for what? president? ja, and liz or melissa for secretary
* yar: this feels half baked. bring it back to the delegates when it's fully baked.
* isn't this agenda item for nominations? are there any other nominations? i'm assuming we consense @ next meeting or the one after
** if that's true, great. seems like it's run its course at this meeting either way.
*** haven't seen notes for awhile so not sure what that means. just trying to make strides forward on it..
*** there's a bunch of hand-wavey election engineering going on right now which doesn't make sense to me
ah..
* Decision: We will take another another 2 weeks to solicit more nominations.

= Proposal to approve the OC 2018 Budget =
*New OC Delegates Approve/Disapprove the budget for 2018==
Budget is here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1rvkMc5lmd8PovoViNLdvlrv0tSyvrH7iB0SmGqaFec8/edit#gid=646767419

YES: melissa (sudo), ken (ccl), mary ann (csc), Kazoo (abdc), Almaz (gcea), Helen/Joe (fnb)
Abstain: , Julian (baps), Liz (liblens)

https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Event:2017/MM/DD_Delegates_Meeting
End of Meeting
please archive these meeting notes by copying the entire pad contents onto the omni wiki
then please erase the contents of this pad
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Event:2018/01/18 Delegates Meeting

2018-01-19T20:57:37Z

Lynnhowe: Created page with "Annual Board Meeting of Omni Commons and Omni Oakland COmmons- 18 January 2018 7pm-9pm === Agenda === * Introductions, Meeting Roles, and Delegates Count [10 minutes] * Acc..."

Annual Board Meeting of Omni Commons and Omni Oakland COmmons- 18 January 2018 7pm-9pm

=== Agenda ===
* Introductions, Meeting Roles, and Delegates Count [10 minutes]
* Access Check-in [5 minutes]
* Announcements [5 minutes]
* Bans [5 minutes]
* Working Group Report-Backs [15 minutes]
* Proposal: Amend the bylaws of Omni Oakland Commons
* Proposal: Member Collective Updates and Designation of 2018 Board Member
* Proposal: Officers for 2018/2019
* Discussion: Officer-Elects for 2018/2019 [10 minutes]
* Proposal: 2018 Omni Budget Approval [15 minutes]

=== Introductions ===
Introduce yourself: Name, Preferred Pronoun, Affiliation
* Jenny (she, SUDO, many WGs);
* Liz (she) & Liberate Lens
* Julian, BAPS, CDC & Comms WG
* Mary Ann, Chiapas Support Committee & Fundraising WG
* Ken, CCL, They
* Laura - Finance&Fundraising and Commons WG (she)
* Brian - Treasurer, Finance WG
* Troy/Praxus - Library
* Marcus - he/him, WGs, ABDC
* Yar - she/her, SUDO, Building WG
* Maria she/her going down with the old OOC ship
* Phil, FNB
* Melissa Crow she/her sudoroom, new "hi"
* Helen, FNB, she/her
* Kazoo, we/they, ABDC, remote
* Lynn remote,she/her, Commons WG, president
=== Meeting Roles ===
* Facilitator/s: Jenny (begin) / Yar (continue/conclude)
* Explanation of hand signals: "deaf applause", "raised hand", "point of process", "direct response"(wildcard), etc.
* Stacktaker:Julian
* Timekeeper: Maria
* Notetaker/s: yar marcus laura jenny
** URL of this pad: https://pad.riseup.net/p/omninom
* Vibe Reader: Marcus
* Next meeting's facilitator(s): Thu Feb 1, no takers yet Kazoo can be Feb 1st Facilitator

=== Delegates Present===
* ABDC: Kazoo (on the pad)
* BAPS: Julian
* CCL: Ken
* CSC: Mary Ann
* FNB: Helen
* GWS: Rachel out of town
* LL: Liz
* Sudo: Melissa
* TIL: N/A Inactive
* GCEA: almaz was here last week but not this week?
* Quorum: 9/10 active - yes

== Access Check-In ==
Is everybody able to participate fully in this meeting? Do people have unmet needs or concerns regarding their participation?
* Julian - think it should be part of the intros, so no one feels put on the spot to declare their access needs
* Yar will change on the wiki template
* Helen - I dont hear well and have problems hearing in this meeting, so I need people to speak loudly.
* Mary Ann and Troy also have problems hearing and would like everyone to speak loudly
* Yar suggests moving moveable walls around the table, and it is done.

== Brief Announcements ==
* Marcus: Unfortunately I am moving as of February. This Saturday (1/20) I am having a yardsale/giveaway 10am - 6pm. 4529 MLK Jr Way.
* Jenny: SudoMesh having a Build Your Own Internet Workshop next saturday (1/27 2-5pm). Newbie friendly, hands on and talks.
** Also, Internet Archive has confirmed that they will gvie the mesh *gigabits* of bandwidth.
* Mary Ann: Waffles & Zapatismo on the 27th 10am-1pm (before the BYOI workshop) - report from the people who went down to the Zapatista Science festival

== New Bans/Mediation Follow up ==
* Phil: Status of ZRW mediation?
** yar: in-process, people are working on it
*** julian: pending signing from SEEDS that mediation has been completed, BAPS intends to make ZRW a member
**** laura: my recollection was we're waiting for a signed agreement to be approved
***** yar: we could put this as a separate discussion item or follow up at the next meeting
****** melissa: how do you get banned? [others re: complex topic]
* troy: lots of books on mediation in the library
* Add to list of people [https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Asked_to_Leave asked to leave]

== Working Group Report-Backs ==

=== Building & permits ===
Meetings: 1st & 3rd Mondays @ 6pm
* This group needs help; https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/building
* Yar: The plumber is coming Thursday. Water will be turned off from 10am-when plumber is done.
* Laura: Got a bunch of free green bins - some are huge & best for new kitchen, but also some smaller ones. Would like to have a much clearer trash sorting system so it's obvious what goes where. Need help getting rid of unnecessary bins, marking existing bins better
** Troy - will help with this(?)
* Julian - Omni Cleaning Day is this Saturday - I'm bottomlining. Come join us! 12-3pm - come clean the Omni
* Meetings haven't been happening. Jenny can't facilitate/convene anymore. Need these to start kitchen permit and demolition process
** Yar and Julian will have a conversation about finding a facilitor/convener.
* kitchen meets first wednesdays, but this month we might do next wednesday also. otherwise we split into building, comms and events

=== Commons ===
Meetings: First and Third Thursdays at 6pm
* This group needs help: ** https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/commons
** https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/booking
* everything's running smoothly except need more help
* maria is joining
* We need to file our property tx exemption documentation in February. We need to submit proof of status for every non-profit entity who used the space in February - jenny needs help reaching out to people who've used omni
** https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1huC-3Im1P6B3Qaz9F7dBdbQPlnw-uTDjsJvI2CrGn98/edit#gid=699658179

=== Communications ===
Meetings: Second and Fourth Wednesdays at 6pm
* Julian - another person came to the orientation - may become a BAPS member, poetry class
** Events calendar still getting many opens
* new member ^_^ someone who loves spreadsheets is helping with a communications strategy and timeline for the fundraiser

=== Finance ===
Meetings: Currently conjoined with Fundraising, 2nd & 4th Mondays at 6pm
* we have to approve the budget later. nothing to announce

=== Fundraising ===
Meetings: Currently conjoined with Finance,, 2nd & 4th Mondays at 6pm
* brewster kahle gave us $10k, woo!
** for phase two? For anything
** We might use it as a matching donation for phase 2 of the kitchen fundraiser
* phase 1 is currently at 49% - ~$11k
* generousity - hard to find it by searching, not currently on front page
* can find it at omnicommons.org/kitchen

== Member Collective Updates and Designation of 2018 Board Member==
What is going on with your collective? What are you working on? What have you accomplished? Any events coming up? Any difficulties you are encountering that you need help with?

=== ABDC ===
* Kazoo (KLS) will continue to be the designated board member, and will be able to be much more present this year.
** yay!

=== BAPS ===
* no new updates. groups still meeting, pretty well attended
* Julian will continue as the board member for antoher term.

=== CCL ===
* lots of new classes, esp mushrooms - plant tissue class; revamping of Real Vegan Cheese project; Insulin project progressing; talk that RVC will be getting serious funding
* Ken will be on board for another term

=== CSC ===
* Mary Ann: in addition to waffles events restarting, we are working at going to Chiapas for a womens events, and are organizing a couple of art shows
* Mary Ann will be board member; Alicia & Jose will be alternate

=== FNB ===
* Helen: Nothing new to report, busy with same old stuff
* Joe's delegate, Helen's alternate. Phil maybe idk

===GCEA===
* Almaz is the designated board member

=== GWS ===
* Rachel West has been designated the new board member. She is unable to attend the meeting tonight.

=== LL ===
* Liz: first film night of 2018 is jan 28, ciutat morta
* haven't chosen board member yet. currently dragon

=== Sudo ===
* melissa is new delegate; lots of alternates
* Melissa fixed the lazer cutter; Sudo got a book scanner
* recently cleaned, fixed laser cutter

=== TIL ===
* Currently Joel, they're not here

==Proposal to Amend the bylaws of Omni Oakland Commons==
* Brought by Laura
* In order to streamline the function of OOC, reduce the work being done by OC officers/delegates, and eliminate any chance of the IRS questionning if OC and OOC are "related organizations," I propose that the board structure and method selection of officers be changed in the bylaws to the following:
**- The board will consist of the minimum legal requirement: a 3 member board consisting of a President, as Secretary, and a Treasurer who will serve 2 year terms.
**- Those officers will not sit on the OC board
**- The OOC Officers/board will be consensed upon by all OC delegates after conferring with their collectives.
* If this is agreed upon, we can choose the new board members at the next meeting

Jesse's comments on this idea: In 2016 before OC purchased the building, I looked carefully into the risk of whether OC and OOC would be characterized as related organizations and concluded that they would not. The critical period for that determination was at the time of the transfer. Anything that you do now - long after the transaction - is not relevant to the questions of whether or not the two were related organizations at close of escrow.

If you want to amend the bylaws of OOC for reasons of simplicity of operation or other reasons, I think that is fine. There are specific reasons for the composition of the OC board, but at least based on my understanding of how OOC is currently functioning, those reasons do not apply to OOC.

=== Discussion ===
* Laura: Just keeping OOC dormant w/ minimum # of officers/board members. Keep the board completely separate board members.
* Ken - due to Trump Admin, CA orgs may be under greater IRS scrutiny as a Sanctuary State
** Laura - OOC officers will have little work
* Melissa - registered address?
** Laura/Yar - shouldnt be an issue that its the same
* Helen - does OOC have any assetts?
** Laura - no, just a small bank account
* Melissa - if the money used to buy building never was touched by OOC, then the IRS shouldnt see any issue
* Julian - the "alternates" aren't an official role, so could some of them be
* Ken - I'll find some folx
* Maria - yes, i'll be Secretary
* Ken - I can find a president (which is powerless)
* Jenny - Jose will stay the treasurer, not on OC board
* Current OOC Board - Julian, Ken, Joe, Dragon, Jenny, Joel, MaryAnne, Kazoo, Almaz, Lori.
** Officers: Jenny (Sec), Lynn (pres), Jose (treasurer)
* OC: almost exactly the same except Brian instead of Jose
* Kazoo: from the notes its a little hard to understand what the risk would be of making the switch as proposed. ABDC can defer to Marcus's decision if he's willing. Thanks M Thank you!

=== Consenso ===
* YES: melissa, liz, julian, maryanne,. ken, helen, almaz, marcus (abdc)
* no abstains
* it passes - but we still need to come back in 2 weeks with actual names of new officers

== OC Officer Elections ==
* To approve Lynn Howe as President for a term of 1 year
* To approve Jennifer Ryan as Secretary for a term of 1 year
* To approve Brian Feraru as Treasurer for a term of 1 year

=== Discussion ===
* Jenny & Brian are swapping - Brian will be secretary and Jenny will be treasurer
** Discussion of whether we can consenso wrt a last-minute change
* Jenny: Only instances in which I recall a specific officer being required as signatory is 1) Secretary for Board Resolutions and 2) Lynn (President) on a doc related to building purchase
* YES: melissa liz julian maryann ken helen almaz kazoo
* yar: "i guess it happened"

== OC Officers-Elect ==
* Are there any nominations for officers-elect at this time?
* Omni Officer Duties: https://docs.google.com/document/d/18qTUgFjRM_76C0oi3x_3QTU4tjtXyY8jEmVh-3GIqks/edit#
* Melissa is interested generally, but unsure for what
* Almaz is interested in secretary, will ask other GCEA members
* Point of officers-elect is 1) to give a new officer time to ease into the position and 2) to give the current officer a helper!

=== Discussion ===

==New OC Delegates Approve/Disapprove the budget for 2018==
Budget is here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1rvkMc5lmd8PovoViNLdvlrv0tSyvrH7iB0SmGqaFec8/edit#gid=646767419

=== Discussion ===
* YES: melissa, ken, mary ann
* Abstain: Helen, Julian, Liz, Almaz, Kazoo
* waiting on ABDC, sorry.. reviewing the spreadsheet. I don't know what changes are from last year. I'm going to abstain on the part of ABDC becasue we haven't reviewed.
Signing off, I'm guessing we are done.

== Last Meeting Notes ==
https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Event:2017/01/04_Delegates_Meeting

= End of Meeting =
* please archive these meeting notes by copying the entire pad contents onto the omni wiki * then please erase the contents of this pad
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* previous notes are archived here: https://omnicom

Event:2018/01/04 Delegates Meeting

2018-01-05T20:32:44Z

Lynnhowe: Created page with "Omni Delegates' Meeting - 4 January 2018 7pm-9pm === Agenda === * Introductions, Meeting Roles, and Delegates Count [10 minutes] * Announcements [5 minutes] * Bans [5 minu..."

Omni Delegates' Meeting - 4 January 2018 7pm-9pm

=== Agenda ===
* Introductions, Meeting Roles, and Delegates Count [10 minutes]
* Announcements [5 minutes]
* Bans [5 minutes]
* Working Group Report-Backs [15 minutes]
* Member Collective Updates (10 minutes)
* Proposal: Sin Fronteras Cafe [20 minutes]
* Proposal: Annual Board Meetings for OC and OOC [5 minutes]
* Discussion: Check-in on Village Interim Space Use Proposal [5 minutes]
* Discussion: Library [5 minutes]
* Freezer

=== Introductions ===
Introduce yourself: Name; Preferred Pronoun; Affiliation
* Julian/J BAPS, Troy/yo Library, Robb/he Sudo, Ken/ CCL, Alicia/CSC, Maryann/CSC, Rachel/sheher]GWS, Jenny/sudo/finance/building/comms, David/building, laura - late and remote

=== Meeting Roles ===
* Facilitator/s: Julian
* Explanation of hand signals: "deaf applause", "raised hand", "point of process", "direct response"(wildcard), etc.
* Stacktaker: phil
* Timekeeper: Troy
* Notetaker/s: jenny, dk, robb
** URL of this pad: https://pad.riseup.net/p/omninom
* Vibe Reader: Robb
* Next meeting's facilitator(s): Troy

=== Delegates ===
* ABDC: active
* BAPS: Julian
* CCL: Ken
* CSC: Mary Ann
* FNB: Joe (remote), Phil
* GWS: Rachel
* LL: inactive
* Sudo: robb
* TIL: inactive
* GCEA: not present
* Quorum: 6/8

== Announcements ==
* 2 weeks into kitchen fundraising crowdfunding campaign. more info on wiki (search for 'kitchen').
* 5 new people at the orientation tonight
* potluck at 6pm for folx?!
* Rachel won't be able to attend in two weeks. Rachel will be the delegate but won't be able to join.
** Jenny - you can weigh in in advance of the meeting
* Troy - possible security risk - cops just hanging out every night across the street
** Ken - BID had breakins during the day

== Bans ==
* Phil - no new bans, but concerning late last week. report back on mediation at the next Delegates assemby
* Troy asks about Kwik - DK speaks a bit to the lengthy mediation process that lapsed
** phil: calls himself Bob also, claims to work with FNB Sounds like Kwickness who is no longer FNB
* Add to list of people [https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Asked_to_Leave asked to leave]

== Working Group Report-Backs ==

=== Building & permits ===
Meetings: 1st & 3rd Mondays @ 6pm
* nothing to report at this time. get the report from the chalkboard
* Robb - seems like the like the roof was successfully patched
* This group needs help; https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/building

=== Commons ===
* Meetings: Second and Fourth Thursdays at 6pm
* Jenny - $3250 from events last month. our goals is 4-5K a month, which usually is successful in the past
** recently revised our event price listings. upped the weekend amount from $500 to $1k, still sliding scale though.
** trying to make our processes, including event permits, more streamlined
* This group needs help:
** https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/commons
** https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/booking

=== Communications ===
Meetings: Second and Fourth Wednesdays at 6pm
* weekly calendar emails have now been going out weekly
* we have a new Comms WG member, Evelyn, who joined after attending a Waffles and Zapatismo.

=== Finance ===
Meetings: Currently conjoined with Fundraising, 2nd & 4th Mondays at 6pm *
* requested that collectives pay rent by the 25th of the month to prevent we bottom out at that time of the month.
* mortgage recurring payments was changed to the 8th, that way it gives us an extra week.
* in 2017 made on average about -1600 a month. we didn't to too strong from grants in 2017.
* PG&E went down ~$500

=== Fundraising ===
Meetings: Currently conjoined with Finance, 2nd & 4th Mondays at 6pm
* Jenny - been researching bitcoin & other funding sources
* Laura's been talking to the Peace & Development Fund
* bring in new fundraising ideas! next meeting is Monday @ 6pm!

== Member Collective Updates ==
What is going on with your collective? What are you working on? What have you accomplished? Any events coming up? Any difficulties you are encountering that you need help with?

=== ABDC ===
*

=== BAPS ===
*

=== CCL ===
*

=== CSC ===
*

=== FNB ===
*

===GCEA===
*

=== GWS ===
*

=== LL ===
*

=== Sudo ===
*

=== TIL ===
*

== Proposal: Sin Fronteras Cafe ==
* via Laura on behalf of Sin Fronteras, 12/19/17, discussed at the 12/21 Delegates meeting: https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Event:2017/12/21_Delegates_Meeting#Proposal:_Sin_Fronteras_Cafe

=== Discussion ===
* Comment re: cafe (dk): I wanted to make sure that all Omninoms and the Cafe principals realize that for any Health permit to be issued for the cafe (required before coffee can be slung), that per the Alameda County Dept of Health site inspection of Omni, substantial(-ish) renovations will need to happen in both the Trash room and the entrance hall bathroom, not to mention the primary cafe area in the entrance hall. The potential cost and timeline of these building upgrades, and who will pay for them should be clear to all parties. The renovations are inclusive of the following:
** Trash room:
*** Sewer line and water need to be plumbed into trash room
*** Floor drain
*** Active ventilation to exterior
*** Floor tile & tile up to 4' on wall surfaces
*** Potential slope added to floor towards floor drain
*** Bulding & Health permits for this work
** Entrance Hall Bathroom:
*** Completion of bathroom improvements (active permits & AMR already pulled)
** In either the Trash rm or Bathroom:
*** A Mop sink will need to be installed either in the bathroom or in the bathroom
** In addition, employee lockers as req'd by county health will have to be installed somewhere.
** These costs are in addition to the improvements required to bring the Cafe service area up to code.
** Do the cafe folks have any floorplans for the planned improvements to the cafe?
** Has a proposed lease itself yet been drafted for the Cafe? Should this be included in the proposal?
* David - this should be included in a lease.
* Joe: Plumbing in trash room seems like a fatal blow to SinFronteras.
** Folx: what's the context for this assumption Joe?
** David - presumably they may have an awareness of this given they've already opened a restaurant
*** The effects to PB & that this may be an eventuality has been previously communicated for
* David - everyone would benefit from improvements to the trashroom
* Ken - what about more trash?
** David - they may require more frequent service
* Jenny - Sudo has suggested that at the end of each 2-year lease period, that finances be transparently reported and next 2-year lease rental amount reassessed (not arbitrarily but based on some material standard that could be previously discussed and held into control by the regular delegates assembly consensus)
** Robb - its about half of fair market value for the renting, and its for profit
** Jenny - also they aren't necessarily familiar with our habits around the entrance hall
* My comment was based on the cost of that plumbing work. Yes one would expect S F to know about these requirements. Are any of the at the meeting? no
** as long as it's all contained won't get much hassle. added benefit of increased trash services for commercial waste areas.
* David - note, we are required to eventually open the original doors.
** Joe - Do you mean the bricked up doors on 48 st?
*** [Julian: the ones in the entrance hall but bricked up, yes]
* ken: right now, what is the status?
** robb: we could agree on it, but still issues that remain to be solved
***ken: what are those issues:
**** financial transparency, trash room, mop sink
* Joe We also need agreeements about renting the entry hall when the cafe is operating.
** Robb - its my recollection that they are fully in accordiance with the Commons WG being in control of the entry hall, and they offered to work on the commons WG.
* Laura: AT the last meeting, Abad said they are willing to make quarterly fianancial reports; also they have no problem with the entrance hall being used for events and the funds going to the Omni if they are outside events. Yes to what Robb says above.
** awesome, need to put those into the agreement. also re: joe's point that the entrance hall event rentals be stewarded by the cafe folks Vis-a-Vis the Commons WG (which they participate thru)
* Rachel - its crucial they know about David's points before they come to a decision
* Laura: Are all of those things related to construction included in the inspection reports and plan in the Agua Viva info Jenny gave them?
** Jenny - I don't remember
* Joe - Just a small thing but needs to be recognized that being if the renters of entry hall want to do food or coffee . . .say for early morning events. I meant if renters of entry want to have their own coffee or food. Just something to note in lease.
* robb: not part of Omni's mission to make private people money - should they be allowed to book commons space for free for private interests?
Laura: SOrry, I'm not understanding this either. WHat are you specifically concerned about RObb?
* Laura: They want to have events in the entrance hall but they wont be charging for them. They have events at Akat now and they want to bring that community in to the Omni.
* Laura: I also urge people to talk to Jose and Abad directly and to invite them to your collective meetings
** Julian: all agree that makes sense.

== Proposal: Annual Board Meetings for OC and OOC (5 mins) ==
* via Laura 12/29:
"We are due to have our official annual board meetings for both Omni
Commons and Omni Oakland Commons. After discussion among the officers
and finance working group, the third Thursday in January seems like the
best date. At that meeting we need to accomplish a few things.
*1.* All collectives need to name their official OC delegate for the
year. Please choose someone before the annual meeting. It can be the
same person or a new person. The role of the delegate is to serve on the
Board of Omni Commons; attend the board/delegates meetings; and be a
communication liaison between the board and their collective - making
sure that issues and proposals that come before the board are discussed
at collective meetings, and communicating the consensus or concerns of
collective members to the board.
*2.* The board must choose officers for another year term - a president,
a secretary, and a treasurer. The current officers - Lynn, President;
Jenny, Secretary; Brian, Treasurer - have agreed to serve another term
if no one else wants to step up. These positions, especially the
secretary and treasurer have a significant amount of responsibility and
work involved.
I would like to propose that we approve the same three for another term,
and also choose three people to serve as president-, secretary- and
treasurer-ELECT. The new directors-elect would be mentored and trained
by the current officers for the coming year and would then assume the
positions next year.
Before the annual meeting, please think about who might be a good choice
to be an officer or officer-elect (maybe yourself!) and ask them if they
would be willing to be nominated. Let me and Lynn know before the meeting.
*3.* The new delegates should approve the OC 2018 budget. The draft is
here.
<https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1rvkMc5lmd8PovoViNLdvlrv0tSyvrH7iB0SmGqaFec8/edit?usp=sharing>
*4.* We also need to deal with the board and officers for OOC. This was
also discussed at the Finance meeting with the Secretary and Treasurer.
At Jesse's recommendation, we are keeping OOC dormant for 4 years so
that it will have a clean tax slate to be able to be used for another
purpose/by another group.

Right now the OC and OOC boards are the same or mostly the same. This
may cause some complications with the IRS if it considers them to be
related organizations. We need to run this by Jesse, but it might be
best to modify the OOC bylaws about the board and officers to only
consist of the three mandatory officers. If we do that at the meeting,
we will then need to choose 3 new officers who are different than the OC
officers and board members."

===Discussion===
* Laura: Really the only actual proposals here are the officer-elect thing and the change in the OOC board thing
* Jenny summarizes the agenda of the board meeting
* no questions/concerns
*Laura: Is there anyone there who might want to be an officer-elect or who knows someone they would like to nominate?
** Ken - we should have the duties publicly posted for people to review

== Discussion: Check-in on Village Interim Space Use Proposal ==
* https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Event:2017/12/21_Delegates_Meeting#The_Village_Interim_Space_Use_Proposal
* Jenny: Bins seem to be in a good spot. Starting to rearrange the office a bit, been working in there occasionally with Needa and Bobby and seems to be a harmonious fit.
* no one seems to have any objections or questions, seems like consenso
* jenny: tertiary note that there are at least 3 other significant space issues in the basement we should be addressing if folks have concerns about the village corner...

== Discussion: Freezer in the Basement ==
* via Phil: Major hazard, creates sparks when plugged in, could
* robb: initially let's cut the power cord off entirely so no one can plug it in. then just give ed a call, he'll almost definitely be down to help haul it out.

== Discussion: Library ==
via Troy:
* Troy - I've been working on systematizing the library books
** Jenny - what happened to Diamond Dave?
* Robb - a library work party? announce one
** Troy - that's a great idea.
* Robb - we have a a book scanner in Sudo via someone, maybe one of the Dannys.
** Jenny, Ken - there is one at noisebridge he set up that he used last week :D
* Phil - what's the procedure for taking the books out?
** Troy - I have a notebook tracking it. seems like for the most part just borrow & return. h
** Jenny - honor system seems to work pretty well.
* Robb - what's a good place for the book scanner? media center in the basement
** Troy & others - agree
* Troy will announce a library workparty!

= Action Items =
* Jenny ping Sin Fronteras re: CCL / Sudo conversation.
** Laura: I put Jose and Abad in touch with Patrik, Maureen, Leticia, Teresa from CCL to set up a meeting, communicate directly
* Laura will help Jenny and Brian get together to write up Officer duties

== Last Meeting Notes ==
https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Event:2017/12/21_Delegates_Meeting

= End of Meeting =
* please archive these meeting notes by copying the entire pad contents onto the omni wiki
* then please erase the contents of this pad
* then please cut & paste a blank template from here: https://omnicommons.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Delegates_Meeting_Notes_Template&action=edit
* previous notes are archived here: https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Meetings