Event:2014/10/23 Weekly Delegate's Meeting

• Facilitators: Alexandria + Steven
• Stack: Kevin
• Timekeeper: Mary
• Notes: Ben (sorry)
• Vibe Reader: Mia
• Next weeks facilitators: Mary

Intros

intro Q: age you lost your virginity or wish you had

People were introduced.

Announcements

• Kevin is thinking of creating an orphan's thanksgiving at omni for omni folks. contact him for details
• The garbage cans have moved to the old kitchen hallway, garbage at omni is really gross, we need to do something to ensure it doesn't keep being so awful
• Mia mentions that Niki and David spent a weekend cleaning bathrooms and we need a way to keep the space clean and divide the work. we intend to talk about it later in the meeting
• Movie Night (+ discussion) Tomorrow! The Internet's Own Boy with a discussion afterward about Aaron Schwartz, the term "Hacker", etc. popcorn and tea, byob drinks, snacks, etc. To end the night on a light note, second screening will be Hackers (1995). The first title starts around 7:15 and will be held down in the basment, where the Omni general meetings take place (pews).
• Steven mentions that the group Qilombo needs help with fundraising by tomorrow. He emailed about this:
  • "All those who have experienced the common dream of the Omni Commons, please consider donating to Qilombo Oakland, a radical social space facing financial difficulties and closure. They're making a call to raise money to keep their space open, which is directed primarily by and for black and brown folks. They'd like to especially ask the white community and those people who come from privileged backgrounds, who have moved to Oakland, to stand in solidarity with their struggle to work against the displacement of their community and social space, which is a result of such privileged people and their ability to afford space. They need to raise another $1,000 by tomorrow or they face having to close their doors. The omni Commons, which is a white-majority led organization, would like to encourage its community to recognize the importance of supproting Qilombo with whatever means possible, to stand in solidarity with black and brown lead social spaces"
• Alice mentions that David cut his hand, and thus wasn't able to pick up a freezer that is available to us for free in San Francisco. People are needed to help make it happen. You can call alice directly at (415) 272-0596. Tools are also good to have. Including a stripped screw remover.

Working Group Report-backs

Fundraising

• Daniel fundraising working group. Video almost ready. The public launch is in a few weeks. Suggests that the collectives hold open houses where peers and friends get to see the space so that they know the space when the push launches. Collectives could offer some item that is uniquely theirs, to help build community and market the spaces.
• Daniel is working on grants. Anyone wanting to work on it, please contact Daniel. There will be emails.
• as we prepare to announce the "public campaign", there are easy actions that Omni member groups and others can take: 1), hosting casual open-house events for their members & friends before appx. November 11 (like the CCL biohacker social), and 2) suggesting cool perks they might contribute from their collective (e.g., Sudo magnets or 1 free book from the bookstore, etc.)

Collectivity

• Kevin facilitating collectivity committee. Collecting thoughts from the group about:
  • looking for suggestions about what the working group should be doing
  • collectives should have members in working groups
  • Steven produced survey, no responses
  • decided to let the definition of tenancy resolve itself
  • Margaret: potential name change: "How We Organize"

Permits

• Mia talks about safety, insurance, compliance, etc.
  • ada bathroom. can't currently be used
  • liability. people working in the building is a lawsuit risk. we have the idea of getting a waiver that people working on the space can sign. vote on it: 10/10 pass
  • the TIL wall

Finance

• Niki finance. Need new CFO. Amanda Amgo volunteered. They are going to come up with some questions to vet potential candidates. The committee meets Tuesday @ 7. Please attend if you can help.

Kitchen

• Joe kitchen. Waiting on zoning letter. The kitchen upstairs is great. If you need to use the one downstairs talk to Helen or Joe. Joe is thinking about bumping out the wall to give the kitchen more space. Tearing out some wood shelves. Ordered valves for stove.

CDC

• No notes. Either they didn't report or more likely I'm bad at taking notes. (-Ben your minutes taker)

20 minute breakout

Not so much

Proposal from Backspace

• Backspace will take time to consider financial details and other issues before moving forward with an agreement on space.
• In the mean time, Don wants permission to move forward on renovations on the Den, which would include, 1)putting up dry wall. 2)painting the Den and BDRM [2]. 3)creating removable panels to block the overlook to the Commons bookstore coffee shop.
• In return, Don would teach his qi gong, conditioning and stretching, martial arts and self defense classes in the Den on Monday from 6-9:30, Thursday from 7:00-9:30, and Sunday, from 11-1.
• Don would later pay rent through backspace when the location of space time scheduling becomes more settled.

discussion

Don. They are trying to figure out money, etc. He wants to proceed with martial arts and Chi Gong (sp?) classes. Will proceed with renovations. Will pay rent to backspace in the future.

Joe asks about the scope change of the backspace proposal. Don answered that there are different people in Backspace doing different things, working on the larger proposal. Don wants to use the space in the meantime. He wants to put up something to partition off the space from the opening to the cafe.

Alexandria clarifies: proposal is - paint - have classes 3 times a week, indefinitely, starting next week - put up temp. cover to block the space to give privacy - cover the TIL with drywall

Niki expresses support for backspace. Others agree. Niki wants to define time constraint for the 3 times a week classes.

Don notes that backspace is planning to submit a more comprehensive proposal next week, this proposal will be superseded by that one.

Daniel asks about the floor. Its chipped, etc. Don will use mats. Floor fixes might be a future project.

Naomi wants to say that the current proposal is part of an effort to make forward progress on the space while their big proposal is in progress. They are having a hard time putting together all the financial pieces in the context of a collective. It is overwhelming. They have doubts about the support from the other groups at omni.

Andrew has reached out in mediation to David, Niki, others to help explain the financial stuff and resolve the confusion about the group. Notes that backspace is one of the last founding groups that is looking for space at a time when space is in contention. They are working with the commons working group and others to get the next proposal into the right shape.

Mia asks: Are the classes free? Don replies Two are by donation. Two are $90/mo. Free drop-in. Wants to find space for this thing, which is a business. Mia asks: Would he be willing to pay prorated rent? Don replies No, but he would be willing to pay the rent in labor working on the space. Once the full backspace proposal is in, he would be paying rent to backspace.

Group considers proposal without Don's modifications to the TIL wall, for two weeks.

Vote. 9 yes, no blocking, 2 abstaining

Proposal from Commons Working Group

• 10.14.14: The Commons Working Group proposes to collectively steward several common spaces in the Omni, including the ballroom and the Disco Room (as of December 1). The Commons Working Group will create systems for maintaining all these spaces as common spaces as well as making them available to the community to rent hourly.
• Specifically, the Disco Room will be maintained as a space for body-based and somatic practices (i.e., dance, yoga, martial arts, meditation, etc.).
• As the Commons Working Group expects to garner income for the Omni from hourly rentals of these spaces, we propose that no new tenant be given exclusive use of them.

discussion

Nobody could be here tonight. Margaret can answer questions. Proposal read by Steven.

The text of the proposal is not included here. Someone please include it, your minutes taker doesn't have a copy.

The next meeting is Saturday at 1PM

Mia asks does this limit the scope of the working group to ONLY the ballroom and the disco room? Margaret replies No.

Daniel says the group was the result of the combination of the ballroom group and the calendar group.

Joe talks about a kitchen that makes one meal for charity for every meal that it sells. He hopes that people using Omni spaces will also give away the metaphorical free meal for every metaphorical meal they sell

Steven says this proposal is about an ongoing collective stewardship of the space.

Kathleen is interested in listening to the commons working group and learning about their process in the context of contemporary museum of Oakland

Don feels the passing of this proposal is premature until there is a more clear proposal

Alexandra reads group proposal again.

Ian reiterates the desire to use space that is modular, shared by the member collectives

Andrew likes the proposal in spirit. Hard without details about gaining income from the ballroom. Hard without a process. Wants to keep the ballroom open for consideration of diverse types of events. How will appropriate events be decided on.

Mia refers to writeup by Daniel who wrote about the ballroom group to the commons working group.

Joe clarifies what the group would do. Notes that the group has lots of power.

Kathleen wants to clarify that the term tenants in the proposal actually means tenants and groups. Niki: yes, both

Don asks what will change if we pass vs. not pass? Niki responds that it would strengthen our position of having common space that can be used by the collectives.

The group considers the proposal as is.

Votes 8 yes, 2 abstain, 0 blocking

Last Minute Stuff

Ben needs keys to the rooms that are locked. Key-havers respond.

No kids at omni, kids with parents in the ballroom for events are probably ok

Adjournment

It happened only a little after 9.