Event:2014/08/14 Weekly Delegates Meeting

• Facilitator: Sarah L
• Stack: Kevin
• Notes: Everyone!
• In attendance: Sarah (BAPS), Lara (BAPS), Oscar, Scott (BAPS), Stephen (BAPS), Jim (FNB), Andrew (Backspace), Donna, Anthony, Margit (OMNIdance), Sarah (OMNIdance), Niki (BAPS/La Commune), David K (BAPS), Elizabeth (OMNIdance), Maryanna (OMNIdance), Judy (TIL), Kevin, Steve (La Commune), Pam (La Commune), Owen (La Commune), Matt (BAPS), Athena (Backspace), Joel (TIL), Alan, Ahnon (CCL)
• Delegates: Scott, Emji, Andrew, Sarah, Steve, Yar, Helen, Ahnon, (Quorum!!)
• Quorum:

new groups / event proposals

Red Light Legal

• They have withdrawn their application, are no longer considering Omni membership

New Revelation Community Church

• Would like to potentially use the space for congregation meetings
• What is some of the work you do?
  • Does food giveaways, other outreach 'Mental Health / First Aid to LGBT'+
• ~50 size congregation; ~20 organizers
• Not affiliated with any denomination
• Collaborative model: ? anyone get that
• Would like to use ballroom and / or smaller space (like the basement) perhaps once weekly
• Don't have to be Christian to participate in services
• Do you want to join the collective or be a tenant?
  • Would like to first identify whether or not it's a good fit before making a long term commitment
• Sounds like you're doing really exciting work and your project would bring something really unique to our collective. Excited and heartened to hear of your interest in the Omni

Rise Above (new group application)

• is still very interested - Gabriela is on vacation til the 17th I believe (so not present) - David K. is in communication with her.

Omni Oakland Kitchen

• Proposal: That the basement kitchen technically be an official, separate subtenant of OOC, and also either its own LLC, Unincorporated Association (UA), or 501c3 as recommended by Jesse.
• I realized on my way into the Health dept that the basement kitchen needs its own subtenancy in terms of protecting both OOC and itself from liability -- independent of kitchen users like FNB, the Cafe, or any other commercial kitchen users. In order for the cafe to be up and running soon and certified by Health, the kitchen area must be treated as its own separate discrete area / entity unrelated to the Cafe. Furthermore the plan of potentially renting out the kitchen / prep space / food storage to say Phat Beets or other users in order to pay for itself, is really its own discrete workload/overhead and should be recognized as such. The Kitchen is an F1 Moderate Hazard area and the risk of hurting oneself is relatively higher in there - it needs its own limited liability. Put this to a vote.
• DK and Niki spoke w/Jen Angel about this very thing. We could make the kitchen available for people doing cottage kitchen catering. The downside w/the proposal is that we need to find people who are willing to do that work
• Being optimistic, I don't think we'll have trouble finding people to take this on
• I was envisioning the kitchen as common space how will it differ from the other common spaces?
• From a liability perspective, there's an upside from having a separate organization overseeing the kitchen. There's less risk in other spaces like the ballroom.
• The rehab is going to be expensive. We need to either route Omni money towards that or bring someone in who is willing to make that investment
• Asa suggested a friend Nicole to help w/managing the kitchen

Misc Proposals

all groups reviewed in 6 months

• All Groups Must Resubmit their Project to Omni Collective after 6 Months in the Space
• For the first six months, all projects will participate in the Omni collective on a trial basis. At six months, each group must re-submit its project to the collective for full membership to Omni. This will allow each project to demonstrate its participation in the Omni community, that it engages in the dialogue and decision making of the collective, that it pays its bills, that its values in practice line up with the Omni's founding vision, and that it is using the space in a way that has a positive impact on the collective and the larger community.
• Maybe add this line: During this trial period the project would have the same voting/delegate rights as any other collective.

^^ not throughly discussed at this meeting ^^

agenda fasttrack

• That Agenda items submitted in writing by Weds 12AM to be tackled first thing after initial newcomer/vistor speaking time, and all items brought up at the meeting itself be given secondary priority (barring an emergency) ==
• To ensure fairness and help dilate communicative channels across member groups, I (DK) propose that all agenda items that are submitted by midnight the day before OOC meeting are privilaged before items brought up at the meeting. This will ensure that those who care deeply about a given agenda item but do know if it will be discussed, will be sure to have adequate opportunity to engage with the meeting. I propose we vote on this at the meeting, and that submitting agenda items in advance is strongly encouraged.

^^ not really discussed. was overshadowed by David Brazil's longer proposal below. ^^

teakettles

• Proposal: For upstairs kitchen safety, no more stovetop teakettles? Only electric water boilers that automatically turn off ===
• kettles that were left unattended and boiled dry several times

did we vote on this?

gas detectors

• Proposal: For DOWNSTAIRS kitchen safety, now that gas is on and stove is being experimented with, procure a natural gas & carbon monoxide detector ===
• passed

rat zapper

• Proposal: Procure a 'Rat Zapper' for humane-ish pest control (~$50)
• passed

ban reciprocity

"If the Omni Oakland Collective (or any of its member collectives) bans or suspends a person from their space for reasons of safety, that person is immediately and automatically banned from the entire premises of the Omni Oakland Collective, including all on-premise areas of its member collectives, groups, tenants, subtenants, and common areas. All such bans are provisional until considered by the omni delegates at the soonest available meeting time. Banned people may seek mediation, conflict resolution, and to have their voice heard by the delegates."

^^ not discussed at this meeting ^^

Finances

• Where we are at -
• how much 'rent'/reserve has been pledged for August,
• recent donations
• recent no-interest loans

lawyer bills

• Proposal: We begin to pay Jesse back on his last/outstanding bill (of ~$4K) at least $500/mo, with the first installment to start next month
• Consensus minus one - blocked by Ahnon from CCL. DOES NOT PASS

pay David back

Proposal: Pay David K. back for his currently submitted & outstanding invoices related to the building ===

• The majority of these have already been documented & posted to the logistics list with invoice and receipts
• $42.27 2014-07-19 Padlock keyed to front door key (reusable/rekeyable) currently on Ticket Booth room
• $50.00 2014-07-25 for yellow standing ladder, folding chairs, & PA speakers
• $ 4.00 2014-07-25 Bridge toll to pick up Standing ladder, folding chairs, & PA speakers (for $50)
• $28.31 2014-07-25 for Rikki, J.C. & DK lunch for day of debris removal & ladder pick-up (John to pay OOC back for 1/2)
• $ 5.00 2014-07-25 tip, for lunch above (unreceipted) (John will pay OOC back for 1/2 of this)
• $49.66 2014-08-03 Home Depot supplies for OOC (casters, hinges, hasp, combo lock for doors / tool storage corral)
• $49.05 2014-08-07 Quality bike pump for bike area, for OOC (basic safety / biking home late at night issue)
• $63.46 2014-08-12 Construction supplies from Home Depot (my part; steve orth is owed $110.00): drywall, sandpaper etc
• Total due to DK: $291.75
• Please vote on this and approve. There are few more receipts I need to scan (from Planning dept, etc) but this is most of them. Thank you!

^^ not discussed ^^

CASp Report (ADA)

• We need $2500 for a CASp inspection - this is VERY important for long-term ADA compliance and short-term accessibility of our public events. It is of great social impact for people in wheelchairs to be able to attend our upcoming events, and also will close a huge legal liability (people could rightfully sue for being excluded). Inspector can come Wednesday August 20th. This is important for any area where the 'public' will be allowed.
• We cannot responsibly make any ADA improvements until this CASp inspection. The cafe/bookstore can also not open without ADA improvements to the bathroom in the bar-room area. It is doubtful that the ONL and CR events could happen without this inspection. Propose that we authorize this at this meeting.
  • Would collectives split the cost our would the money come directly out of the OOC account?
  • Let's authorize to pay for this and figure out how to divvy it up later (work on it at next Finance Meeting)
  • Can groups not contributing financially contribute in other ways (Let's propose something in Legal / Governance)
• Consensus minus one - blocked by Ahnon from CCL. Does not pass.
• David B. will pay out of pocket for now.

scissor lift

• Cost: ~$500/mo. rental. Needed most importantly for improvements prior to ONL 9/6 & CR events. Can be used over the building but especially the ballroom and cafe to make changes necessary for Fire code compliance.
• Sudo / CCL: install ventilation/ducting, electrical conduit, repaint & fixes / hole patches etc to upper walls
• Ballroom: remove or replace ceiling tiles, fix minor electrical & lighting, service exhaust fans, painting
• Cafe: remove dropped ceiling, run new conduit for lighting, new paint
• South exterior wall: caulk/fix or replace damaged siding, exterior painting if we can/want
• East exterior wall: remove billboard / soundproof covering over balcony ballroom windows, paint/fix up windows
• Etc., etc
• This proposal has already been brought forward in previous meetings. VOTE ON THIS PROPOSAL.
• Consensus minus one - blocked by Ahnon from CCL. DOES NOT PASS

Permits

groups should submit theirs

• Proposal: All member groups of OOC submit copies of all permits and licenses pursued to the OOC so that OOC can ensure legality and compliance with the law, lease, insurance, etc.
• This includes all:
  • Land Use permits (Conditional Use Permits/CUPs, etc)
  • Business Licenses (liquor license, seller's license, etc)
  • Building Permits (electrical, plumbing, mechanical)

not discussed

building changes

• Proposal: That all proposed changes, improvements or removal to the the building structure or even all large in-place fixtures be announced to the OOC via email and in OOC meetings prior to acting on those plans, to ensure that all extant use permits and occupany types remain compliant / uncaffected.
• Examples:
  • Removing or improving the walk-in, installing floor sinks, etc.
  • Installing a sink in CCL, running plumbing to it
  • Running new electrical around Sudo/CCL
  • Installing new grease traps in the basement kitchen
• Note that engaging in such work already requires:
  • if a professional contractor is used, that the contractor is pre-approved by the landlord
  • when applicable, plans submitted to landlord
  • Landlord notified in writing in advance of major work, etc.. (these being terms of the lease..)

not discussed

litter

• Proposal: That litter is picked up and cleared every day outside Omni as litter DOES affect our permits/applications. It can be easily documented by neighbors as arguments against permits, but also easily addressed, so we need to.
• Shifts/responsibility for litter pickup TBD. Litter is a real argument against use permits and has cited against Omni several times in the past, during its previous incarnations.

not discussed

misc

• Health inspection reportback (from today) - bar-room, walkin, basement kitchen
• Improvements: Initial efforts should focus on 'public' areas of Ballroom & bar-room
• Effective deadline for Fire compliance & hopefully ADA for the above areas specifically is 9/6 (date of ONL event with mayoral candidates)
• Expediter: Heads' up - we do need to secure a permit expediter through Kenny (permit lawyer). Cost TBD
• Parking:
  • We need to make contact with this guy Mark who owns the Frazee Paints lot/building re: parking
  • We need to make an overall plan for parking - also talk to pedicab person, set bike parking, etc

nothing discussed

Facilitation

improving it

PROPOSAL : IMPROVING OUR MEETINGS & FACILITATION

• The Omni depends on efficient weekly meetings to make timely decisions, admit new collectives, and discuss emerging issues. In the spirit of continually improving our collective processes, we would like to advance the following proposal to improve our meetings and facilitation.
• First we propose a standard process for our meetings & a standard order of activities.
• Our meetings will be held every Thursday, 7PM to 9PM, in the basement of the Omni. These meetings will be prompt and punctual -- they will begin at 7PM sharp & end at 9PM sharp, unless we have passed a consensus vote to extend the meeting. We will begin the meeting no matter how many people have gathered. All delegates are requested to be on time. Punctuality respects everyone's time.
• All delegates are requested to review the week's agenda here in advance of the meeting: https://pad.riseup.net/p/omninom
• Each delegate should come prepared to vote on the issues at stake in the agenda items, so that we can move through the agenda efficiently.
• Speakers are requested to keep their remarks relevant & as concise as possible -- for presentations under five minutes, for responses and questions under a minute.
• Each meeting will have seven officers : the agenda shepherd, preparer of space, facilitator, notetaker, timekeeper, stacktaker, & vibe reader. The agenda shepherd organizes the agenda before Wednesday night, the preparer arrives 15 minutes early to set up the space for the meeting, the facilitator keeps the flow of conversation, moves along the meeting, and calls votes. The notetaker is the primary transcriber of minutes on to the riseup pad. The timekeeper apprises the facilitator of elapsed time. The stacktaker takes note of who wishes to speak and recognizes them in order. The vibe reader attends to the emotional atmosphere of the room and intervenes as necessary.
• The facilitator shall be designated in advance of the meeting, and shall select the other four officers from attendees of the meeting.
• It is crucial to keep rigorous stack, and to remember to attend to protocols of speaking in these very large meetings.
• The order of the meeting shall be as follows :
  • facilitator calls the meeting to order
  • facilitator designates other officers
  • facilitator commences names go-round -- introductions & organizational affiliation
  • facilitator asks for formal recognition of delegates [rise, say name & group name] & declares quorum (or lack of quorum)
  • facilitator gives a brief introduction to the omni & the weekly meeting structure & may elect to call for a convening gesture (collective breath or the like).
  • facilitator reviews hand signals : raising hand to speak, double-hand motion for direct response (meaning factual reply to questions & important missing information, not opinion however urgent), finger triangle for point of process (problems in stack, etc.)
  • facilitator & group examine the written agenda as found here: https://pad.riseup.net/p/omninom
  • call for any additional agenda items & sort the agenda according to priority of items
  • facilitator designates in advance the time allotted for each agenda item
  • the meeting proceeds through the agenda, with an option to motion to extend conversation on any particular item, or on the meeting as a whole
  • the last ten minutes of the meeting are reserved for setting the agenda for the following week's meeting & for agreeing on ACTION ITEMS that are the take-away responsibilities of collectives and individuals from the meeting.
• Sara Larsen will lead two facilitation training meetings, Wednesday September 10 & 24, at 7PM. We request that at least two members from each collective sign up to attend one of these meetings. The members thus trained will form the core of facilitators over the next six months and will model facilitation for the rest of the Omni, at which time we can generalize the labor of facilitating.
• Let's tighten up our game, get through our agendas, make strong decisions, actively align with one another and keep on building the Omni together !

• Friendly amendment: Make proposal in writing 4 days in advance.

received well but not voted on

delegate "rsvps"

• Proposal: Advance selection & announcement of Delegates attending meetings
• Each group endeavor to list in advance their delegates' name (or 'nym) slated to attend the OOC meeting into the riseup pad agenda, prior to the next meeting. This will eliminate confusion within groups about who is functioning as a delegate, and also clarify for others who the Delegates are.

not discussed much

Board Secretary

not discussed

Collective reponsibility: Populating Working Groups

not discussed

Voting Proposals

modified consensus

1. All decisions about the building are made through consensus, except when specified.
2. When a decision needs to be made to secure the building, then a majority vote may be used to make the decision. The majority must be three-fourths of all voting members. These decisions include:
   1. Paying rent, utilities, and other liabilities of the collective
   2. Submitting legal documentation
   3. Suspensions and bans
3. Each collective may choose to use a delegate or distributed delegates to count as a single vote at the main meetings. Distributed delegates allows all members of collectives to make amendments or block proposals at main meeting.
4. Consensus formed through absence of clarifying questions and blocks. Removes necessity to identify a delegate. The member(s) of the collective needs to be represent the consent of the collective. Quorum still needed to make a decision.
5. The meetings are to give priority to updates from working groups and collectives.

alluded to but not discussed.

Proposal for new meeting format (Jenny)

nothing here

alternate modified consensus

• All votes called by the Delegate Council are subject to two rounds of voting. The first round passes by full consensus. If after friendly amendments and conversation full consensus cannot be achieved, the vote moves to a second round which passes by 2/3 majority. If this second vote fails to pass, the vote does not carry.
• This amendment to our full consensus voting procedures is proposed in light of advice from radical comrades and colleagues who have seen groups and projects torn apart by bad-faith exploitation of full consensus voting. Our group's aim and aspiration will always be full consensus, and we will always work to make sure all voices are heard. In all of our work and decisionmaking together, let us always be guided by fairness, kindness, and justice.

4 weeks running. alluded to but not discussed.

Insurance

• Insurance setup modified: Now will be paying just $1200/yr for OOC liabibility and no doubled building/fire coverage which competes with John's own building/fire insurance. (Was ~$7400/yr). IE OOC used to have NNN insurance and liability, now we just have straight Tenant liability insuring OOC-specific property to $10K (does not include subtenant property insurance - this is just OOC stuff like chairs, projectors, etc).
• In light of this change the Lease needs to be modified to explictly ensure that building/fire insurance payouts to John (due to any future building damage) explicitly goes to fixing the building and not simply into his pocket. Also make sure that we are protected by the subrogation waiver, since we are responsible for the state of the building as per NNN lease, but cannot insure for it in our name. A problem in the lease DK/we are working on.
• Still need to get our D&O insurance from Brignole & Ghiri. Traci never sent us the COI for that.

not discussed.