Event:2024/05/16 Delegates

Omni Delegates' Meeting - 16 May 2024 7pm-9pm

Meeting Details

• Talk at https://omnicommons.org/meet or 515-428-1108 (PIN: 465814905)
• Type at https://omnicommons.org/notes
• Send proposals to consensus@lists.omnicommons.org prior to the meeting
• Someone should go check incoming mail RIGHT NOW.

Roles

• Facilitator/s:
• Stacktaker:
• Timekeeper:
• Notetaker/s: Paige, Patrik
• Next meeting's facilitator(s):

Delegates

• CCL: Patrik
• FNB: Toan
• LL: inactive
• SMAC: Pallavi
• SM: Daniel (in @8:52pm)
• SR: missing
• DG: inactive?
• Quorum (2/3 of active groups):

intros

BRIEF INTROS MAY INCLUDE: name, pronouns, groups you're in, land you're on, if you're a delegate, unmet access needs, meeting roles you'd like to help with, discussion topics or proposals to add to agenda, announcements/updates/report-backs from your groups, safe space issues or updates PROMPT people to share contact info in the chat, so we can stay in touch

• Pallavi - development volunteer, and delegate for SMAC
• Troy - poet in resident and bookkeeper. books not money
• Patrik - CCL delegate
• Jason - part of the playtpus affiliated society. We are here to see potential of joining to help out, possibly as member collective
• Patrick (spelling?) - chapter head of bay area playtpus society. invited via Jason and Troy. Been here a number of time, hosted a film screening here last month, and I know ive made buttons here. Interested in having this place stay afloat
  • Patrik - what is org?
  • Patrick - organize reading groups, discussion, research politcs emancipatory(?), old new and post political left. thats the 80s anarchist judith butler left.
  • https://platypus1917.org/bay-area/
  • Pallavi - I work for adobe books as well, you may want to engage with that space as well. Similar ethos, but a lot of literature you can engage and pull from. I can connect you. Cooperatively run, nonhierarchial, anti-imperialist anti-capitalist space. Large group of young people coming in to learn about this
  • Jason - sounds great. we are not political. we are pre-political, in that we are educational.
  • Jason - reason we are here... heard financial issues
  • Pallavi - complicated, but we did find path forward with CAST partnership. This meeting needs to focus with the thing we need to advocate for with them. Great time for new groups to get involved, creating new bylaws, i like to say a shared covenant between collectives. what does this building want to represent, what kind of involvement. conversation we had about generating revenue is about
• Yar - she/her. currently not a member of any group because sudo room became very toxic.
• Toan - volunteer with EFNB, and delegate
• Paige - they/them SR member, free store volunteer omni president
• Philip Bell - general maintenance events volunteer.

Check for mail for Omni

Who volunteers to go check if there's mail for Omni right now? This agenda item is part of the meeting notes template.

Playtpus

• Jason - what would CAST do?
• Pallavi - have experience in arts and culture orgs in building, primarily BIPOC groups. building management and property management best practice. governance still tbd, I'm imaging board will look different. And also in terms in trying to partner with another org, this avoids having to take on as many loans. We have $875k to pay off loan but also a lot of money needed to put into building. tbd who partners will be and how involved they will be.
• Yar - time check 750, meeting half over
• Toan - would like to respond to the governance, until its proposed to change, I think we should continue with current goverance structure.
• Jason - can you explain
• Toan - bylaws majority, but been working of consensus
• Pallavi - officers not voting members
• Patrik - each collective, 8 now, gets one delegate to the meeting
• Pallavi - bylaws right now consensus - 1 for adding and removing collectives, but majority for others.

CAST

• CAST, what we should advocate for at next meeting?
• Existing lease for collectives are 1 year long.
  • Paige - was changed to 3 months this year given uncertainty of building
• Pallavi - sq footage of mezzanine question. depends if Den is kept open. calculation is used for property tax. "unenclosed mezzanine"
• Philip - CAST will do anything they can to keep arts in where they have influence already, but mathematically amount tenants have been paying is not sustainable for space, and renovations and ongoing repairs. Current utilization of building doesnt cover costs, if aim is to keep community center that lasts for 100 years,. suggestion of rental of spaces, massive discount but expected to share. i dont fully understand but SR and . but now we have rooms locked off for exclusive part time use.
• Pallavi - there's going to be a big discussion of business models of collectives here, and how to generate enough revenue for repairs and code upkeep. that's not to mention what it would cost to actually make this place a nice place to be as well. i dont believe its going to stop at surface level repairs, doing things well so they last a long time, and pleasing for us to interact and look at. as recap for new people in room, im a liaison

• Recommendations from Jesse, to include in LOI:

[redacted]

• Patrik - would like to ask this to share with Mulberry, collective leaders, and delegates
• Pallavi - like what Toan was saying, bigger topics need to be discussed on governance. turnout isnt great recently, whats going on?
• Troy - by not attending they are excusing themselves from there role here
• Pallavi - any specific requests in our space? Roof for sure.
  • Philip B - I have a list
  • Pallavi - please share
  • Patrik - Roof, siding, basement and ratproofing - those are the top priorities. Lots of "would-like-to-haves": sound insulation between sudo and CCL, solar, roof terrace.
  • Pallavi - whatever the list is, write it down and prioritize. Should indicate preference.
  • Patrik - part of dreaming spaces process too.
  • Troy - when you speak with them tomorrow, to share method by which they are assessing the property. I have my own methods, who, what upkeep, when every week, why in order to make this a good space. i said welcome to omni commons, where caring is common. how, working with others, getting on same page. logical dialogue
• Pallavi - what are concerns of members of our orgs? i.e. SMAC discussing how we are stretched thin as is financially. Trying to get a grant, but still concern
• Pallavi - people who have voluntarily stepped down from leadership positions, doesnt make sense that they should still try to have positions. i dont thinks that reflective of where we are trying to go in the future.
• Paige - we should figure out what things Jesse suggested are actually necessary for us. Some things he insisted on, delegates seemed before to realize are ok to be out of our control going forwards
• Philip - omni commons needs to prove its capable of maintaining the building, has been dysfunctional.
• Pallavi - comment about dysfunction narrative, when thats heard, lots of pushback, with reference to prior years. letting you know that thats a narrative that will be challenged
  • Yar - yea i would challenge it. i take offense from that, seeing work to "slow the decay of building" with almost no money at all. incredible how much weve done
  • Pallavi - effort to re implement things that we left aside or continue to keep certain things working,
  • Pallavi - incredible to see its still here and being used as community space, but definitely there were still failures. should avoid saying blanket statements
  • Yar - i will say blanket statement of we have been underfunded all along
• Troy - 7 questions from force of the good 1. what is omni known for 2. how leadership shared. who are founders, what have founders helped produce, how will community members share leadership so it will outlast us, how can leadership empower others who participate
  • Patrik - good questions for a strategy session, but not today
  • Pallavi - definitely for wider community meetings those will come up.
• Pallavi - another concern my collective had, was about staffing the building. which staff? just property management? would hours still be 24/7 to access building? A lot of our members rely on that because they have varied schedules.
  • Patrik - expect they may want to install a commercial lock system soon
  • Yar - before escrow closes? i dont think so
  • Pallavi - I see a world where certain funders may not want to give to building that is secured. So may be an incentive to go sooner
  • Patrik - expect easier access when building management here, then more exclusive for after hours access
  • Pallavi - in our rules, as member get 24/7 access
  • Patrik - true for SR and CCL. I think that may have to change
  • Yar - probably way it would be changed, is staff person working all of those hours
  • Patrik - in terms of staffing, one property manager, then contract with janitorial service
  • Pallavi - yes would still like clarity there
  • Patrik - 30cents per sq ft. added estimate with property manager
  • Philip - as Events member, access to building is a safety issue. something on my grocery list. i get that lock changing can sound aggressive or nervous. door system kind of janky. something id like is to make use of more doors. side of building near trash exit, if beautified, can direct traffic for differnet ways
  • Patrik - would also assume more internal doors
  • Pallavi - imagine in terms of events stewarding, there will be new entrance do disco room door. also possibility of monitored door through ballroom. door from basement.
  • Paige - Yea I have had this thought before, the trash room door could be access for all the makerspacey orgs which rely on 24/7. SR and CCL that'd be no problem, getting to Media Lab for SMAC harder because non-legal staircase. But maybe during re-org we will move around where these groups are, so might be different solution needed.
  • Pallavi - maybe SMAC could get entrance from ballroom side staircase?
  • Philip - there are structural metal beams you can put up, with metal floors to add extra space. suggestion for SR/CCL room
  • Patrik - yes from beginning has been a want to build up
• Pallavi - first thing I will do, writing grants for staff positions. i will need salary to write grants
• Philip - has asbestos been inspected?
  • Yar - its underneath floor panel in the entrance hall
  • Patrik - but not disturbed
• Troy - why do we tolerate street people who do drugs and drink
  • Toan - public sidewalk
  • Yar - those people defend the building too
  • Pallavi - both people inside and out need to be getting involved with people. help from [?], understands demographics block by block
  • Yar - folks outside also do beautification of the building - I agree. (d)
• Paige - ok to recap, we want 24/7 access, for at least part of the building
  • Patrik - both CCL and SR have events that open to public, so want a pathway that people can just walk in.
  • Paige - and SMAC does Tuesday open. [but also... usually we still "get the door" for these events]
• Pallavi - info on electrical closet should get removed
  • Paige - its useful, should be shared. but also people should know where breakers are in case of fire or other emergency
• Paige - we also have no cops at the door policy.
  • Patrik - We do have alternatives for fire and health emergencies
  • Pallavi - we dont want to compromise .
  • Pallavi - maybe a chain of protocol. maybe engage with community partners. if property management thinks there needs to be security here, i identified security group that would be good fit. I'd advocate for them to be unarmed, and for those security people to have a lot of de-escalation training.
  • Yar - important not to compromise
  • Pallavi - liability to call cops first. more robust form of community care.

officers voting members?

• Pallavi - suggest we do this

Wood St Commons block party/ resource fair

• Paige - Sunday June 2, from 1-5 at 2601 wood street. We were asked to table, please lmk if you want to join. Also I think we should encourage WSC to become a collective

mad money militia inc

• Troy - Mad money militia inc, spring music festival. May 18 2pm-10pm, at 1955 broadway, suite e. oakland, CA 94607. live performance fundraiser for at risk youth.

conflict mediation

• issue with bullying and emails
• Paige and Troy to talk later

painting building

• Troy wants to paint over spray paint outside
• Yar - i think its bad to go on an edit war with our pro-palestinian neighbors
• Yar - its causing us to talk about Palestine which we all need to be doing

Going back to biweekly meetings

Are we ready to do this yet? Not discussed

End of Meeting

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