Event:2014/09/11 Weekly Delegate's Meeting

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  • Facilitator: yar
  • Stack: danny
  • Timekeeper: sarah p
  • Notes: niki
  • Delegates: yar (sudo); mia (baps); helen (fnb); mary (ccl); danny (pa); sarah (omnidance); channing (onl); david (lc); judy (til);
  • Quorum: YES
  • Vibe Reader: judy
  • explain hand signals and share the URL of this pad!

intros

  • icebreaker word: abundance
  • yar (sudo)
  • ian (baps/printshop)
  • lara (baps/printshop)
  • kevin (unaffiliated)
  • patrick (sudo)
  • jeremy (onl)
  • julie (onl)
  • emji (til)
  • judy (til)
  • niki (lc/baps)
  • channing (onl)
  • olive (omnidance)
  • sarah (omnidance)
  • stephen (baps)
  • axel (speak out now)
  • valeria (speak out now)
  • margit (omnidance)
  • danny (pa)
  • david b (baps/lc)
  • mary (ccl)
  • marcelo (capioera group)
  • ingrid (fua dia congo)
  • gerald (fnb/oscar grant committee)
  • helen (fnb)
  • bill (baps)
  • mia (baps)
  • laura (baps)
  • jen (open inclusivity)
  • david k (baps/sudo/omni)

events

Thu Sep 18 Community Potluck

  • Trial run for every Third Thursdays
  • http://wiki.omni-oakland.org/w/Event:2014/09/18_Community_Potluck
  • is this gonna get in the way of the delegates meeting?
    • it was great when that happened last time
  • ballroom wg questionairre
  • omni ballroom wg email: omniballroom@gmail.com
  • sarah p: when i did that, it was a lot of work. needs a couple point people!
  • bring back to matt and ask if he will do that
  • patrick would love to learn how to bottom line this

Fri Oct 3 7pm-9pm

  • PROPOSAL added 09/09
  • Post Apollo poetry reading in the ballroom or barroom
  • coming from la commune - so take off this meeting by having in LC
  • but if no other conflict that night we'll do ballroom

Sun Oct 5 Neighborhood Open Forum

Fri Oct 10 12pm-8pm

  • PROPOSAL (added 09/09)
  • La Commune Bookstore Pop-up in the ballroom or barroom
  • selling books at one-time events since they're not ready to open full-time yet
  • so they'll sell books in the ballroom for a few hours

Sun Oct 19 9am-6pm Teach-in

  • PROPOSAL added 09/07
  • Naomi Klein has a new book out called This Changes Everything. The general thesis of the book is that climate change could be the thing that brings together diverse movements into a “movement of movements." She is going to be organizing “teach-in” style events and inviting activist and leaders from a cross-section of social change movements to have an in-depth discussion about this. This won’t be open to the public.
  • They would like to have use of the ballroom and also possibly some smaller spaces for break-out sessions.
  • Their budget is $1,000 for the day
  • Tech for "Alette in Oakland" is slated to begin this day but perhaps they can start in the evening after the event?
  • actually, Alette doesn't start until the 24th so that is fine
  • will it conflict with FNB cookday? no we'll close off the ballroom
  • reminder about the in-progress ballroom rental document
    • but a lot of people haven't seen it yet
    • no one should feel pressured to bottom-line a rental event - there's a ballroom working group
    • there should be someone from the collective there
    • have jen fill out form and send back to ballroom working group

Halloween Haunted House

  • 10/30 (Thu) - 11/2 (Sun)
  • Can work with concurrent events
  • also matt

Sun Nov 2 Time TBD

  • PROPOSAL added 09/10
  • Fundraising party to benefit Oakland based FUA DIA CONGO (Congolese drum and dance camp).
  • Someone from this group will be at the meeting on Thursday to present a proposal - come meet them / ask questions if you have any!
  • 3-10pm or 4-10pm

Sat Nov 15 2-4pm

  • Bay Area Community Land Trust (BACLT) Annual Member Meeting
    • Bottomliner: DK (added 2014-09-07 0734am)

"inside urban shield"

urban shield report-back / forum

  • Inside Urban Shield
    • Would like to have w/in the next week and a half, wouldn't necessarily need the ballroom
    • Minimum 50 but could be many more
    • Need to confirm date and location of event

play rehearsals

  • 8/26 Proposal: That the proposed 12 rehearsal dates/times in the ballroom for the play 'Annes White Glove' be proposed, discussed and whomever is bottomlining it. (Will they need use of the stage?)

(maybe this is a Ballroom WG action item?)

big events end by 9:30

  • 8/26 Proposal: That for the time being all big events possibly creating lots of peoples hanging about outside or are noisy begin no earlier than 10AM and end fully by 9:30pm. Mostly to avert noise complaints before all the relevant permits are hunky-dory. Consense?
  • reminder: omni as a punk venue was shut down for that reason
  • ending all noise by 10pm is the law. gets enforced when someone complains.
  • we can make an exception but as a rule of thumb
  • 8/8

Open Inclusivity Initiative

  • branching beyond just hacking
  • http://openinclusivity.org/
  • phase 1: collecting codes of conduct
  • does the omni wanna join? it means having our policies listed.
    • doesn't entail that much
  • what groups are members?
  • omni and sudo are differen t so not redundant
  • 7 yes, fnb abstains

Governance

Gov WG is now called 'Facilitating Collectivity'

inactivity

[PROPOSAL] Any member-group that has failed to send a delegate to two meetings in a row is declared 'Inactive' and no longer counts toward quorum* - aka, they cannot vote. Inactive groups may become reactivated only after attending two meetings in a row (by the third meeting).

  • friendly suffix: "Quorum is henceforth defined as 80% of Active member-groups"
  • 9/9 yes with suffix

Feedback:

  • danny: seems like a big label for such a small thing
  • An Inactive Member Group means only that you lose voting rights until you become reactivated
  • you lose actual voting privileges if you're inactive
  • what's the minimum quorum? 80%, aka 8 [is this right?]
  • is this retroactive? no! for instance, ONL can vote tonight

ONL

ONL RESPONDS:

  • more than 2 members, we have at least 6 who help us out at shows
  • the $500 number comes from the very first omni meeting, didn't seem real? pretty soon after that we said 250. this was still months before. right before signing the lease in may we went to 100 because we couldn't sell alcohol.
  • jeremy's been the delegate, it's been hard for him to come. he feels bad and apologizes. he never felt comfortable talking at these meetings. "maybe i need thicker skin?" worried about being talked about in judgemental ways behind his back.
    • emji: this is the first time other groups may even be aware of our quorum issues because we only reached out last week
  • utilities? "i felt like we couldn't pay that, i guess." they are only here once a month.
  • working on the omni, labor? jeremy's been to ballroom wg meetings, permit & finance meetings, helped with cleanup, the potluck.
  • ONL does set up its own shows. "accusation is patently false."
  • troubled that it hasn't been said to their faces before reading complaint
  • troubled by policing of content
    • some silent applause
  • reminder: 100 new attendees who've never been to the omni. it's a free show. in exchange for 4 hours a month in the ballroom.
  • finally: ONL doesn't want to be a member anymore, is rescinding their membership

discussion:

  • sarah: good example of communication breakdown. conversation could have been avoided.
  • emji: "this proposal is completely out of line. we agreed last week to reach out to groups who weren't coming to meetings. i did that, and it feels completely disrespectful to my efforts at doing that, and disrespectful to how we make decisions as a whole."
    • dk: what did you do? emji: ask questions and invite them here
    • dk wrote it
  • kevin: maybe not the best time for most of this conversation
  • lara: status should be more mindful - tenant or member?
    • just making everybody tenants isn't gonna work
  • yar: i talked to them literally a few minutes after the show ended on saturday. flyered.
  • dk: my proposal is not influenced by the political content of your show, that was just the straw that broke the camel's back.
    • "ONL doesn't appreciate the setup and cleanup that happens beyond setting up their shit"
    • monthly contribution was on the record many meetings in a row
    • unfair that channing has same voting power as sudoroom etc
    • dk resets accusation that communication breakdown is his fault - jeremy doesn't answer texts, etc
    • many people complained that content had violated safe space. mention of jean quan's police violence.
  • proposal that dk drop his proposal and ask what ONL would like to do instead
    • dk responds that his proposal was not aimed to be punitive, but rather attempting to bring to the surface what hadn't been yet surfaced
  • what does ONL wish to be if not collective members?
    • "a private entity that rents the ballroom space once a month for $100"
    • with more money if they are allowed to sell snacks, beer, etc
  • niki wants to be able to object to content of events. certain kinds of events are not politically aligned with the omni. felt the mission of the omni was disrespected.
  • david b wants to work through the trauma, apologizes for participating in it. this is bringing crisis to the forum. mailing list is toxic. cursing.
  • "we really took the criticism seriously"
    • ordinarily we try to blend personal and political
    • candidates were very rehearsed. we felt in over our head.
    • discussing structure for next month
    • want to make up their shortcomings as a very white middle class group in oakland
  • sarah: lesson in how to be kind to each other

proposal: "we are no longer a member collective. we are a separate entity that rents the ballroom one night per month for $100/month."

  • 9/9 yes

Finance WG reportback

splitting utilities

  • PROPOSAL (Aug 19): "To split utilities equally by default between all contributing collectives and tenants of the OOC. Groups unable to pay would have to apply for exemption. Finances working group is tasked with creating a form for groups requesting exemptions by next week." [8 yes, 1 (ccl) abstains]
    • quarterly exemptions?
    • perhaps groups that cannot pay the whole amount of shared costs could contribute some amount
  • "this just applies to utilities, taxes & insurance"
  • what is that averaging so far?
    • this month in the neighborhood of $400 for collectives that have been paying
    • "if the 5 collectives that have been paying for Utilities,Insurance, and Taxes since we moved in payed this month, each one would owe $513"
  • having groups exempt themselves encourages them to think about what they can afford. incentivizes participation.
  • groups haven't filled out the questionnaire yet

questionnaire

  • PROPOSAL (Aug 19) : That all collectives and tenants of the OOC fill out a "Financial Health and Sustainability Questionnaire" ASAP. It has been created so that the Financial Work Group can more accurately assess the past, present, and future financial stability of the OOC. With this information we will work to create a more sustainable and clear financial plan. This document is due quarterly : Sept. 1st, Dec. 1st, March 1st, and June 1st. here's the pfd on the wiki: http://wiki.omni-oakland.org/w/File:FinancialHealthSustainabilityforOOC.pdf#filelinks
  • no need to discuss here or next week

Delinquent Member Groups

  • PROPOSAL: 8/28 Proposal from the Governance working group
  • "member-collective who defaults from their sublease be subject to the loss of their last month's rent and deposit, the money being put to paying two month's rent as the O.O.C. finds a member-collective to replace the errant one. Deliquent Member Groups will be evicted from the space."
  • one month delinquence is different from 2, 3, etc. important to define time.
  • peak agency admits delinquence. has never paid rent. offers work trade?
  • free rent is a thing that people do
  • clarity is paramount
  • "everybody should just hang out and be here. membership is only relevant to having a voting delegate" [really? maybe?]
  • emji's friendly amendment: "It is on the onus of the member group to approach the finance group if they are unable to pay"
  • helen: "there needs to be a mechanism short of eviction for people who are in default". perhaps go back and change the proposal a little bit to make it more acceptable for groups with problems.
  • sarah p's synthesis "if groups recognize they'll be unable to pay, it's their responsibility to work with the finance wg to arrive at new agreement, and that conversation should happen at least 1 month in advance"
    • 8 yes, 1 (til) abstains



Meeting ends here. Things below were not discussed.





Not Discussed

Governance

delinquent groups

[PROPOSAL] For reasons of not upholding original financial commitments, we request that each of the following groups present their case at a delegates meeting:

  • Black Hole
  • Peak Agency
  • Backspace
  • ONL
  • CAMOO

wgs

[PROPOSAL] All new working groups should clearly articulate their mission, goals, and tasks to be consensed upon by the OOC.

Defining tenancy

  • 09/02 Proposal from Governance Committee
  • Tenants are defined as those groups renting space from the Omni who choose not to participate in the collective of collectives (i.e., attending delegate meetings, participating in working groups, etc.).
  • Tenants must agree to the Omni's safer space and conflict resolution policies, statement of solidarity, and all pertinent decisions made by the collective of collectives. Tenants will not have voting rights at the weekly delegates' meetings.
  • All tenants will sign a 6 month sub-lease with the OOC.

Tenancy cap

  • 09/02 Proposal from Governance Committee
  • In order for there to be an active core of member groups participating in the OOC, the ratio of tenants to member collectives should not exceed 30% tenants to 70% member groups.(%What? Space? Ah Income!)

sharing expenses

[REQUEST, w/ Finances WG] Request for ALL groups to chip in their share of shared expenses, or else submit a written explanation as to why they can't pay. {Request} Post itemized list of shared expenses.

alternate inactivity proposal

    • Groups with 1-2 members should reliquish voting duties until they are able to build membership to the extent that they are able to send a weekly delegate to meetings.

finance

splitting allocations

  • PROPOSAL (Sept. 2): To split equally between financially contributing collectives and tenants, expenditures which delegates have voted to allocate to projects.
  • we will leave on pad to discuss at next meeting

quarterly commitments

  • PROPOSAL (Aug 19): To commit to rent amounts on a quarterly basis.

Sept 1st Dec 1st March 1st June 1st

not discussed

renting basement rooms

  • PROPOSAL (Aug 2): To rent the three downstairs rooms for office/creative space starting Oct 1st at $600 per month. Short term 3 to 6 month sublease with an option to renew.
  • we're kicking it back. not discussed.

Rise Above?

standing committee autonomy

8/26 PROPOSAL: standing committees that are empowered to make any decisions autonomously should have a clearly defined scope for their responsibilities and operational leeway by October 1st, containing at minimum these 4 parameters: 1) what the group is tasked with, 2) what the group is empowered to do autonomously, 3) what the group is not empowered to do autonomously, 4) how the group cooperates functionally with other OOC organs

Ballroom WG Report back

We formed a group! It's on the Wiki.

  • PROPOSAL : To prioritize renting the ballroom as a way to bolster our working capital and get out of deficit. This means through the end of this year we will seek out and, at times, need to prioritize money making events over free events.
  • PROPOSAL : In order to manage the schedule, we request that instead of directly scheduling your event, that you instead go through the Ballroom WG so that we avoid double booking etc. Jeremy D. will have that Ballroom WG email shortly and will email the logistics list with it.

defining purpose of consensus blocks

  • AUG 19 proposal by Governance Working Group
  • Blocking is only to be considered in the case that a delegate believes that the proposal violates the mission of the Omni Oakland Commons or their collective's mission.
  • In the case that a delegate does not want to consent nor block a proposal, abstentions are allowed. Delegates can also request that the facilitator allow more time for discussion in order to reach consensus on any given item.
  • Governance will work with Sarah Larsen to incorporate general information on building consensus into the facilitation trainings in Sept.

la commune / locking / being open

http://wiki.omni-oakland.org/w/Preparing_To_Be_Open

building modifications & bans

  • since these now must be considered at meetings, let's always keep a section here to remind us

safer space & conflict resolution policies

flag

We propose that the Omni raises a flag from the main tower of the Omni, over the 48th & Shattuck entrance. It could be a red flag. Or it could say "Omni". Whatever the collective decides. Perhaps it could be the Omni logo?

  • sudoroom proposes we build a shed. we could store bikes in it?

PROPOSAL: Let's only meet every OTHER Thursday!

  • yar's counterproposal: let's all do more work throughout the week so there's less to say at meetings
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