Event:2023/10/05 Delegates

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Omni Delegates' Meeting - October 5, 2023 7pm-9pm

Meeting Details

  • Talk at
  • Type at
  • Send proposals to consensus@lists.omnicommons.org prior to the meeting

Roles

  • Facilitator/s: Vikram
  • Stacktaker:
  • Timekeeper: John
  • Notetaker/s: Patrik
  • Next meeting's facilitator(s):

Delegates

  • inactive groups: BOGSS GWS
  • CCL: active, Patrik
  • FNB: active, Joe
  • LL: active, John
  • MOP: active, nobody showed
  • SM: nobody showed, so inactive
  • SR: active, Paige
  • Quorum (2/3 of active groups): need 4

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
  • Doug - hi from Germany! 🤗 Found your wiki via https://e2h.totalism.org/e2h.php?_=alike Nice to meet others that do open meeting notes https://kanthaus.online/en/governance/minutes (you can remove this, I won't attend meeting)
  • paige they/them, delegate for sudoroom
  • Yar she/her - exhausted and frustrated. Several topics on agenda. most important is appointing a transitional bogss team and the media lab proposal, but they will not be able to join until later.
  • Patrik (he/him) delegate for CCL, things are already in the pad that i want to discuss
  • Vikram he/him - with CCL i'll be facilitating, just a moment while i skim the facilitator wiki
  • natalie she/they sketchboard
  • jake, any pronouns, member of sudoroom, not delegate. care a lot about omni, present & future.
  • joe, he/him, delegate for food not bombs, i feel older than i am, the big things i want to talk about are on the agenda. I am very heavy hearted, we have just filed our last brief in the court in favor of people's park and basically conceded to the university and their friends in the legislature
  • marquise. ex volunteer, concerned & honest community member. omni, yes you do have issues of racism you must confront. i hope yo will. but also i've dealt with serious racism from CLP. i'm here hoping to help in this struggle against an org that is very oppressive. generally wanna see what's going on.
  • Vikram: thanks for showing up everyone, to the new link, current plan is to have the CLP discussion at the end so it's not time-boxed, lets dive into the other routine items like sketchboard, are we ok with that? (people reply sounds good)

sketchboard

  • they applied to be a member collective
  • Natalie: i'm pretty sure i filled out the application to the best of my ability. I have been running Sketchboard in SF for about 8 years, and we do these figurative salons which have live music and art models which are usually nude, and we're community-based which means we let anyone who wants to volunteer come join us. We just had our big art show...creative process. We are hoping to raise the pay rate for models from like $100 right now to a few hundred dollars. So that's my dream
  • John: How much use of the space are you requesting and is there some kind of money you are considering offering
  • Natalie: we had our last event there at Omni this past Sunday and next year i had a contract with Silver that i made sure was perfect, because we want to do weekly events there on Thursdays, and still use the space on Sundays. Disco room on Thursdays 6:30-8:30 and Sundays 2-5, between 400-500 a month, something like that
  • Patrik: i'll copy the proposal int
  • John: is the events group involved?
  • Natalie: I don't know this is like my 2nd time talking to anyone about it
  • John: it would be good to know if there's a recommendation for you from the events working group, so the delegates can take the lead from them...thats the process...we will get a proposal from the events group and take it back to our delegates
  • Yar: we can open it up to discussion/questions
  • Natalie: I understand Omni is looking for more visual arts etc, also I identify as BIPOC so i'd like to join whatever initiatives along that line, to make omni more diverse
  • Yar: is it just you or are there other people who would also be part of Omni
  • Natalie: myself and 5 other members, but actively representing us would be me, Ben, and Alita (3 people total) but I am the most active out of everyone. We are pretty consistent, routine, (Re: use of the disco room)
  • Yar: any enclosed spaces?
  • Natalie: just some raised platforms within the ballroom, and i inquired about horse chairs, easels and drawing supplies, I wanted to figure that out slowly, that's it, i don't know how much space that would need. Not more than like 10 items
  • Patrik: one area of concern that we've brought up with other groups in teh past with small group/leadership and giving them equal weight on the delegates' board that can be a little unequal, what do you think of being a regular longterm renter rather than another collective?
  • NAtalie: yes i'm open to that, i'd like to support omni in the end, we did sign a heavy contract for the newyears, and i'm also passionate about communitybuilding, diversity, happy to help in whatever capacity
  • Vikram: it looks like you had a conversation with Silver, ... your incorporation status, looks like you're an LLC, what are your plans of becoming a 501c3 nonprofit or as a collective
  • Natalie: I know that an LLC you can still get a fiscal sponsorship, which i've been looking at places like Intersection for the Arts, Somarts, places that are parallel to the mission that we have which is to make figurative arts more inclusive/accesible,

Re: Silver, the events have been going fine, with one hiccup, they've been running smoothly and i haven't had any concerns or anything

  • Patrik: does anyone know what the rules would be if they remain an LLC and a renter, how does that interact with our property taxes, would that be a problem?\
  • Yar: no because their footprint is small
  • Patrik: but if they use a room then the whole room can get unexempted, so if they're not a nonprofit...we have to pay property taxes on part of the building for part of the year
  • Yar: their application said they're transitioning to 501c3
  • Patrik: i think that would be a requirement for us to rent to them
  • Natalie: that would suck because then all next year we would be unable to do events
  • Patrik: fiscal sponsorship could happen very rapidly and easily
  • Natalie: that would be ideal and that's why we're seeking that...
  • Vikram: if you throw away your existing corporate structure and qualify for 1023EZ then it might be faster/easier to get 501c3 status, as little as 4 weeks
  • Yar: the size of their collective, they might not be the smallest collective at omni, i want to shout out that i've already seen Natalie throw down and join building operations and I appreciate the energy that they're bringing and to me, part of the delegates' structure is awkward when groups are different sizes, but that's why we try to lean on consensus whenever possible, also i think that if there are any issues on the paperwork side the delegate's job is to establish that there's a good enough ...GWS created something called GWS At Omni which was the member collective, i feel like we've got to expand, add people, i'm in favor of this and I appreciate Natalie
  • Christian: I'm the president of CCL and I really like the Omni, my concerns are that do the pros outweight the cons from a financial point of view, what are our property taxes going to be like, versus what they're offering, and what about their culture, will it bring in more participation?
  • Natalie: we hold space in Omni and also Syzygy in SF and Monument in SF and Art Bar, our culture is very welcoming, intentional, sacred, we are drawing a nude body, we go above and beyond to hire black, brown, trans, nonbinary folks, i do a lot of work with venues to have a close relationship. I try to align ...you should come to a session to see. I am willing to find a way
  • Vikram: lets be conscious of time
  • Patrik: i want to make sure I didn't come across as too critical, we'd love to have you and want to see more of at the omni, we just have to dot our i's and cross our t's
  • John: I agree with patrik, we just need to go back to our collectives
  • Natalie: ...we've been around for ten years, you can background check me, we won Yerba Buena arts award, we have our records, I want to be a part of something, and I want to see Omni grow and
  • Vikram: I want to thank Natalie...it sounds like we have to go back to our collectives
  • Natalie: thank you for your time
  • Yar: can we next item be VOL rent forgiveness
  • proposal from consensus email Sept 22:
    • What do you do that makes a difference in the world?
      • At Sketchboard, our mission is to actively resist cultural homogenization in San Francisco during times of economic uncertainty by fostering an anticapitalist, intergenerational, and accessible artistic community. We strive to create a space where diverse voices, perspectives, and artistic expressions flourish, challenging the dominant narratives and structures that threaten the vitality and diversity of our city.
      • We believe that during a recession, cultural preservation becomes even more crucial as economic pressures often prioritize profit-driven ventures that erode the unique fabric of San Francisco. Through our initiatives, we aim to combat the forces of gentrification and commercialization that contribute to cultural homogeneity.
      • We are dedicated to promoting an anticapitalist ethos, rejecting the commodification of art and artists. By prioritizing artistic integrity over financial gain, we foster an environment where creativity and personal expression are valued above market demands. Our goal is to provide artists with a platform to freely explore their artistic visions without compromising their artistic integrity or conforming to mainstream expectations.
      • Intergenerational collaboration lies at the heart of our community. We believe in the power of bridging generational gaps and fostering meaningful connections between emerging artists, seasoned practitioners, and established figures. By encouraging dialogue, mentorship, and knowledge sharing across age groups, we foster a rich tapestry of artistic experiences and perspectives, ensuring the preservation of traditional practices while embracing innovative approaches.
      • Accessibility is a cornerstone of our organization. We are committed to breaking down barriers that prevent marginalized communities from accessing and participating in the arts. By creating inclusive spaces, providing affordable or free opportunities, and actively seeking out diverse voices, we ensure that everyone, regardless of socioeconomic status, race, gender, or ability, can engage with and contribute to our community.
      • Through these core principles of anticapitalism, intergenerational collaboration, and accessibility, Sketchboard serves as a beacon of hope and resistance against cultural homogenization. We strive to be a catalyst for change, fostering a vibrant and diverse artistic landscape that celebrates the unique identity and cultural heritage of San Francisco.
    • Briefly recap your history as an organization.
      • Started in 2013 between 2 femme identifying individuals, and later, the baton was passed onto Natalie and Alida. 2023 is the first year with more than 2 organizers on the team.
    • How do you make decisions? How many people are involved?
      • We make decisions democratically, between 3 organizers: Natalie, Alida, and Ben.
    • Please include links to any organizing documents you may have: bylaws, mission statement, etc.
      • Our mission statement: Sketchboard serves as a creative act of resistance against cultural homogenization. Born from a shared, community-driven interest in creating art with both friends and strangers, creating community and supporting the artistic culture of San Francisco, Sketchboard is the only known workshop series in the Bay Area reflecting the full vibrancy of San Francisco, featuring the bodies of people existing at the intersection of multiple identities, including those who are BIPOC, Queer, Trans, Intersex, and Disabled. Celebrating diversity and offering living-wage rates, Sketchboard seeks to honor, uplift, and increase visibility for people from traditionally marginalized communities. (currently working on bylaws as we transition to a 501c3/c7)
    • State your goals for becoming an Omni member collective. How would your presence in the Omni contribute to its purpose and Statement of Solidarity?

Our goals as an Omni member collective is to spearhead more visual arts workshops and classes within the space, and join BOGGS to ensure diversity within Omni. Our presence contributes to the purpose and statement of Omni, as we center the perspectives and experiences of poor, BIPOC, women, and transgender individuals - who have been marginalized from capitalism's chokehold.

    • What dedicated space do you need? What will you do in it? (For example: office, work space, etc)
      • We would just need space to store our art supplies, which would include 1-2 portable platforms for our models, which would be made and manageable on wheels. It would be used once a month (said DIY platform). And to have a plastic storage full of our art supplies, which wouldn't be any bigger than a 20 quart flat bin. Possibly some horse chairs included, no more than 4.
    • What shared space do you need? What will you do with it?
      • N/A
    • Will you need to modify the building? (Include floor plans if that makes your proposal clearer.)
      • N/A
    • How much are you able to pay?
      • From our conversation with Silver, we are able to pay $465 for weekly use of the disco room, and monthly use of the ballroom. We would use the space every First Sundays from 2-5pm, and Second to Last Thursdays of every month, between 630-830pm. Each event requires 30 minutes of set up before and clean up after.
    • (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.
      • Our incorporation status is currently an LLC, S-Corp, with Natalie Gvidia as the sole owner. We are willing to be fiscally sponsored by Omni, as it would help us reach our goal to become a nonprofit within the next 2 years. Willing to discuss further about the legal relationship to Omni and Sketchboard.
    • 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.
      • N/A

VOL rent forgiveness

  • Yar: they owe us a lot of money, but their presence was based on unwritten agreements that we didn't follow through with, and our relationship is important, and we should make maybe a token effort at asking for more money (than they've offered) but in the final, we should accept whatever they've offered. They're giving up their space but they want to still rent one room in the basement, and idk if the delegates need to "consent" on that, they're not taking any new space, but we could take a straw poll
  • Vikram: what did we not follow through with, how much rent are we forgiving...
  • Yar: it's on the consensus list [and below, copied into the notes, minus previous rates]
  • Jake: how much did they owe?
  • Joe: $13 thousand
  • Vikram: if we forgive that, can we count that as a loss for tax purposes?
  • Patrik: we should ask for at least part of the back pay, because we lost the option to rent the space they were not using
  • Yar: Joey has been paying out of pocket out of the hopes of the day center at Omni working out, spending his own money renting it, and the hope was that they were going to get funding but it was conditional on things that we were supposed to do. We should have seen the writing on the wall and we were already struggling to fill better spaces at omni, so it would be disingenous to try to squeeze it out of a stone
  • Joe: I like Joey a lot, he's come down in the middle of the night and helped me and Chicago put out some pretty serious fires, wonderful guy, the room that has the three little offices adjoining it and I forgot what his alternative proposal is, but i think we should take back all three rooms and the big room, it's a multiply possibile space. He suggested taking an upstairs room. I work at City Council, VOL got a contract with the city of Berkeley basically to help out making a kind of daycare center near people's park related to them taking the park back, there have been grants approved to VOL for $250K, i'm sure they're separate entities and maybe it doesn't reflect on their business acumen but i did want to mention that
  • Yar: they paid to fix up those rooms themselves and paint and carpet and cleaned up, that's something they've invested in us
  • Joe: yes Jake they're still clean, they look nice
  • Vikram: sounds like we're tending in the same general direction, do we do a straw poll of delegates now?
  • Yar: i wanted to ask if the delegates even need to be asked about them changing rooms, and a rent reduction for the new location
  • Patrik: we do have quorum
  • Christian: the rent forgiveness, what are we gonna do, if they remain here, it basically means we're forgiving their past rent
  • Vikram: it might be an actual liability if they have back rent that could affect their ability to get grants in the future
  • Patrik: how about we do the rent change retroactively, charge them $300 for the months that they haven't paid . I think they're asking for past rent to be dropped, and then start paying $300/mo now
  • Yar: It was supposed to be $1800/mo and Joey recently made a payment but it went to April. Joey is still paying thousands to Omni for an empty room. It doesn't matter to them how it's framed, just what the damage is
  • Joe: do we know what their intended work is going to be in the new room? A community center, N/A i mean A/A and had a group, have things changed? What's their plan?
  • Yar: the plan right now is that VOl is just an office, a way for Joey to maintain that relationship wtih Omni. The reason that AA/NA stopped was because those groups had their cars broken in at Omni and didn't want to be coming to Omni anymore, that's when Joey started falling behind on rent
  • Joe: what room are they asking for?
  • John: the one that used to be LL office, the 2nd story one next to the stage?
  • Patrik: I thought they were going to continue using one of the three rooms in the basement
  • Yar: yes, the easternmost room of the three rooms, in the basement, for $300
  • Vikram: outstanding questions we want to revisit our communities? But we have quorum in case people want to vote on something
  • John: I propose that we agree to the use of the easternmost of the small three rooms, until further notice
  • Yar: how about we empower the finance group to use their best judgment in negotiating the rent change
  • Christian: John can i get information about Liberated Lens for my brother who is very interested
  • Vikram: I like voting on the room and empowering the finance group to negotiate
  • PROPOSAL: approve VOL use of basement room closest to Shattuck for $300. empower the finance group to use their best judgment in negotiating the rent change/ back rent forgiveness
  • CONSENSUS: YES (ccl/patrik fnb/joe john/LL paige/SR); ABSTAIN (); BLOCK ()
  • Email to Consensus list Oct2:
    • I hope this message finds you well. We, the Village of Love, have been a valued tenant at the Omni Commons for some time now. However, due to certain circumstances, we find it necessary to make a request regarding our office rental arrangement. Over the past several months, our operations have been somewhat inactive, prompting us to consider downsizing our office space within the Omni Commons.
    • Our proposal is to relocate to a smaller room, specifically the one adjacent to Shattuck Street, which would better align with our current needs and budget constraints. We kindly request that this room be made available to us at a monthly rental rate of $300. Furthermore, we would like to discuss the possibility of rent forgiveness for the months we have been unable to fully utilize our office space this year. We understand that circumstances have been challenging for many, and we believe that a temporary adjustment in our rental terms would greatly assist us during these times. We genuinely value our partnership with the Omni Commons and hope to continue our positive relationship as tenants.
    • We are open to discussing this proposal further and are committed to working together to find a mutually beneficial solution. Thank you for your understanding and consideration. We look forward to hearing from you soon to arrange a meeting or discuss the details of this proposal.

website upgrade

  • Delegates allocated $2K for website. Do we have anyone to do this? is anyone taking charge of finding someone?
  • top priorities: events front page, and new page showing which rooms are available for rent
  • yar: yes, we hired a designer and had our first meeting this morning. hoping to have at least a prototype in a couple weeks, then iterate for a month or so after that.
  • patrik: we need a page showing empty rooms ASAP. with photos, suggested price. include problematic rooms and say why they're problematic, like the ticket office
    • Yar offers to put up such a page, if someone else makes the content
  • building wg will try to put volunteers on cleaning up for the photos.
  • paige - will ask the building working group re. photos

bogss

  • yar proposes to appoint a transitional bogss team, whose sole purpose is to schedule, organize and recruit for the next congress. Start by having collectives identify people who are interested in being involved. Figure out communication channel. Organize election event
    • Paige: most sudo folks unwilling to get involved in Omni drama
    • Joe: FNB has a POC member willing to join congress
    • John: haven't really discussed it in LL; fully occupied in documentary film project. Will try to participate when BOGSS congress is called
    • Yar: maybe BOGSS process is not best first step - hold single meeting first? Talk to people individually?
    • Vikram: volunteered for CCL
      • Patrik: Theresa as well
    • Jake: was skeptical of BOGSS initially, but wound up supporting it. Asked for constructive criticism. People frustrated with political background quit. Structure was created in bad faith. Still a mechanism Omni needs, but maybe call it something else? Talked to people in Sudo, and nobody wanted to go anywhere near this. Break ties with CLP history. CLP still controls email.
      • Patrik: wouldn't mind calling it DEI committee - Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. Probably not something an old white guy like me should decide though.
  • joe also would like to see opportunities for larger circles of people to talk about these issues
  • Yar volunteers to be part of team to organize.
  • Vikram volunteers as well. Make sure to extricate from CLP influence
    • Paige: BOGSS contact email was actually spelled wrong: boggs
  • PROPOSAL: yar and vikram will lead the bogss transition team
  • CONSENSUS: YES (ccl/patrik fnb/joe john/LL paige/SR); ABSTAIN (); BLOCK ()

media lab

  • they are only asking for fiscal sponsorship now; member collective application will come later
  • silver: been part of omni since 2018. lots of work the past 6 months. training folks on machines. Swewing cohorts. Want to start doing memberships. finances going through Silver's Venmo so far - asking for Omni fiscal sponsorship
  • June: started with sewing cohort, want to organize own classes
  • Vian: helping set up new collective, teaching screen printing. How do we talk about "all the hard stuff": race, class, etc. Facilitate fmonth focused on interpersonal stuff. There will be conflicts - build resiliency, genuine liking of each other, baseline of trust. Want to be in coversation, but need to be careful of personal capacity
  • John: just heads-up of future member collective?
    • Silver: $12K going through my own Venmo so far - would like bank account, fiscal sponsorship, etc.
  • Joe: how do thisngs work?
    • Silver: teaching sewing cohort 8-10 people. Sliding scale. Have been tracking and holding that money, want to put it back into sewing class. People can take indiv sewing classes with Cici. $50-100 membership, sliding scale. Free weekly sewing class w Cici. One-off sewing teachers give 30% of revenue to Omni, keep rest.
  • Patrik: cleanliness/tidyness was a problem in the past.
    • Silver: managed to get things cleaned up and keeping it organized. Cici brings creativity and expertise; Silver can help keep things under control
  • PROPOSAL: offer fiscal sponsorship for Media Lab
  • CONSENSUS: YES (paige/sr john/LL joe/FNB patrik/CCL); ABSTAIN (); BLOCK ()

fundraising

  • john: still meeting. working on 2-3 grants due mid-Nov, some may come in before end year. Need short testimonies from collectives: What is great about Omni? Will send out prompt to consensus list
  • jake: also need a new lender. still trying to find one. they all say "give me a one-page pro forma showing how you expect finances to work going into the future, and info on collateral value". i asked sarah, but she's overworked. told me to look through folders. if anyone else is putting together materials, please help.
  • patrik: we authorized dk to work on that. He also brought up the ide to get a community land trust involved - they would hold title to the land and make sure it remains in community use.
  • yar: feedback from dk was that he needs materials to show people. especially showcasing the team. funders want to meet people and know they have their eyes on the ball, in order to feel confident.
  • John: banks etc want to see individual people with clearly defined roles. Organize for more effective government. We've done amazing job keeping Omni going as collective of collectives, but that doesn't sell well to banks, finance folks.

officers

  • just a reminder that we still need a new secretary to replace jacqi

roof

  • any updates or clarity on the project to fix the roof
  • skipped for now. phil is working with contractors.

woman life freedom

  • proposal to endorse the grassroots movement of iranians, in solidarity with our iranian community members
  • iranian americans have said that they feel less safe at omni, because we appeared to be endorsing "regimi" viewpoints with our associations. this will be a small step in repairing that harm.
  • Yar: had some pushback from FNB member, around dovetailing with US govt. but it was a nonblocking concern. Anonymous Iranian pushed back on those concerns on email list. in that convo it became clear that we're endorsing the broad movement and not any particular faction.
  • patrik: also want to support other oppressed peoples: Palestinians, Uyghurs in China, Rohingya in Myanmar, etc.
  • vikram: alt right movements in deep south also scary.
  • paige: where do we put something like this? founding document?
  • yar: i think step 1 is to establish this as a shared value. it's in the meeting notes. how we communicate it is another thing.
  • CONSENSUS: YES (paige/sr john/LL joe/FNB patrik/CCL); ABSTAIN (); BLOCK ()

BDS

  • yar proposes for omni to endorse BDS against israel. to vote on next meeting.
    • broad support in meeting, but it will take 2 weeks of discussion on language
  • we hope that nobody at omni is anti-palestinian or pro-settler colonialism. we will spend the next two weeks making sure of it.

Discussion

  • Vian: some sort of Restorative Justive process is important. Get into deeper conversations. About continued relationships. Healing necessary and really powerful.

End of Meeting

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