East Bay DSA 

Steering Committee Meeting Agenda

December 19th, 2021

2-4 pm

Settle in

1. Steering committee members welcomed by the chairs

Approval of Agenda

1. Approved by Acclimation

Committee Reports [3 minutes]

1. Treasurer
2. Recording Secretary

• Last Steering Committee Vote

1. Resolution to Hire Lindsey Moore to Organize a Fundraising Campaign from January to April - Amanded - PASSED - 6 Yes, 4 no, 1 abstain
2. VOTE: Resolution For T-Shirt Screen-Printing Funds (Amended) PASSED - 10 yes and 1 friendly abstain. 
3. Resolution to Launch a Berkeley Police Budget Reallocation Campaign (amended) - FAILED: 3 yes, 7 no

• Last General Meeting Votes

1. Resolution to Hire Lindsey Moore to Organize a Fundraising Campaign from January to April - PASSED Yes 57/ No 45
2. Resolution Calling for Greater Accountability for Rep. Jamaal Bowman and increased transparency by the NPC on their decision [amended] PASSED - 84 yes / 1 passed

• EMail Votes

1. EBDSA RESOLUTION ENDORSING 2021 INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS DAY IN SAN FRANCISCO - Passed 10 yes and 3 abstains
2. East Bay DSA Resolution to Join the SaveCASolar Coalition was tabled to this meeting
3. Resolution to co-sponsor the forum “Haiti’s Crisis and the Popular Resistance” has 7 votes, which technically passed. 

Consent Agenda 

Resolution to Explore 2022 Oakland Ballot Measure Campaigns

• Jess B., Lindsey M., Renée P. and Neder G-S

Whereas East Bay DSA decided at our 2021 convention to set Class Struggle Elections in general, and ballot measures in particular, as one of our four chapter priorities; and

Whereas the Electoral Committee is tasked with overseeing East Bay DSA’s electoral program; and

Whereas a coalition including SEIU Local 1021, IFTPE Local 21, and Oakland City Councilmember and DSA member Carroll Fife is drafting a ballot measure campaign to increase Oakland’s business receipts tax in order to fund city workers and vital social services for the working class;

Whereas there is potential to bring a coalition together around a second ballot measure that could fund specific city services, such as social housing or pre-K, and signatures for this second ballot measure could be gathered at relatively low added work and;

Whereas ballot measure campaigning is strategic because it allows us to canvass all of Oakland with a “tax the rich to fund the people” message and easily incorporate specific Oakland candidates if they are endorsed in the future; and

Whereas Renée P. and Neder G-S. sit on the organizing committee of the Electoral Committee and are experienced electoral organizers in our chapter;

Therefore be it resolved Renée P. and Neder G-S. are appointed representatives of the Electoral Committee to the corporate tax ballot measure coalition and;

Therefore be it resolved the Electoral Committee may start pilot canvassing in Oakland, in order to test out “Tax the Rich” deep canvassing raps and gather information on important issues for working class constituents in Oakland and;

Therefore be it resolved that East Bay DSA’s Electoral Committee will explore potential other ballot measures to draft and gather signatures for alongside the corporate tax ballot measure and;

Therefore be it resolved that as soon as ballot measure language is finalized and before real signature gathering and campaigning commences, the Electoral Committee will start an official endorsement process and bring an endorsement resolution forward to the general membership.

Moderated by Annika

Motivated by Neder

• Q&A
• DEBATE
• Call to Question:
• VOTE - Approved by Acclimation

New Business

Resolution to Approve a Contract to Hire Lindsey M

• Submitted by Shane R, Annika B, and Andrew R

Whereas, the December General Membership meeting and November Steering Committee meeting approved a plan to hire Lindsey M for a fundraising campaign,

Therefore be it resolved, the East Bay DSA Steering Committee approves the attached contract to hire Lindsey M

Moderated by Annika

Motivated by Shane R

Q&A

• AMENDMENT - Therefore be it resolved that the chairs of the chapter will send out a report of hours worked and tasks completed to all Steering Committee members once a month (before the respective month’s Steering Committee meeting) for the duration of the pilot period, and have time set aside for further questions on the agenda of every Steering Committee meeting for the duration of the pilot period.
• SECONDED by Benny Z and Max M
• MOTIVATED by Neder
• Q&A Shane: Move time to executive section? Neder: no objections. 
• DEBATE - Move to vote
• VOTE: Unanimous Yes [2 absences]

RESOLUTION DEBATE HIGHLIGHTS:

• Against: not clear what the difference between volunteer and paid work. 
• MOTION: to committee as a whole; seconded by Neder;
• VOTE - Pass - 8 Yes, 2 no, 1 abstain. 
• Enter Committee of the Whole

RESOLUTION VOTE: Passed: 11 yes, 1 abstain. 

Resolution to Join the SaveCASolar Coalition

Submitted by Colette B, Igor T, Bonnie L

Whereas written in the DSA vision is that the organization will “garner broad support for coordinated statewide and regional campaigns that bring us in common struggle with working-class and progressive organizations”; and 

Whereas SaveCASolar is a statewide, working-class organization, campaign, and coalition that is currently endorsed by the San Diego DSA; and

Whereas DSA contains an Ecosocialist Working Group whose mission is to “publicize actions, events, campaigns, disaster responses across the nation” and to “help build local power for climate & environmental justice with the backing of a national ecosocialist network”; and

Whereas SaveCASolar is a local campaign with an environmental focus that would benefit greatly from DSA’s ecosocialist perspective and contribution; 

Therefore be it resolved that the East Bay DSA will endorse the coalition for the SaveCASolar campaign, involving representation of the organization by signing onto a letter to Governor Newsom to protect rooftop solar accessibility; and

Be it further resolved that East Bay DSA will continue their endorsement of the campaign and involvement with the mission by spreading the word to the organization’s members about SaveCASolar events and calls to action until the campaign comes to a close following the January 2022 CPUC decision.

Moderated by Andrew R

Motivated by Igor T

• Q&A
• DEBATE
• VOTE - FAILED 10 no’s

Resolution on Resolutions

Submitted by: Max M (At-Large)

WHEREAS resolutions are an important internal deliberative and democratic tool to achieve and communicate consensus around strategy and tactics in member-run organizations.

WHEREAS resolutions do not generate member engagement. Instead, they should reflect an existing desire of members to carry out a specific plan with specific goals and required resources.

WHEREAS the rules regarding the requirements for submitting resolutions are a bit unclear.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that resolutions require a baseline of support to be submitted. Support means that people verbally or in writing agree to cosign or co-submit the resolution. This support should consist of one of the following:

• Five (5) EBDSA chapter members in good standing
• One (1) EBDSA elected leader - committee co-chair, steering committee at-large, chapter chair or vice-chair

THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that only steering committee members may motivate resolutions

Moderate by Shane R

Motivated by Max M

Q&A

AMENDMENTS Hasan, second by Benny 

1. ADD “[...resolutions] coming before the Steering Committee [require...]” to “ that resolutions require a baseline of support to be submitted.” 

• VOTE:Approved by acclamation

1. Replace one with both in “This support should consist of one of the following...“

• AMENDMENT DEBATE
• AMENDMENT VOTE:
• FAILS - 5 yes, 6 no

RESOLUTION DEBATE

• MOTION to extend time by 10 minutes, seconded by Kat O 
• MOTION VOTE: 7 yes, 3 no

• RESOLUTION VOTE: 7 yes, 2 no  

Meeting Adjourned at 4