Steve Mendelsohn

Your C and B committee has been busy: collecting data about what the law requires of our governing documents; gathering best practices information on how other successful membership organizations manage their affairs; and discussing the important decisions we must make.

It goes without saying that we need the input of all CCB members in this work. To that end, we are holding a series of town hall meetings designed to update you on our work, seek your answers to key questions, and answer any questions you may have. The first session, on June 7th, will probably have occurred before you read this announcement, but there will be many more opportunities. Keep up with the California Connection for times and dates.

From our work so far, we know that one governing document will no longer meet our needs. Because of legal requirements surrounding state registration, stewardship of funds, and compliance with tax and other laws, we will need bylaws. These set out the board's legal responsibilities and the commitments the organization must make in order to comply with applicable laws and in order to be certified to engage in effective fund-raising. In addition, for the achievement of our internal goals of continued self-government and membership control, we will need one or more other governing policy documents dealing with the matters covered in our constitution.

We will further explain this, address other matters, seek your input and answer your questions through these town halls and through a variety of other outreach efforts.

Thank you from your Constitution and Bylaws Committee for your continued interest.

Gabe Griffith chair; members: Sarah Harris, David Jackson, Steven Mendelsohn, Roger Petersen, and Frank Welte.