510-595-4661
Greens@richmondgreens.net

Richmond Greens Bylaws

Approved March 21, 2003

Mission Statement
The Richmond Greens (RG), in seeking certification as a local of the Green Party of Contra Costa,
define and understand ourselves as an association of residents of Richmond, California, and neighbors
and friends, working to make the Ten Key Green Values, which are the bases of the Green Party, a reality
in our city and in the world.

We seek to establish a credible alternative voice and a viable successful political force in the City of Richmond to transform our city and its many communities through the application of the Green Values of Social Justice, Community-Based Economics, Non-Violence, Decentralization, Future Focus/Sustainability, Feminism, Personal and Global Responsibility, Respect for diversity, Grassroots Democracy, and Ecological Wisdom. In doing so, we converge with the many Greens in different cities of Contra Costa County to participate in the Green Party of Contra Costa.
Our motto, "For the Greening of Richmond!" summarizes our commitment to the Green values, the Green Party and our activist dedication.

Meetings
General Membership meetings are held monthly. Everyone is invited to attend General Membership meetings and to discuss issues of local, regional, national, and/or global concern. A person does not have to be a registered Green to attend these meetings. These meetings will be advertised widely (website, e-mail list), and no one will be excluded from attending or speaking, within the constraints of the time limitations and priorities. Agenda items will be received by the Meetings Coordinator.

Membership and Voting
The Richmond Greens will always strive for consensus on issues, but if consensus is not reached after a reasonable period of time, the Richmond Greens may make a decision by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of those members present at a General Membership meeting.
From time to time, the RG will take stands on local or regional issues and/or make endorsements in local or regional elections. Only registered active members of the RG may cast a vote on these matters. Registered active membership in the Richmond Greens local is defined by the following criteria.

The person:
1) Is currently a registered voter in the Green Party.
2) Has attended four general RG meetings in the past 12 months,including the meeting in which votes are cast.

The RG may choose to take stands or not on issues and/or candidates primarily affecting Richmond, but not exclusively.

Steering Committee Election
The RG will elect a five-member Steering Committee to oversee the day-to-day operations of the RG a
nd make urgent decisions that cannot reasonably wait for the next general meeting. Steering Committee
members serve for a period of one year. Elections are held at the April General Membership meeting.
Only registered Green Party members can be elected to the RG Steering Committee.

Election Process
Each general member who attends the April General Membership meeting may cast five votes for the
Steering Committee. Members may cast more than one vote for a single candidate. Members can cast
a vote for themselves if they are candidates . Only Green Party affiliated persons can be candidates to the Steering Committee, but all attendees to the general membership meeting. Those five candidates receiving the highest number of votes are elected to the Steering Committee. In case of a tie vote, a run-off election will be held to break the tie. The first RG Steering Committee will be elected during the April 2003 general membership meeting. At this first meeting, neither Green party affiliation nor attendance to past Richmond Greens meetings will be requirement for voting. In subsequent elections of the Steering Committee members, participation in at least four general membership meetings in a 12 month period will be required for candidacy to the Steering Committee as well as for casting votes. Green Party affiliation will continue to be a requirement for candidacy to the Steering Committee, but not for casting votes ( A member of the Richmond Greens who has not yet Registered Green could not be a candidate for the Steering Committee, but is entitled to cast votes for the different candidates, as long as he or she has been an active Richmond Greens member as judged by attendance to at least four meetings out of 12, including the one of the vote.)

(Continued next column)

Powers
The Steering Committee is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the RG, including meeting planning,
press releases, community outreach, finance decisions, etc. The Steering Committee may appoint general
members of the RG to help with activities. The steering committee has the power to take stands on issues
or make endorsements of candidates only when urgent circumstances do not permit delay on the matter until
the next meeting. All actions of the steering committee require either consensus or at least four votes (80 percent).

RG Treasurer
The Steering Committee will also appoint one member of the RG to function as the RG treasurer and to learn
and navigate the group financial aspects withing all the requirements of federal, state and local laws. The treasurer
will be appointed for a year and the appointment can be renewed without term limits.

Meetings Coordinator
The Steering Committee will also appoint one member of the RG to the function of RG Meetings Coordinator
and to help prepare the RG monthly general membership meetings both in format and content.

Resignation
If a Steering Committee member resigns mid-term, an election will be scheduled for an upcoming General
Membership meeting. The person elected will serve out the remainder of that one-year term. If a Steering
Committee member fails to attend three consecutive General Membership meetings, that person is assumed
to have resigned from the Steering Committee and an election will be held to fill that vacancy.

Organization of Members
(Neighborhood's Green Trios, Associations, and Caucuses)
The RG will strive to decentralize Green activism and to promote local grass-root democracy and respect
for the diversity in Richmond. Richmond has approximately forty different neighborhoods and neighborhoods
associations. Richmond also has a rich diversity of cultures, races and ethnicities. The RG will promote the formation of small groups of Green Trios to activate in each of the neighborhoods and to bring their experience and understanding of the area and their people to the general membership meetings. Similar structures will be accepted for associations and caucuses representing specific issues or cultures rather than geographies.

Bylaws Revision
In general, the review and changes of the RG bylaws will be accepted by the Steering Committee and
presented for discussion and vote once a year, in the first months of each year, and preceding each April
General Membership and steering committee electoral meeting. These bylaws will only be revised by consensus
or a vote of 80 percent or more of those members present at a General Membership meeting which has at least
10 members present.
On occasion, under special circumstances, a petition to revise the bylaws which is endorsed by five members of
the RG will be consider on an urgency bases. Specific bylaws changes are to be first introduced at a General
Membership meeting and then either adopted or not adopted at the subsequent General Membership meeting.
If any modifications are made to the proposed bylaw changes at the second meeting, final adoption must be held
over to the next subsequent meeting.

Request to the Green Party of Contra Costa
With the above statement of purpose and organizational description we, The Richmond Greens, formally request
our inclusion as a local (city local) of the Green Party of Contra Costa (county local) . We also request that the
Green Party of Contra Costa includes in the Green Party of Contra Costa County Council two seats for West
Contra Costa County, at least until the next electoral cycle.

Richmond Greens
P.O. Box 160 Station "A"
Richmond, CA 94808-0160
(510) 496-2722
richmondgreens@richmondgreens.net