Minutes

November 6, 2015

Minutes

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October 2015 General Meeting Minutes

Culver City Democratic Club – 62 Years

General Membership Meeting – Veterans Auditorium Rotunda

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

  1. Call to Order at 7:15 p.m. by Khin Khin Gyi, 1st Vice President.
  1. Pledge of Allegiance – Led by Bill Wynn, past CCDC president.
  1. Approval of September 9, 2015 Minutes. Moved by Neil Rubenstein, seconded by Margaret Lindgren. Motion passed.
  2. Announcements:
  1. Meeting Sponsorships - $50 to sponsor a meeting if you wish to honor someone. See Sylvia
  2. LAACDP Countdown to 2016 Summit for Democratic activists and club members, Oct. 25, CSU Los Angeles
  3. Mim Shapiro turned 93 last week! Happy Birthday to Mim!
  4. Franklin & Eleanor Roosevelt Democrat of the Year Dinner, Nov. 8, Hyatt Regency Long Beach. Early bird price, $115.
  5. Bill Wynn spoke of his reaction to the Democratic Candidates Debate in Las Vegas last night at a “watch party.”
  6. Disa Lindgren offered another “Black Lives Matter” poster. Brandon was the lucky recipient.
  7. Disa thanked Stephen Murray for getting out the post card mailer for Dr. Kelly Kent.
  1. Officer Report
  1. Treasurer’s Report (Eric Fine) Total funds as of September 30, 2015 are $4,766.06. Joel moved to reimburse Eric. Margaret seconded that. Motion carried.
  2. Membership (Diane Rosenberg) 130 paid members. Guests: George and Ann Daughtery. www.CulverCityDemocraticClub.com/RENEW.
  3. Fundraising (Amy Cherness) – Raffle prizes were handmade ceramic bowl and other items. Tickets $5 for 6 tickets or $1 for 1. Working on a fundraising activity at Menchies (February).
  4. Outreach (Sylvia) no report.
  5. Correspondence (Stephen Murray) Stephen shared the endorsement postcard that he and Greg worked on.
  6. Legislative/Community Issues (Nyabingi Kuti) – Khin Khin reported on the recently signed legislation: Right to die legislative action, Equality for women in the workplace, the DMV voter law
  1. Program: Mansionization: Sara Hartley, Iain Gulin, Philip Lelyveld. Iain Gulin, involved in real estate and development, who lives in the Carlson Park area, spoke for the public about raising the awareness of mansionization. Mansionization means replacing older homes and with larger developments. New homes 3000+sf. The homes are 3 times larger of what they are replacing. In the short run, the market demand drives up prices. Parks, schools and community adds value to homes. Those who live next to mansions lose value. Many areas of Los Angeles have fought Mansionization. City Planning Commission has held 3 study sessions but their recommendation are inadequate and problematic, according to Iain. We need unbiased experts and resident input as the issue is complex. Philip Lelyveld, degrees in engineering and science, a Culver City resident. A limit on fences as walls block light, airflow, shadow and privacy. Cannot put a light on top of your fences. Regulations for “a good neighbor” policy. Mansionization sometimes removes trees. Philip addressed filtering (light, flow, privacy) not size. Preserving the character and stability” of existing Culver City neighborhoods. Sara Hartley, architect and city planner, who looks at zoning and planning codes for cities. The CC Planning Commission has not considered hiring a professional (unbiased) consultant. Sara discussed “set backs” and the changes. She voiced that there are various conditions and should be considered and regarded in various the circumstances. Website: livableculver.org. Discussion and question and answer period followed. This was about responsible zoning, according to the speakers. There was no representative to discuss another point of view.
  1. Announcements
  1. Executive Board Meeting will be held Saturday, October 31 at 10 a.m. at Pat Levinson’s home.
  2. Next General Meeting is Wednesday, November 11, 2015.
  3. Bill spoke favorably about Pat Levinson’s response to a CC newspaper article, Sylvia’s keynote column on violence and the democratic process.
  4. Sylvia mentioned that we are looking into creating a sub-committee to discuss the process of voting for endorsements.
  5. Sylvia invited people to join Common Cause’s email list. She’s looking to recruit people to join Common Cause’s issue/group/non-partisan.
  6. Stephen announced a “No Fly” date on Oct. 24 between 11 am. – 12 noon at City Hall.
  7. Sylvia announced the Convention pre-endorsement - we have 5 slots for attendance.
VIII. Meeting adjourned at 9:13 p.m. Moved by Joel Peck, seconded by Khin Khin. Approved. Respectfully submitted, Pat Levinson, Recording Secretary

October 6, 2015

Minutes

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September 2015 General Meeting Minutes

Culver City Democratic Club – 63nd Anniversary Year

Saturday, September 26, 2015

Executive Board Meeting

Culver City Democratic Club.com The Rosenberg’s Home

Present were: Diane and Herb Rosenberg, Khin Khin Gyi, Eric Fine, Sylvia Moore, Amy Cherness, Pat Levinson, Nyabingi Kuti, and Stephen Murray.
  1. Called to Order at 10:17 a.m. by Khin Khin Gyi.
  2. Minutes of August 31, 2015, Motion to approve by Amy, seconded by Khin Khin. One abstention. Motion approved.
  3. Recap of September events:
  1. Speaker: CCUSD School Candidates Forum: Made front page coverage in CC News newspaper.
  2. Sylvia is appointing a voting practices sub-committee, which will include Sylvia, Stephen and 1 member at large to comprise the committee.
  3. Councilmember Clarke stated that only voting members should be making comments at the end. The guidelines, distributed by Greg, indicated that only club members will be allowed to make comments. This is not included in the By-Laws. This will be discussed with former presidents: Greg, Darryl, Gary, Karlo and Bill. Once considered, whatever is determined will be included in the By-Laws.
  4. Pat, Eric and Khin Khin will collaborate on a response to the CC News article.
  1. Officer Reports
  1. Treasurer (Eric) – Starting balance on August 1st was $4,431.03. Ending balance for August 31, 2015 is $4,289.72. Received a bill for tax preparation from Durkee for $31.17. Received a bill from Crummitt & Associates for $890.44. Stephen will investigate and survey other clubs’ accounting services.
  2. Membership (Diane) – 129 members. Checks for $240 for dues from last general meeting. Mostly renewals.
  3. Outreach (Sylvia) – Thanked Stephen for sending out notices for Kelly Kent’s fundraisers. Stephen reported that we have access to a “walk list.” He can sort in any manner. Sylvia encouraged some of our group to write a comment on Ari’s online blog supporting Kelly Kent.
  4. Fundraising (Amy) – Still working with the Hamburger Mary date, contacting Roxie. She’ll try to early December. Either Wednesdays or Sundays. Fundraiser at Menchies where you get a certain percentage of sales. Sugar-free or lactose-free options? For October.
  5. Correspondence (Stephen) - Sent a letter of our Minimum Wage Resolution to City Council. Karlo asked for an analysis of data. Wanted 3000 names for School Board elections. Preferred sorting would be those who voted in previous elections. Stephen created a sample flyer for our School Board endorsement mailing. Stephen will talk with Greg about targeting 3-4000 democratic mailboxes. In our current By-Laws, we cannot endorse a non-registered Democrat. Bernie Sanders is registered as an Independent, not as a Democrat. We need to incorporate new language into our By-Laws. Stephen will reconvene a meeting of the By-Laws committee.
  6. Legislative Committee (Nyabingi) – Update on the Diversion Resolution. The Resolution’s Committee of the LACDP did not respond. Marqueese Harris-Dawson, Mark Ridley-Thomas and Karen Bass had a town center on the lack of resources of in south LA. More violence in Palms, too. Asking LAPD to invest more money in gang violence & prevention and jobs. Nyabingi will keep the Club informed on this information and process. Stephen recommending that we create a resolution on “Black Lives Matter.”
Sylvia mentioned that Campaign Zero is in concert with “Black Lives Matter” campaign. This will be on the agenda for the next Executive Board meeting.
  1. Hospitality (Herb) – Herb also picks up mail from the post office. Combination of fruit and other items to be served at the meeting.
  1. Upcoming Meetings/Events: Topics for next meetings:
October 14 –Mansionization: Iain M. Gulin, Sara Hartley and Phil Lelyveld as panelists. Sylvia will be the moderator. Need pro mansionization panelists. Stephen will look into another panelists. Nominating committee to be appointed. Two appointed from Exec. Bd. And 3 elected from the floor. November 11 - Meghan Sahli Wells and the mayor of Santa Monica will be discussing minimum wage v. “living wage.” Khin Khin has confirmed her participation. Nominations from the Nominating Committee. December 9 – Have senatorial candidate Kamala Harris. Stephen will invite. Endorsement vote would follow. Along with the usual party. Or a Robert Greenwald film, Greenwald speaking (and popcorn). Bill will invite.
  1. Old Business
A. Barbara Lee (HR 1111) creation of a Dept. of Peace. Stephen will write a letter to Barbara Lee that we passed this in support of her bill.
  1. New Business –
  1. Membership drives hitched to endorsement voting sessions v. before the end of the year.
  2. Attend City Hall to discuss “minimum wage” resolution. This Monday, Sept. 28 at City Hall.
  1. –Announcements
  1. Roosevelt Dinner in Long Beach, Sunday, November 8.
  2. Yearly Club Seminar all day at CSULA on Sunday, October 25. All interested Democrats are invited. Lunch provided. Free.
  3. Next Executive Board Meeting will be on October 31, Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Ronnie & Tom’s home. (If they can’t accommodate, then either Pat or the Rosenbergs will hold the meeting.)
Eric moved to adjourn, Amy seconded. Motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 12:20 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Pat Levinson, Recording Secretary

August 6, 2015

Minutes

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July 2015 General Meeting Minutes

Culver City Democratic Club – 63 Years

General Membership Meeting – Veterans Auditorium Rotunda

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

  1. Call to Order at 7:03 p.m. by Sylvia Moore, President.
  2. Pledge of Allegiance – led by Herb Rosenberg.
  3. Approval of June 10, 2015 Minutes. Moved to approve by Margaret Lindgren, Sy Levine seconded. Approved.
  4. Announcements: Recap of 4th of July picnic at Carlson Park. 50-60 people. Visited by Diane Watson. Cameron Onumah from Dianne Feinstein’s office is a guest today. Carlene Brown announced a house party hosted by Michelle Weiner in coordination with MoveOn.org on Sunday, July 19 at 5:30 p.m. Contact her at: Michmobile2011@gmail.com Carlene has information about Bernie Sanders’ campaign. Khin Khin reported the CAP (Community Action Panel) meeting reporting the ground results. Scott McBarish announcing the “15 for 15” campaign and looking for community partners; also the Project Labor Agreement with the CCUSD. Scott is Co-founder of United Parents of Culver City and they interested in Education Reform. Scott@forgreatschools.org. Fiesta La Ballona was reported by Tom Camarella and he put out a call for volunteers to sit at the booth for a couple of hours on one or two days. The Fiesta La Ballona booth is active Saturday and Sunday, August 29-30, 2015 at the Vet’s Park. Sylvia announced, “Healthcare not Jails” in LA sponsored by many organizations on July 11 2-5pm at the Village at Ed Gould Plaza. Sylvia announced that she is the newly appointed So. Cal Director for Common Cause. Action to stop the oil trains will be held Saturday at 12 noon at Union Station. More information: Michmobile2011@gmail.com.
  5. Meeting Sponsorships - $50 to sponsor a meeting if you wish to honor someone. See Sylvia.
  6. Officer Reports
  1. Treasurer’s Report (Eric Fine) Total funds as of June 30, 2015 are $4,510.24. We have one election this year, but 3 elections next year. We still owe Greg Valtierra for creating the Newsletter.
  2. Membership (Diane Rosenberg) 115 paid members. www.CulverCityDemocraticClub.com/RENEW. New promotions for new members: buy a membership and get a free DVD. Membership eligibility reminder for September CC School Board endorsement forum. Summer memberships begin at $45 for this and next year. Guests Cameron Onumah and Thomas Small.
  3. Fundraising (Amy Cherness) – Raffle, prizes were described. We will be getting Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton buttons and T-shirts to sell at the Fiesta booth. Tickets $5 for 6 tickets or $1 for 1. Working on the Hamburger Mary Drag Queen Bingo event.
  4. Outreach (Sylvia Moore) – Facebook, Meet-up.com; Fan page.
  5. Correspondence (Stephen Murray) No report
  6. Legislation (Nyabingi Kuti) No report. Sylvia presented the Peacebuilding Resolution and Pat read the first page. A printed resolution was NOT available. Margaret Lindgren moved to accept the Peacebuilding Resolution by Congresswoman Barbara Lee. No second. Joel moved that the Executive Board vote on the matter, Tom Camarella seconded it. Motion passed. Resolution goes to the Executive Board. Tom Camarella reported on the passage of the NY Fracking ban. California, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin have legislation pending.
  1. Program –C. Tom Williams, Ph.D. speaking on “Fracking and Beyond” followed by audience Q & A. SB 4: A bill that was passed and signed by Gov. Brown 3 years ago. 30 years with Parsons of Pasadena, worked on an oil rig, environmental work, Sierra Club, Coalition for Save Community, etc. Dr. Tom spoke about the world’s largest surface oil field right here in Baldwin Hills. In 1960, oil derricks were replaced with directional drilling. No more vertical wells anymore. The Inglewood Field goes down to 3000 feet. Culver City is included in this field. Concern about earthquakes because of structural traps. High risks for fracking that effects the environment – yet EPA says “no evidence.” AQMD only required a notice when wells were stimulated. Division of Oil Gas and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR) was formed. Now well simulation is being regulated as a result of Fran Pavley SB 4. Water boards have to review groundwater and ponds at the expense of the oil industry. Air Board monitor emissions and ponds. The drought has impacted injection.
Drills are now able to go10,000 feet under the surface in any direction. SCAQMD gave out a lot of information about drilling. Leaking oil and gas in buildings in Carson-Carousel district – toxic, odors, and cancers. If you smell an odor coming from wells, you can complain to AQMD. If you are within 1500 feet of a well that is fracking, you have a case. Complaints occurred at USC-University, W. Adams, Jefferson/Budlong, Pico/Genesee, Beverly Center/San Vicente, Cheviot Hills, Beverly Hills, Playa del Rey, and Sawtelle/NW405. Other cities are being concerned with the risks v. benefits. Culver City had a moratorium on fracking. Waiting to develop a specific plan. Who’s benefitting from oil and gas production? Stay on top of the ground. CC need to prohibit, restrict, permit or limit temporary heavy industrial equipment (pumps that frack.) Fracking is not production. Fracking breaks up the rocks so it can produce easier extraction. We have codes to reduce public exposure to risks. Q & A followed.
  1. Announcements
  1. Executive Board Meeting will be held on Sunday, July 19 at the home of Herb & Diane Rosenberg at 3 p.m.
  2. Fiesta La Ballona – There will be a booth on Saturday and Sunday, August 29 & 30. Please join us for the Friday afternoon CCDC gathering at the Wine Booth on August 28. See Tom for sign-ups.
  3. Next General Meeting is Wednesday, August 12, 2015.
  4. Charlotte spoke about how informative Chief Bixby was and the incident that occurred to her at the Ralph’s. She had a visit from CCPD to discuss her matter. Chief Bixby wrote a note of thanks for her input.
IX. Meeting adjourned in memory of former Del. Attorney General Beau Biden and the victims of the massacre at the Emmanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Moved by Eric Fine, seconded by Darryl. Motion passed. Meeting adjourned at 9:06 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Pat Levinson, Recording Secretary

July 6, 2015

Minutes

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June 2015 General Meeting Minutes

Culver City Democratic Club – 63 Years

General Membership Meeting – Veterans Auditorium Rotunda

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

  1. Call to Order at 7:07 p.m. by Sylvia Moore, President.
  2. Pledge of Allegiance – led by Neil Rubenstein.
  3. Approval of May 13, 2015 Minutes. Moved to approve by Darryl as corrected, seconded by Theo. Approved.
  4. Announcements:
  5. Meeting Sponsorships - $50 to sponsor a meeting if you wish to honor someone. See Sylvia.
  6. Fourth of July Picnic, Carlson Park, from 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. under the covered benches. The Club has reserved the space. Club furnishes the charcoal and watermelon. Bingo with prizes.
  7. Officer Reports
  1. Treasurer’s Report (Eric Fine) Total funds as of April 30, 2015 were: $4,715.61 and May 31, 2015 were $4,319.18.
  2. Membership (Diane Rosenberg) 114 paid members. www.CulverCityDemocraticClub.com/RENEW. New promotions for new members: buy a membership and get a free DVD. Membership eligibility reminder for September CC School Board endorsement forum.
  3. Fundraising (Amy Cherness) – Raffle, prizes were described. Tickets $5 for 6 tickets or $1 for 1.
  4. Outreach (Sylvia Moore) – Completed our MOE (Mobilize, Organize, Elect) application to send out information to boost our membership.
  5. Correspondence (Stephen Murray) Executive Board approved AB 356 to set up ground water standards for wells. It failed in the 3rd reading in the Assembly. Stephen reported on the CCDC State Convention: Loretta Sanchez announced her candidacy for US Senate. Kamala Harris is running for US Senate (Barbara Boxer is retiring). Elizabeth Warren was outstanding. Channing Hawkins won the District 14 Director position, The following resolutions passed: Trans-Pacific Partnership, Better Working Conditions/Equality for Working Women; Repeal of Personal Beliefs Exemption to Mandatory Vaccinations; Fighting Inequality by Expanding Economic Opportunity; Rebuild CA by making the commercial property tax code fair; Calling the Republican Party to Stop Blocking Student Loan Debt Relief; Support of Divestment from Fossil Fuel Companies; Medical Aid and Transparency in Policy Encounters and Investigations, known as the “I Can’t Breathe” resolution; CA Senior Bill of Rights; Calling upon the Republican Party to Address Climate Change Now; and the Resolution in Opposition to Arctic Oil Drilling Permit.
  6. Legislation (Nyabingi Kuti) No quorum to vote on the resolution which was to be presented by Nyabingi calling for the release of County Incarceration Diversion Funds.
  1. Program –CC Police Chief Scott Bixby followed by audience Q & A. Chief Bixby is a “local hero,” living and going to school in Culver City. Worked patrol, investigations, narcotics and inter-agency task forces. Promoted to Chief in August 2014. Chief described departments and responsibilities (including the red light photo lights). Traffic, Property, Forensics, Records, Community Relations, Social Media, Neighborhood Watch, Investigation and Public Safety Bureau, IT, Personnel and Training (Continuous Professional Training); Adult Detectives, Robbery & Homicide, Burglary, Grand Theft Auto, Theft, Juvenile Detectives and Sex Crimes, School Resource Officer, Crime Impact Team, Vice and Narcotics, LA Impact Task Force; CalMet (targets methamphetamine); AB 109 Task Force (post release of parolees) with Gardena, Hawthorne and Inglewood.
Measures of effectiveness: 1) Response time; 2) Case clearance (45%); 3) Crime prevention (violent crime was up 4%); 4) Effective Traffic and Parking Enforcement; 5) Morale which includes accountability. A strategic plan is in place for crime reduction, organizational communication and those items above. Created the 5 “Ps”: 1) Proactive; 2) Professional; 3) Pride; 4) Passion; and 5) Partnership. Vehicles outfitted with dash cams. In process of researching body cams (he’s for it). Established a Parking Committee. Explorer Program Academy for youth (Scouts – Boy and Girl). Requesting a Crime Analyst position to crunch data. Approved for a Parking Supervisor. Getting a Records and Property Supervisor and a Senior Forensics Tech. In the process of “mental health training,” to establish dealing with issues on the street. Current events: unjustified use of force (of 50,000 contacts, 16 complaints, 4 were for use of force, none were sustained.) Community Outreach; Homeless Committee (My Brother’s Keeper); Checks and balances for arrests and MOU with LAPD who does the investigation if in the case of an officer involved shooting, Diversity in the police department is more diverse than the city itself. Recruitment on college campuses and military. Q and A followed. No racial profiling from this department. There is criminal profiling. Chief Bixby received only sleeping bags from the Dept of Defense – no assault weapons were received or requested. The department has several non-lethal means. Photo enforcement yellow phases are 2 seconds longer than other cities’ lights. Neil recommended that the Chief go weekly to Council Meetings to make himself available to the public. Neil also brought up the “shoot to kill” attitudes of other police departments. Chief addressed the mental health issues with this matter. Citizen Police Academy will be held in July. Gives the public a taste of what police go through in training (8 weeks). Charlotte spoke of a stolen wallet and lack of response from CCPD when she reported it. Chief Bixby said he’d follow up. Stephen addressed racial bias and arrests. Chief, although couldn’t spell out the stats, related that arrests were in alignment with the racial diversity of the city; Meghan Sahli-Wells reminded us of the social media that CCPD uses including Smart 911 (where the department receives your medical information, house description, names of children, etc..) which is available on CulverCityPD.org.; Animal Control services is under the department’s supervision.
  1. Resolution regarding the long-term unemployed (Darryl Cherness) – has yet to go to Executive Board.
  1. ByLaws Revision: New provisions required by the CA Democratic Party regarding club participation in Pre-Endorsement Conferences. Pat moved to accept the changes, Judy Alter seconded. Motion carried.
While other changes of the By-Laws will be reviewed, those presented tonight had a deadline of July 1.
  1. Announcements
  1. Executive Board Meeting will be held on Saturday, March 28, 2015 at Pat Levinson’s home at 10 a.m.
  2. Fiesta La Ballona – There will be a booth on Saturday and Sunday, August 29 & 30. Please join us for the Friday afternoon CCDC gathering at the Wine on August 28.
  3. Kelly Osajima from Evolve to talk about reforming Prop 13 to split corporations from residential taxes. She has asked someone to call in to a radio show, AirTalk on 89.3. Senator Loni Hancock will be on the radio to speak about “Make It Fair.”
  4. Tom Camarella has informational pamphlets for “Bernie.”
  5. Message from Ruth Weisman, about her husband who passed away. She thanked the Club for remembering David. A memorial will be held by Ruth’s grandson at 511 Broadway St. in Venice on Tuesday, June 16, 3 p.m.
  6. Next general meeting will be on an Incarceration Panel on July 8.
IX. Motion to adjourn this meeting in honor of David Weisman, Alice Silbiger, Jimmie Woods Gray’s mother, and Bea Cohen, longest surviving WAC at 105 , by Eric Fine, seconded by Stephen Murray. Motion passed. Meeting adjourned at 9:15 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Pat Levinson, Recording Secretary

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