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Week of October 11, 2021 |
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ANNOUNCEMENTS |
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Help set DSA-LA's organizing priorities by attending Annual Convention 2021! Registration details and FAQ below. |
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Saturday, October 16 @ 9:00am - 5:00pm |
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Se proporcionará interpretación al español. Para obtener más información, haga clic aquí.
Our most important meeting of the year is on Saturday! Have you registered yet?
As part of our commitment to democratic socialism, our chapter meets annually, as mandated by our bylaws, at our Local Convention to discuss our priorities for the next year. The political landscape is shifting all the time; we need to be able to meet the moment by deliberating on where to focus our organizing.
This meeting is intended for DSA-LA Members in Good Standing. Please ensure your Membership is current in advance of the meeting if you wish to participate. You can check your current status here. If you do not check in advance, we will be unable to resolve any membership issues on the day of the meeting.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Why does DSA-LA have an annual Local Convention? As part of our commitment to democratic socialism, our chapter meets annually, as mandated by our bylaws, at our Local Convention to discuss our priorities for the next year. The political landscape is shifting all the time; we need to be able to meet the moment by deliberating on where to focus our organizing. As was the case last year, we will be hosting this year’s convention entirely online.
Is the Local Convention the same thing as a chapter meeting? No. There are some similarities, but in general a lot more happens at convention than a regular meeting. In the first place, we set our priorities for the year. This involves more than just organizing individual projects. It demands that all future projects address these priorities in some way. In addition to democratically deciding our political priorities, this is also a time for members to reflect on the work we’ve done over the last year. Although we can theoretically amend our bylaws at any time, in point of fact Convention is considering a special time to do this in a way that considers many different perspectives and changes at once. There will be retrospective reports, a keynote speaker, and debate on setting our strategic orientation for the next year.
What exactly does it mean to set our priorities? The Steering Committee asked for resolution proposals from members in advance of the Local Convention. Resolutions need to contain a motivation, a proposal for how we will engage in the work, and other details relevant to implementation. Members are also able to amend our chapter’s bylaws through a written proposal. Authors needed to collect signatures from 25 members in good standing in order for their proposal to be considered. In order for a resolution or a bylaw amendment to be adopted, the proposal must receive a ⅔ supermajority vote.
Given our limited resources as a member-funded organization, we have to limit the scope of our priorities to a maximum of 3. This also allows us to have a greater impact in the area of our work.
Will this impact the campaigns we’re currently working on? The short answer is: possibly. The priorities set at the Local Convention supersede in importance all other work. In practice this could mean that more chapter resources, communication channels, and member time will be dedicated to ensuring we carry out the priorities that were set. A resolution could also further affirm or widen the scope of work we’re already doing.
Can I invite my friends to attend? Of course! But they have to be a member-in-good-standing in order to participate. Anyone who is not currently a member but wishes to participate in the convention must register to become a member. In order to ensure a democratic process we will be checking the membership status of everyone who registers for the event. Please ensure your Membership is current in advance of the meeting if you wish to participate. You can check your current status here. If you do not check in advance, we will be unable to resolve any membership issues on the day of the meeting.
How will voting be handled? The meeting will be run using rules of order as required by our bylaws. Based on feedback from the last Chapter meeting, we are experimenting with a new voting method: An online voting tool developed by Philly DSA and used by several other large chapters, including Chicago, New York, D.C., and others.
What is Robert’s Rules or Order? Will I be able to participate if I’m not familiar with the process? Our chapter and DSA broadly favors the use of Robert’s Rules of Order for parliamentary procedure. The reason we do so is because we need to be able to understand motions made during convention, amendments to proposals, and how votes are decided. If you’re not familiar with Robert’s Rules, you’re in luck! Our chapter is hosting a training on October 13 at 6:00 PM.
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DSA-LA for Hugo Soto-Martinez Campaign Working Group |
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Monday, October 18 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm |
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Join us for the very first meeting of the DSA-LA for Hugo Soto-Martinez Campaign Working Group on Zoom. We'll be talking about what the next few months might look like, as well as discussing how we'll be electing working group leadership. RSVP now and we'll send you connection details and a reminder beforehand! |
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CALENDAR |
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The following list is only a highlight of what's happening this week with DSA-LA. Please check out our online calendar for full list of committee meetings & chapter events! Be sure to also follow our Instagram & Twitter for real-time announcements and calls-to-action! |
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Education Workers Circle |
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(TODAY) Monday, October 11 @ 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm |
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Join the Education Workers Circle to build power in your workplace and a socialist presence in your union! K-12 and University educators welcome. |
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Mutual Aid Committee Meeting |
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(TODAY) Monday, October 11 @ 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm |
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Join the Mutual Aid Committee for our twice-monthly committee meeting, where we’ll be discussing ongoing and upcoming committee work, as well as helping folks get plugged into other work throughout the city. New members always welcome! Please RSVP for meeting connection information. Mutual Aid Committee meetings are held on the second and fourth Monday of each month. |
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CalCare tabling w/ Healthcare Justice in Altadena – Wednesday |
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Wednesday, October 13 @ 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm |
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Join us as we table to educate on AB1400 Single Payer Healthcare for California. Help gather supporters for healthcare for all. Sign up for 2 hour shifts here. |
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Roberts Rules Training + Convention Phonebank |
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Wednesday, October 13 @ 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm |
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DSA-LA’s Annual Convention on October 16th is just around the corner! In preparation for the event, join comrades from across the chapter to learn the basics of Robert’s Rules voting, in an interactive training with plenty of time for questions. This 1-hour training will be followed by a 1-hr virtual phonebank, where comrades will have a chance to call members across the chapter and make sure they know about the upcoming convention and proposals under member consideration. |
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Labor Committee October General Meeting |
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Wednesday, October 13 @ 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm |
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Join us on Wednesday, October 13th at 7:00 PM for our monthly Labor Committee meeting. We will be discussing workplace organizing, the labor movement, and opportunities for DSA members to organize and build worker power. The core of DSA-LA’s labor work is our Labor Circles program. If you are interested in joining a Labor Circle or forming a new Circle, you can begin by filling out the Socialist Workplace Survey. The survey will help us map where we are in LA’s economy and identify where we have workplace, industry and union membership densities to organize around. Take a minute and fill out the Socialist Workplace Survey today! |
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CalCare tabling w/ Healthcare Justice – Monrovia – Friday |
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Friday, October 15 @ 5:00 pm - 7:30 pm |
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Join us as we table to educate on AB1400 Single Payer Healthcare for California. Help gather supporters for healthcare for all. Sign up here for 2 hour shifts. |
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