2024 Chapter Convention Priority Campaign Resolutions and Bylaws Amendments

2024 CHAPTER CONVENTION PRIORITY CAMPAIGN RESOLUTIONS AND BYLAWS AMENDMENTS

Proposed Priority Campaign Resolutions

Power Mass Transit Campaign Part II
Power to the Tenants – Part II (Updated as of March 29, 2024)
Socialists in Office: Advancing a Program of Mass Politics (Updated as of March 29, 2024)
- Proposed Amendments to Socialists in Office Resolution (Updated as of March 29, 2024)

Proposed Amendments to Chapter Bylaws

Biennial DSA-LA Local Convention
Binding Chapter Decisions to be Determined by Synchronous Votes
Discouraging Submission of Omnibus Amendments
Electoral Committee Independence
Make Priority Resolutions our Priorities (Updated as of March 29, 2024)
Structural Requirements for Priority Resolutions

Language stricken in resolutions and bylaws amendments are noted with ~~a strike through~~.
Language added in resolutions and bylaws amendments as of March 20, 2024, are noted with orange colored text.
Language updated and/or added to the resolutions and bylaws amendments as of March 29, 2024, are noted with magenta colored text.

PROPOSED PRIORITY CAMPAIGN RESOLUTIONS

Power Mass Transit Campaign Part II

Co-Authors: Glen W, Kiersten S, Sam R, Sam Z, Shelby D
Lead Contact: Sam R (sam(at)numericalinstability.com)

The era of climate instability has arrived and the United States’ ruling class has offered a “solution” in the Inflation Reduction Act–bribing private capital to fund decarbonization and concentrating profits in the hands of the few. As socialists, we demand a different path to zero emissions, where democratically-accountable public investment drives decarbonization through the deployment of universal public goods, built and maintained by well-paid unionized workers and emphasizing environmental justice for all, especially the historically marginalized. This path offers a safe and healthy environment, genuine democracy in political and economic spheres, and improved quality of life.

We won’t win this green egalitarian future simply by proposing better ideas than the capitalist; it will require mass collective action, combining the forces of organized labor and large social movements with electoral power responsive to the working class. This necessary convergence guides our analysis.

In California, transportation is the largest sector of CO2 emissions. Efficiency improvements and electric vehicles are not enough to solve our emissions crisis. The California Air Resources found that Californians must drive 40% fewer miles in cars by 2030. It is clear that we must create viable alternatives to driving cars.

In Los Angeles, the consequences of car dependency are felt more strongly than anywhere in the country. The smoggiest city in the US, with the worst air quality for 23 out of the past 24 years, manifesting as asthma, respiratory disease, and shortened life expectancy. On the streets of Los Angeles, last year was the deadliest on record for pedestrians. Cars are the leading cause of death for children, killing more Angelenos than murder.

Yet, there is cause for hope–public transportation. Los Angeles is the first major American city undergoing large-scale transit expansion since the 1970s. There will be a major system expansion nearly every year until 2028, opening up convenient transit access to over a million Angelenos. LA County voters are adamantly pro-transit at the ballot box–with consecutive Measures A, C, M, and R passing with supermajorities to raise taxes and fund transit–setting LA on its current course of transit expansion and offering LA a unique opportunity. With only 4% of transit operation funding coming from fares, LA Metro could end fare collection and become a universally fare-free system, increasing ridership in the process. Transit is also a strategic focus for a socialist climate campaign because of its high rates of unionization – public transportation is one of the largest unionized workforces in the County.

With system expansion underway, Metro is focusing on improving “user experience” to increase transit ridership. To much of Metro’s leadership, this means doubling down on carceral tactics and increasing harassment of homeless riders and riders of color. Metro has passed a record-breaking police contract with LAPD and LASD. They are launching an additional in-house police force, experimenting with militarizing stations to deter undesirable riders, waging a PR campaign demonizing homeless riders. Meanwhile, in the last 6 months, a pilot of temporary bathrooms at a handful of Metro stations has proven wildly successful – making a cleaner, more enjoyable environment for riders while keeping stations and vehicles cleaner for Metro workers, generating zero reports of security or safety incidents.

Bathrooms at Metro stations are critical to interrupt this carceral narrative and bring together riders and workers in a powerful movement for public goods. Every regular rider, transit operator, or station staff has encountered human waste on the Metro system. For riders, cleanliness is an issue of comfort. For Metro workers, it should be a basic element of workplace health and safety for stations to be clean. For everyone in LA County, access to public bathrooms is a simple human need, and expanding access will make taking Metro a more practical, enjoyable, and dignified experience for all. We must seize this moment and demand Metro expand the successful bathroom program instead of taking a militarized path to improve rider experience.

To transform public transportation in Los Angeles into a public good that works for us all, we must focus not only on the LA Metro Board but also on the City of Los Angeles–the agency with control over street infrastructure. To establish cleaner and FASTER transit, our streets must prioritize busses of people over single-occupant cars. To end the epidemic of pedestrian fatalities, our streets must be safe for children, the elderly, pedestrians, bikers, and drivers. LA City has historically seen individual City Council members wielding the veto over safe streets, but that looks poised to change.

Since 2020, LA voters have elected a wave of DSA-endorsed City Councilmembers that make street safety a core priority, and in November DSA-endorsed transit champion Ysabel Jurado will join them. In March 2024, LA voters overwhelmingly approved Measure HLA, which will procedurally require the City to implement transit, bike, and pedestrian upgrades on 2500 miles of streets that were written into the city Mobility Plan (and ignored by City Council for years). HLA is an unfunded mandate and, especially as LA heads into a budget deficit driven by last year’s billion-dollar LAPD raise, a status-quo approach to the Mobility Plan will continue sluggish implementation where vacancies in critical LADOT and Street Services departments bottleneck implementing transportation projects.

The DSA-endorsed wing of City Council can take the lead in this chaos. We can demand that City Council carry out the mandate of the supermajority of Angelenos supporting Measure HLA and fully fund implementation of the Mobility Plan, including fully staffing the clean transportation departments and creating hundreds of union jobs along the way. Funding the Mobility Plan will require raising many millions of dollars per year in revenue, paid for by wealthy corporations and individuals who disproportionately contribute to pollution. A concerted effort to draft this policy, to win co-sponsors, and to incorporate it into LA’s 2025 budget cycle will be a new test for DSA-LA SIO capabilities; it can also bring together organized workers into a collective campaign demanding a clean environment and faster, more convenient transportation.

Workers and the World Unite!

Therefore, be it resolved that Democratic Socialists of America, Los Angeles chapter renew the Power Mass Transit campaign as a chapter priority for 2024-2025.

The selected policy goals for the 2024-2025 Power Mass Transit campaign are:

DEMAND 1: LA Metro Board will create a permanent system of free public bathrooms at major transit stations
- Bathrooms should be built and maintained by union workers
- All future Metro lines like Sepulveda Corridor and Southeast Gateway should be designed from the outset to include public bathrooms in stations
- Bathroom program funding must not be shifted away from transit operations or worsen service. LA Metro should continue moving toward a fare-free system
- Required financial offsets can be readily found by eliminating wasteful spending on Cubic TAP equipment, wasteful spending on redundant policing contracts, and wasteful spending on freeway widening that increases climate pollution
DEMAND 2: LA City Council will pass a citywide implementation plan and budget line to fully fund the completion of Mobility Plan by 2035 to deliver faster transit and safer streets
- End the 20%+ understaffing of critical departments, which are the main bottleneck in clean transportation projects
- Exempt clean transit and mobility staff positions from hiring freezes
- Require publication and tracking of a timeline to complete Mobility Plan elements by 2035
- Raise additional funds dedicated to Mobility Plan implementation through new transportation taxes/fees on polluters, dangerous vehicles, corporations, and the wealthy

Public Bathrooms Intermediate Goals:

Write a letter to LA Metro in support of public bathrooms and win the endorsement of a major Metro union local and 10+ transit/environmental NGOs, and religious leaders
Publish a report or web products highlighting the need for and successes of public bathroom and care-first programs, and/or related financial offsets such as Metro’s Cubic TAP contract and bloated police spending
News stories and op-eds about the need for public bathrooms at Metro appear in major LA publications
LA Metro Board introduces and passes a study measure for system-wide public bathrooms
Include installation of public bathrooms in collective bargaining between LA Metro and labor negotiating committee
Strengthen and formalize ties with values-aligned transit organizations. DSA-LA seeks formal inclusion in the ACT-LA coalition.

Fully Fund Mobility Plan Intermediate Goals:

Public launch of a “Fully Fund LA Streets” campaign, centering class struggle and climate justice themes
LA City Transportation Committee passes a study measure to identify resource required to implement Mobility Plan by 2035
Draft resolution text for a citywide implementation plan, including equitable prioritization according to density of unsafe streets on the High Injury Network and historic patterns of underinvestment
Get City Council candidates in contested general elections on-the-record with positions on fully funding the Mobility Plan
Run a mobilization operation to send public comments in favor of fully funding Mobility Plan to every council office
Get LA Mayor Karen Bass on-the-record in support of fully funding Mobility Plan
Include full funding of Mobility Plan in the Mayor’s 2025 budget proposal

Development, Membership, and Organizational Goals:

Center DSA-LA branches as the primary path for mass member engagement, member outreach and mobilization, list work, and in-person events
Coordinate actions with every DSA-LA branch
Identify members to serve jointly on Branch Organizing Committees and the Power Mass Transit Working Group, to coordinate branch and campaign activities
Train members to participate in and to lead on-transit canvasses
Strengthen coordination between Power Mass Transit Campaign and DSA-LA’s Climate Justice Committee
Perform any labor solidarity actions jointly with DSA-LA Labor Committee, building off successful actions like Strike Tacos!
Coordinate mutual aid aspects of tabling and canvassing efforts, especially public bathroom efforts, with DSA-LA Mutual Aid
In cooperation with DSA-LA Political Education, hold a multi-part internal political education series to ground chapter members in principles of ecosocialism and socialist urbanism. Also hold at least one external political education campaign aligned with the primary policy goals.
Coordinate campaign action with DSA’s national Green New Deal Campaign Commission (GNDCC) and its Building for Power (B4P) campaign

Labor Organizing Goals:

Work directly with core unions with LA Metro collective bargaining agreements to define the public bathroom policy language
- These workers are on the ground, directly affected by the lack of sanitation at Metro stations and can win safer working conditions
- ATU Local 1277, SMART-TD Locals 1563 and 1565, SEIU-USWW, TCU Local 1315, TWU Local 320
- Hold solidarity actions with those that have upcoming/ongoing contract bargaining (TCU Local 1315, ATU Local 1277, TWU Local 320)
Hold one or more rallies for public bathrooms at Metro with participation of union partners
Include installation of public bathrooms in collective bargaining between LA Metro and labor negotiating committee
Draft policy for fully funding Mobility Plan with LADOT workers from relevant planner, analyst, and engineer unions (EAA, SEIU Local 721)
For both demands, identify unions in the LA community with a stake in better transit and mobility infrastructure to partner with
- UNITE HERE Local 11, SEIU Locals 99 and 721, SEIU CIR, UTLA, CSUEU, CFA, UAW Local 2865, UFCW Local 770
Build long-lasting partnerships between DSA-LA and transportation-sector unions

Co-Governance Goals:

Develop the Fully Fund Mobility Plan resolution(s) with direct participation from all endorsed LA City Council members through DSA-LA’s Socialists in Office (SIO) program
Facilitate regular staff-level meetings between the transportation staffers of all endorsed City Council members’ offices to coordinate staff-level action
In coordination with Electoral Politics Committee and candidate subcommittees, encourage chapter-endorsed candidates to elevate campaign priorities as campaign issues and coordinate actions with DSA electoral campaigns
Engage DSA-endorsed elected officials and candidates as public advocates for Power Mass Transit demands and actions

Campaign Structure:

Power Mass Transit 2024 will be a time-bound working group of DSA-LA:

If adopted by the chapter, Power Mass Transit 2024 will incorporate and supersede the Power Mass Transit 2023 Working Group
The Power Mass Transit 2024 Working Group will be dissolved upon the date of the 2025 DSA-LA Local Convention
There will always be at least two co-chairs which can be appointed or removed by a majority vote of DSA-LA Steering Committee
Membership in the Working Group is open to all members in good standing of DSA-LA, and Power Mass Transit Working Group will provide an onboarding contact and process
The campaign will hold at least one general meeting per month open to all chapter members and publish minutes

Resources for Executing the Campaign:

Campaign budget: $10,000. For materials including:
- Canvass materials: flyers, door-hangers, palmcards, clipboards, pens, organizational supplies
- Meeting space for the working group and public-facing events
- Food and drink for public-facing events
- Campaign banners, shirts, hats, stickers, and buttons
- Phone dialers and texting services for campaign phone/text banking
- Translation and interpretation for multilingual events and actions
- Purchase of digital ads and other paid social media advertisement
Chapter and branch organizing capacity:
- Chapter and branch meetings will allocate time on agendas for campaign updates, mobilizing, education, and collaboration
- Branches will each identify 2 members (at least one on BOC) to anchor campaign work in that branch. Power Mass Transit campaign will identify a representative to attend Branch Coordinator meetings for coordination and planning.
- Steering Committee will identify a primary liaison (defaulting to DSA-LA campaign coordinator) to the campaign
- Growth+Development and branch phonebanks will include updates and calls-to-action from Power Mass Transit
- Socialists in Office committees will allocate time on agendas for campaign priorities. Power Mass Transit will identify a representative to join portions of SIO meetings addressing campaign activity.
Chapter resources:
- Chapter Communications will include campaign updates, information, and calls-to-action in newsletters, social media presences, and email distribution
- If the campaign requires use of new campaign-specific social media profiles or websites, a request and communications plan will be submitted to Steering Committee detailing their intended use
- Power Mass Transit 2024 will carry forward ActionNetwork lists and other data from Power Mass Transit 2023
- The campaign will have access to chapter-wide member data with the permission of the campaign Steering Committee liaison for specific actions such as targeted outreach based on political districts or union affiliations
- The campaign will have access to DSA office or meeting spaces for in-person meetings and events
- DSA-LA will provide the campaign with digital tools such as zoom rooms and chapter dialers (potentially at-cost)

Draft Timeline for Executing the Campaign:

May – June:

Connect with desired labor / non-profit / NGO coalition partners and begin to gather signatures for a public bathrooms letter of support
Connect with transportation staff in SIO offices to evaluate the state of Mobility Plan implementation and set up continuing discussions
Rider presence at Metro Board meeting after Throne bathroom pilot program ends, coordinated public comment and/or letters to the Board demanding restrooms remain at Metro
Develop comms strategy for public bathrooms demand including potential for videos, interviews, placed op-eds, strategic partnerships, etc.
Research and trade the feasibility and effectiveness of revenue/tax options for fully funded Mobility Plan

July – August:

Begin public bathrooms transit canvassess 2X per month in coordination with branches
Potential labor solidarity actions around collective bargaining processes and incorporation of public bathroom demands
Advance City Council proposal to study City readiness to complete Mobility Plan by 2035
Public announcement of Mobility Plan implementation target spending and staffing along with chosen revenue demand(s)
Hold first political education event

September – October:

Public bathrooms tabling and canvasses including electoral elements in coordination with DSA-endorsed candidates, 2X per month leading up to the election
Drafting of final language for Fully Fund Mobility Plan policy
Public pressure campaign on City Council. Secure public commitments from LA City Council members and candidates
Public bathrooms petition to be sent to Metro, presence at Metro board meeting ahead of budget process

November – December:

Continued public bathroom canvasses
Rally for public bathrooms at Metro
Second political education segment

January – February:

Continued public bathrooms canvases and presence at Metro board meetings ahead of budget process to ensure public bathrooms resolution is included in budget process
Evaluation of City department priorities during budget drafting period
Continued political education

March – April:

Public visibility around Metro budget announcement
Public visibility around LA City Mayor’s budget proposal
Prepare for supportive CIty Council members to amend budget if Fully Fund Mobility Plan not adequately incorporated

Power to the Tenants – Part II

Authors: Liz D., Mark G., Alex S.,
Lead Contacts: Liz D., Mark G. (mark.jgaynor(at)gmail.com )
Updated as of March 29, 2024

Introduction: Housing is one of our most basic needs, and for most working people, one of our most significant regular costs. Given the degree of rent burden prevalent in Los Angeles, renting frequently functions to transfer workers’ wages from business owners to landlords while maintaining workers’ precarity. The commodification of housing, and the speculation inherent in that produces a model in which housing becomes valued as a transferable asset rather than as a place for people to live, and profit is made at the expense of peoples’ livelihoods. Rent increases serve to expand the rate of profitability of housing as an investment while decreasing the buffer of financial security that tenants have against losing their housing and being uprooted from their communities. The environment created by rent control and broader vacancy de-control incentivizes the eviction of longer term tenants as a way of significantly increasing rates of profit from holding housing while displacing workers from the cities where they work.

Over the past year, DSA-LA’s Power to the Tenants working group has built out operations across our five branches to organize tenants, coordinated with our Socialists in Office program to advance tenant protections, conduct eviction defense know your rights canvasses, and develop strategy for our RSO campaign, and built coalition relations with unions and community groups to advance tenants’ interests.

Over the coming year, we intend to finish our rent control campaign, modifying LA’s RSO from 3-8% at 100% of CPI (rounded to the nearest whole number) to 0-3% at 60% of CPI. We will carry out a research program to identify strategic sites of struggle for future efforts and inform organizing around the repeal of Costa-Hawkins. Through California DSA, we will coordinate with other DSA chapters to support passage of the Justice for Renters ballot initiative while building a base that will take steps towards decommodified housing.

Whereas,

63.2% of Angelenos are renters, and over 50% of renters in Los Angeles are rent burdened, and more than one in four renters are paying over 50% of their income to landlords. This keeps renters precariously situated and more easily exploited by their employers and landlords.
From 2022-2023, the number of Angelenos without housing has increased 10%, to an estimated 46,260.
In 2023, 77,000 eviction notices were filed across Los Angeles.
7.2% of housing units in Los Angeles are held vacant
DSA-LA’s socialist electeds have advanced tenant protections despite facing resistance from entrenched capitalist interests.
California DSA has endorsed the Justice for Renters Act, calling on chapters to support an effort to repeal Costa-Hawkins to restore vacancy control.
The Democratic Socialist Program includes commitment to create permanently affordable, democratically controlled social housing, and Tenant Opportunity to Purchase (TOPA) policies that encourage the conversion of privately owned housing to tenant- or community owned housing.
Organizing around one of the greatest costs working people face has the opportunity to demonstrate and further build collective power.

Therefore be it resolved that,

The Power to the Tenants campaign working group will carry through work on its RSO campaign,
The working group will conduct a power analysis and research period in coordination with Electoral Politics Committee (ElPol), Socialists in Office (SiO), and Political Education Committee (PolEd) concerning future priorities, which will include a post mortem on past efforts to repeal the Costa-Hawkins Act, areas within Measure ULA (the mansion tax passed in 2022) that can be made instrumental to the advancement of a socialist vision of housing, further tenant protections that may be advanced legislatively, and the viability of TOPA/COPA.
From August to November, in coordination with ElPol and California DSA, the working group will develop a campaign for the Justice for Renters Act (repeal of the Costa Hawkins Act) with the aim of agitating around broader housing issues, and will support DSA-LA’s endorsed electoral campaigns.
Following the election (and pending analysis of the terrain given the changed composition of city council), the working group will coordinate with the Branches, Housing and Homelessness Committee (HnH), and SiO to advance a motion for TOPA/COPA through LA City Council.
The working group will carry out this work with the aim of building a persistent base for the advancement of tenant power and solidarity, housing policy that brings the working class into strategic conflict with capitalist interests, and the replacement of the LA City Attorney in Nov 2026 with a candidate who will enforce housing policy in the interest of tenants and the unhoused.

Timeline:

Timeline	Areas of Study & Action
May – July 2024	RSO Campaign (LA City + LA County): (thru June) In coordination with the Housing and Homelessness (HnH) committee, the working group will continue campaign actions escalating to City Council votes. Continue regular meetings with the KeepLAHoused coalition. Provide an explainer on results of vote to membership and non-members who have engaged with the campaign. Evaluate whether continued action is warranted. Justice For Renters Campaign: Conduct post-mortem on previous Costa-Hawkins repeal efforts by DSA-LA and others (Prop 10 in 2017, Prop 21 in 2018). Identify campaign tactics and challenges via news, analysis, and discussions with those previously involved. Do power analysis Produce summary of findings. In coordination with CA DSA, begin outreach (other California DSA chapters and other coalition partners) to strategize together. Other Initiatives In coordination with SiO, the working group will create a research program on Measure ULA, TOPA/COPA, Organize conversation with ULA COC to discuss funding mechanism for TOPA/COPA Map possible Nolympics efforts
Aug – Nov 2024	Justice for Renters (JfR) Campaign: In coordination with Branches, and where applicable, endorsed electoral campaigns, the working group will plan and launch canvasses for JfR In coordination with CA DSA, provide strategic support to other chapters’ JfR efforts TOPA/COPA Begin outreach to form coalition for demands
Nov – Dec 2024	Justice for Renters Campaign: In coordination with ElPol and the Campaigns Coordinator, the working group will produce a post mortem of PttT’s JfR campaign and an updated analysis of the terrain regarding housing policy, to be delivered at a chapter meeting. TOPA/COPA Draft Comms campaign for city council effort and map escalation strategy
Jan – Feb 2025	TOPA/COPA In coordination with the Branches, HnH, and SiO, the working group will execute a pressure campaign for the passage of COPA/TOPA through LA city council.
March – April 2025	TOPA/COPA Evaluate whether continued action is warranted. Other Initiatives Prepare a report on progress for chapter membership

Component 2: Organizational Priorities with which this proposed resolution is aligned and motivation for the resolution.

The capitalist rentier class has attacked the labor movement for decades, and pitted unions and working people more generally against one another. Rising housing costs have increasingly pushed workers out of the city, forcing them to make longer commutes to work, and have contributed to greater amounts of time that are shaped by employment relations, with an increasing amount going uncompensated. This diminishes workers’ self-directed time and organizing capacity. These dynamics make the regulation of housing costs an issue of central importance for advancing working class power. DSA-LA builds power by serving as connective tissue between unions, and organizing strategic interventions that cohere labor demands around transformative reforms.

This campaign will create an internal pipeline for member development, direct and mobilize the branches to popularize socialist political analysis and campaign goals. It will bring DSA-LA into strategic coordination with labor unions and community organizations around housing demands. Together, this will cohere a greater mass movement toward housing decommodification in Los Angeles.

INTERNAL ORGANIZING AND INFRASTRUCTURE:

Build organizational structures that can support and manage anticipated growth of the chapter.
Build an organizational culture that embodies our socialist ideals, and a welcoming community that supports all members to engage in collective work to dismantle systems of oppression, in accordance with our shared values.
Maintain transparent decision-making processes which allows all members to democratically shape and engage in chapter decisions, avoiding top-heavy hierarchies and “gatekeeping”.
Maintain workflow systems that support and empower all members to take on significant responsibility for ongoing cross-chapter communication and collaboration.
Commit to maintaining and growing chapter funds, and dedicating sufficient resources to ensure that chapter events and materials are accessible to all members.
Cultivate a culture of openness, respect, and camaraderie by aiming to meet people where they are and assume good intentions, recognizing that everyone comes to organizing from different perspectives and experiences.
Commit to accountability and transparency for leadership in DSA-LA.
Develop, maintain, and enforce shared standards for interpersonal conduct and misconduct that allows individuals to make mistakes and correct them, encouraging reconciliation and accountability over guilt and shame.
Recognize the risks that accompany work that challenges powerful, oppressive systems, and continue to develop processes and resources that support the privacy and security of our membership.

STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS:

Forge and maintain intentional, deliberate and reciprocal relationships as well as share resources with other organizations who share our broad political goals. This includes other explicitly socialist and anti-capitalist organizations, as well as non-socialist organizations whose politics and values align with ours and are working towards similarly defined ends, while working to avoid duplication of efforts.
Build respectful relationships which allow DSA members to both contribute to the broader movement as leaders, and as allies, as appropriate.
Undertake to exchange resources, build solidarity, and engage in campaigns with other DSA chapters
Work to develop partnerships with other organizations to challenge and transcend the stratifications that divide Los Angeles.

MOBILIZATION AND MEMBER CAPACITY:

Articulate ongoing numerical benchmarks and defined paths for member engagement, ensuring that we can meet every new and experienced member where they are at.
Develop and implement training materials and protocols for a variety of skillsets that empower members to act as effective rank-and-file organizers and step into new leadership roles confidently.
Recognizing that learning and growth as organizers includes and requires being challenged, encourage and support learning and growth in all members by offering opportunities to develop new skills and take on additional responsibilities.
Create and maintain structures and guidelines for coordinator and co-chair roles that ensure rotation of leadership and development of new leaders within the organization.
Develop internal capacity to recruit, engage and retain our members across the racial and socioeconomic divisions of Los Angeles, and connect members to each other regionally, while also challenging instead of reifying those divisions.
Maintain systems and protocols that enable us to continually map and understand our memberships needs, strengths, and resources.
Ensuring ongoing development and support of organizers and leaders within our organization.

Component 3: Outline the ways this resolution would offer opportunities to engage new and active members, and intentionally build a broader base of engagement and membership in our organization throughout Los Angeles County.

The Power to the Tenants working group will produce and provide political education on social housing and tenant protections and empowerment, seek to develop new member leaders within each branch, and will coordinate with branches to activate and mobilize members. The working group will do this by involving members in research, campaign strategy discussion and planning, postcarding events, phone banks, and canvasses.

Socialists in Office: Advancing a Program of Mass Politics

Authors: Mark G., Claire P., Marissa A., Collin B., Caleb E.
Lead Contact: Mark G. (mark.jgaynor(at)gmail.com )
Updated as of March 29, 2024

Introduction: The DSA-Los Angeles Chapter has expanded its electoral victories and successfully defended itself from Capitalist and Liberal attacks, for the current moment. As our chapter gains experience around co-governance, we need to expand structures and create a chapter-wide program for how members relate to our Socialists in Office. This resolution lays a plan for developing an effective program and integrating thoroughly with Campaign priorities, Steering Committee, and Branch members.

All together, the structures aforementioned will constitute the chapter-wide Socialist in Office Program and make the program the responsibility of all of DSA-LA.

Mass Meetings will connect members more directly with our electeds in office, and serve as the incubator for member-driven recommendations.
Subgroup Leadership will serve as incubators for policy expertise.
Liaisons Committee will serve as direct relationship holders to City Council Representatives on behalf of the Chapter and advise DSA-LA leadership on political decisions the chapter could take.
The Democratic Socialist Program ~~DSP~~ serves as the a guide for what we hope to achieve muncipally in the near future for ~~values driven expectations guiding~~ the Chapter and Socialist Electeds.

An effective SIO program will include several key elements, but above all will require our chapter to specifically and consciously prioritize campaigns that mobilize our membership on the ground in support of ambitious demands, while our electeds advance strategic policy through government.

Proposed Amendment (principal differences on implementation structure–program vs committee)

Component 1: Description of the Chapter Resolution, including a timeline, considerations of how this work will be organized, and Local resources required. Local resources include, but are not limited to: chapter’s monetary resources, members’ monetary resources, member mobilization and time, political capital, and production of materials.

Whereas

In 2016, DSA-LA endorsed Bernie Sanders and entered the political terrain throughout the Los Angeles region, and the chapter’s efforts ignited a significant amount of unionization across various industries and supported multiple strikes in which members participated as workers and in solidarity with other workers.
In 2019, alongside UTLA, DSA-LA endorsed Jackie Goldberg to shift the LAUSD Board to defend public education against the privatization efforts of the charter industry.
In 2020, the pandemic changed the terrain and ended the 2020 Bernie Sanders campaign while local victories began flourishing; DSA-LA member Nithya Raman won her seat for LA City Council District 4, shocking the entire region by unseating an incumbent for the first time in seventeen years.
In 2020, DSA-LA passed chapter resolution “Build a Bench for a 2022 DSA-LA Slate,” to expand DSA representatives across Los Angeles, resulting in the first rigorous endorsement process, with emphasis on any endorsed campaigns as a membership driven and include members from within the interested district; DSA-LA mandated and ratified the Democratic Socialist Program detailing the historical conditions of the city and identifying demands we can win in 6 to 8 years. We ratified that as well.
In 2022, DSA-LA succeeded to Build its Bench by electing DSA-LA members Hugo Soto-Martinez for LA CD13, Eunisses Hernandez for LA CD1, and Dr. Rocio Rivas for LAUSD Board District 2. None of this could have been possible without the aligned endorsements of unions and organizations including UTLA, UNITE HERE 11, UAW 2865, Eastside Padres, Community Power, ACCE amongst others.
In October 2022, the LA Fed tapes leaked, in which Kevin de Leon, among other council members, was conspiring to redistrict Nithya Raman in order to separate her from a majority bloc of renters.
In early 2023, DSA-LA launched a loose SIO framework to recognize the need to liaise with DSA-LA socialist electeds. The framework still requires greater clarity regarding how it expands mass participation and engagement within the general membership, and how DSA-LA agitates for a socialist future.
In 2023, DSA-LA passed chapter resolution R3 – Support a Democratic Socialist Agenda at LA City Hall & Build DSA-LA for Effective Mass Working Class Co-governance Resolution resolving that the Electoral Committee, with support from the DSA-LA Steering Committee, will hold semi-regular formal strategic Socialists in Office meetings between key chapter leadership and DSA-LA Councilmembers around specifically-identified policy campaigns, including the new policies to be introduced at city hall in coordination with external DSA-LA mobilizations, and will report back to membership on a quarterly basis
In 2023, DSA-LA coordinated with our electeds to vote against the LAPD’s CBA, pass robust tenant protections, and vote to allow councilmembers to spend unused LAPD discretionary funds on homelessness prevention and outreach.
In Fall 2023, DSA-LA held its first town hall meeting with Eunisses Hernandez, convening members to discuss community needs and socialist strategy.
Throughout 2023, the coalition of capitalists and liberals began taking DSA-LA more seriously, and began spending millions of dollars and employing increased efforts to drive wedges between portions of the really-existing Left.
In March 2024, Despite millions spent to remove Nithya Raman from office, the Right was roundly defeated~~failed to execute~~. Instead, DSA-LA candidates Karla Griego and Ysabel Jurado enter the November 2024 general election in 1st place against their respective opponents. It is significant that Ysabel Jurado faces off against the last remaining conspirator in the recorded leaks. Thus, DSA-LA has rapidly transformed LA’s political terrain despite its program being in early stages of development while constantly reacting to attacks.

Be it Resolved

1. DSA-LA will expand participation, engagement, and relationship building via Mass Meetings and membership meetings:

a. In coordination between the Steering Committee, Branches, and Electoral Committee, mass meetings will facilitate strategy discussions about how Angelenos can advance the Democratic Socialist Program (DSP), generate enthusiasm to engage in the class struggle, and establish a “mass relationship” with the entire Office, which acts on behalf of the socialist elected. Mass relationships include general members establishing regular interactions with staff for familiarity and relational-buy-in, not just with the socialist elected.

i. These meetings will set time to identify community needs, identify labor struggles the chapter can intervene in, provide political education on timely issues (e.g., Palestianian solidarity, renter protections, immigration justice, etc), coordinate actions within or across the districts, and recruit new members.
ii. These meetings will expand capacity to demonstrate the numbers of agents of change in each district committed to advancing socialist policy and in effect creating collective accountability.
iii. DSA-LA will raise community needs to DSA Socialist Elected offices as a tool to identify and advance priority campaigns, expand buy-in, and serve as a first touch to the office, including but not limited to eviction defense canvassing.
iv. Each DSA-LA elected cohort will participate in a “Mass Organization” training to better understand the structures of DSA-LA, DSA-CA, and DSA in order to understand our theory of change and better coordinate with the chapter.

b. The Political Education Committee will work with other chapter bodies to incorporate consistent messaging regarding the role of Socialist Electeds in DSA-LA into DSA introductory materials, expand popularization of the DSP, and invite members and non-members to Political Education night schools/modules on Mass Parties.

i. Each DSA-LA elected cohort will participate in a “Mass Organization” training to better understand the structures of DSA-LA, DSA-CA, and DSA in order to understand our theory of change and better coordinate with the chapter.

b. DSA’s socialist electeds will regularly be invited to attend branch and chapter meetings alongside rank & file members, and they and their staff, when relevant, should prominently attend and co-host mass meetings.

c. The Steering Committee, Branches, and Liaisons will coordinate 56 chapter-wide meetings a year with Socialist Electeds where they can speak on how their efforts in office advance their DSP.

d. DSA-LA will revise the policy section “A Los Angeles for the Working Class” of the DSP

i. The Electoral Committee will lead a process for amending the Democratic Socialist Program, with a commitment to active deliberation and voting at Chapter Meetings, and section-specific conversation with relevant subgroups. This process shall avoid a simple ‘up or down’ vote on a suite of amendments, and should instead ensure space for section-specific debate and decision-making. The Electoral Committee is tasked with developing and publishing a timeline for amending the DSP— to be completed by the end of the calendar year. This process will avoid a simple ‘up or down’ vote on a suite of amendments, and should instead ensure space for section-specific debate and decision-making of the policy section.

ii. Steering Committee will begin archiving Articles relating to DSA Socialist Electeds, Los Angeles Labor Actions, the Oppositions shifting strategy, the advances (or not) of socialist policy, and the general trends of the working class in Los Angeles with the intent to expand the “State of Los Angeles County” section to cover 2020-2030 and reflect on the impact DSA-LA has made in the regional terrain.

e. The Political Education Committee will work with other chapter bodies to incorporate consistent messaging regarding the role of Socialist Electeds in DSA-LA into DSA introductory materials, expand popularization of the DSP, and invite members and non-members to Political Education nightschools/modules on Mass Parties.

2. DSA-LA will expand and formalize Liaison roles to DSA Representative Offices

a. Steering Committee, as recommended by the Electoral Committee and candidate working groups, will appoint Liaisons to Socialist Electeds. Liaisons will have the responsibility to serve as advisors to Socialist Electeds and DSA-LA. Liaisons will advise Branches, Electoral and Steering on policy content emerging through elected offices, advise on the content of Mass Meetings, and advise on the general path to take with allies and those in opposition to the DSP. Liaisons will make direct requests to DSA socialist electeds to attend important DSA meetings. In coordination between the Steering Committee and Electoral Committee, DSA-LA will establish clear guidelines on the role of formal Liaisons to DSA Representatives, with recognition and training on the sensitive and confidential nature of such relationships. The Steering Committee will hold oversight and accountability regarding Liaisons.

b. A Liaisons Committee will be established under the purview of the Steering Committee. This body will constitute all Liaisons and (1) Branch representative selected by each respective Branch Organizing Committee, and 1-2 representatives from each priority campaign to advise the Steering Committee. The Liaisons Committee will meet every other week to discuss matters pertaining to DSA Socialist Elected offices and meet with their respective Socialist Elected on the following week after a committee meeting. The Liaisons Committee will provide an analysis of political developments in the terrain within which our electeds act, vote on a preferred recommendation, and send to the Steering Committee to make an informed decision on behalf of the chapter.

i. Branch Representatives will be responsible for attending Branch Organizing Committee meetings. For offices that fall outside of the boundaries of a branch, Representatives will be responsible for: ~~and~~ attending & updating members at Branch Meetings on developments with the Offices and serve as more visible points of contact to the membership. For example, the Branch Representative for the Eastside/SGV Branch will be the main source of updates on CD4.

ii. Where city council districts fall into the boundaries of a branch, liaisons for that office will make themselves known to members by attending branch meetings and updating members directly. For example at least one liaison from CD1, CD4, and CD 13 will be involved in their respective Branch Organizing Committee and attend branch meetings to update members.

c. Steering Committee, Electoral Committee, and Growth and Development will coordinate a comparative study of SiO programs in other chapters to inform a theory of best practices. This will involve:

i. Conducting interviews of leaders in other chapters concerning the structure and operations of their SiO programs, including what is working well and what challenges they face;

ii. Compiling a report of findings; and

iii. Producing recommendations for improvement

d. Steering and Growth and Development will conduct interviews of DSA-LA Liaisons to identify general patterns of work and opportunities for newer members to onboard. Steering Committee and Growth and Development will update the membership survey to track skills that can be supportive of liaison work, including policy expertise, identifying members able to liaise effectively, and interest in staffing an elected office. Steering and Growth and Development will create and disseminate a report to Branch Coordinators that will be used to identify and recruit members into liaisoning, in order to transition toward a model where no less than two Liaisons, but no more than four, interface with the office on behalf of DSA-LA.

3. DSA-LA Subgroup Leadership will be engaged through ~~expand its responsibilities to hold~~ Socialist Policy and Research Initiatives

a. Subgroup Leadership will provide policy recommendations and provide research capacity to inform motions, engage in constituent outreach, base build, and constituent build.

b. Subgroup Leaderships’ work on research and policy will be informed by membership decisions on priority campaigns.

c. Political Education, in coordination with relevant chapter subgroups, will provide options for potential education opportunities to deepen members’ understanding of socialist electoral strategy, the mechanics of municipal politics, and history of political struggles in Los Angeles.

d. Electoral Committee, in coordination with relevant chapter subgroups, will provide research in Identifying the forces of capital influencing politics in Los Angeles.

Anticipated timeline following resolution passage:

Timeline	Task	Organizer(s)
May – July 2024	Mass meetings First mass meeting RSO strategy Liaisons Steering and G&D will conduct interviews to identify patterns of work Produce report and disseminate to branch coordinators Onboard additional committee members (branch reps) Electoral Politics Committee will set a plan for conducting interviews with other DSA-Chapters’ SIO programs, and along with Steering and G&D will begin these investigations	Steering & Central Branch Electoral Politics Committee
Aug – Oct 2024	Additional liaisons as needed (likely in CD 4 and 13) will be appointed Mass meetings Second mass meeting
Nov – Dec 2024	Mass meetings Third mass meeting Resolution check in/report back at chapter meeting
Jan – Feb 2025	Mass meetings Convene electeds for a 4th mass meeting involving power analysis and identification of strategic targets given new composition of city council and school board	Steering & ElPol
March – April 2025	Mass meetings Fifth mass meeting Potentially around analysis and discussion of budget demands and strategy Proposal to codify learnings from SiO

Component 2: Organizational Priorities with which this proposed resolution is aligned and motivation for the resolution.

We recognize that the Left in the United States has been historically weakened and fractured, and the Left in Los Angeles is no exception. Indeed, Los Angeles has been developed by capitalist structures along deep regional, racial, and class stratifications that offer significant unique challenges to building strong Left unity, and it must be our goal to challenge and transcend these divisions. Rebuilding and manifesting a strong socialist presence and power in Los Angeles and beyond will require looking at the Left as a complex ecosystem, and defining our role within it accordingly. DSA-LA aims to be an influential participant of that ecosystem by acting as a true resource and defining our power in service, not in governance or authority over other organizations in the Left in Los Angeles. Our goals encompass our participation in rebuilding a strong Left for everyone, not just members of our organization, and we do not wish to become a totalizing force or offer a singular solution to organizing on the Left. Instead, we aspire to build strength through solidarity, and offer a challenging alternative to capitalism for everyone.

INTERNAL ORGANIZING AND INFRASTRUCTURE:

Build organizational structures that can support and manage anticipated growth of the chapter.
Build an organizational culture that embodies our socialist ideals, and a welcoming community that supports all members to engage in collective work to dismantle systems of oppression, in accordance with our shared values.
Maintain transparent decision-making processes which allows all members to democratically shape and engage in chapter decisions, avoiding top-heavy hierarchies and “gatekeeping”.
Maintain workflow systems that support and empower all members to take on significant responsibility for ongoing cross-chapter communication and collaboration.
Commit to maintaining and growing chapter funds, and dedicating sufficient resources to ensure that chapter events and materials are accessible to all members.
Cultivate a culture of openness, respect, and camaraderie by aiming to meet people where they are and assume good intentions, recognizing that everyone comes to organizing from different perspectives and experiences.
Commit to accountability and transparency for leadership in DSA-LA.
Develop, maintain, and enforce shared standards for interpersonal conduct and misconduct that allows individuals to make mistakes and correct them, encouraging reconciliation and accountability over guilt and shame.
Recognize the risks that accompany work that challenges powerful, oppressive systems, and continue to develop processes and resources that support the privacy and security of our membership.

STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS:

Forge and maintain intentional, deliberate and reciprocal relationships as well as share resources with other organizations who share our broad political goals. This includes other explicitly socialist and anti-capitalist organizations, as well as non-socialist organizations whose politics and values align with ours and are working towards similarly defined ends, while working to avoid duplication of efforts.
Build respectful relationships which allow DSA members to both contribute to the broader movement as leaders, and as allies, as appropriate.
Undertake to exchange resources, build solidarity, and engage in campaigns with other DSA chapters
Create opportunities to work in transnational solidarity to challenge imperialism and global capitalism.
Work to develop partnerships with other organizations to challenge and transcend the stratifications that divide Los Angeles.

MOBILIZATION AND MEMBER CAPACITY:

Articulate ongoing numerical benchmarks and defined paths for member engagement, ensuring that we can meet every new and experienced member where they are at.
Develop and implement training materials and protocols for a variety of skillsets that empower members to act as effective rank-and-file organizers and step into new leadership roles confidently.
Recognizing that learning and growth as organizers includes and requires being challenged, encourage and support learning and growth in all members by offering opportunities to develop new skills and take on additional responsibilities.
Create and maintain structures and guidelines for coordinator and co-chair roles that ensure rotation of leadership and development of new leaders within the organization.
Develop internal capacity to recruit, engage and retain our members across the racial and socioeconomic divisions of Los Angeles, and connect members to each other regionally, while also challenging instead of reifying those divisions.
Maintain systems and protocols that enable us to continually map and understand our memberships needs, strengths, and resources.
Ensuring ongoing development and support of organizers and leaders within our organization.

Mass Meetings will serve as a primary method to open up capacity for membership to participate and shape on-ground decisions that impact neighborhoods where we have Socialist Electeds. This will be the most significant amplification shift for how DSA-LA members relate to their electeds and take responsibility to organize in their neighborhoods for our chapterwide priority campaigns.

Highlight Community Needs to DSA Office Staff
Engage in priority campaigns to nonmembers in the area

Proposed Amendments to Socialists in Office Resolution

Co-Authors: Arielle S., Juan L., Willie W.
Lead Contact: Arielle S. (ariellesallai(at)gmail.com)
Updated as of March 29, 2024

Whereas

At the 2023 Local Convention, DSA-LA passed chapter resolution Support a Democratic Socialist Agenda at LA City Hall & Build DSA-LA for Effective Mass Working Class Co-governance, resolving that the Electoral Committee, with support from the DSA-LA Steering Committee, will hold semi-regular formal policy strategy Socialists in Office meetings between DSA-LA Councilmembers and chapter leaders, and membership more broadly. These meetings would focus on prioritized policy campaigns—including new policies to be introduced at City Hall.
Since the 2023 Convention, the Socialists in Office program has maintained active communication with DSA members in office, and contributed to coordinated efforts among electeds to: 1) vote against the LAPD’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, 2) strengthen tenant protections, and 3) vote to allow councilmembers to spend unused LAPD discretionary funds on homelessness prevention and outreach.
At the same time, the existing Socialists in Office framework has failed to engage membership broadly—only one membership town hall (with Eunisses Hernandez) has been held, and members have outlined a desire for expanded institutional structures to enable stronger coordination, as well as transparent, two-way communication and strategizing with members in office.
The specifics of a strong Socialists in Office program should be shaped by intentional, deliberative engagement and debate among members at our chapter’s highest legislative and decision-making body.

Be it resolved that the following amendments to the Socialists in Office resolution drafted by Mark G & Claire P, are submitted to members for consideration at the Annual Convention.

I). Amend Section 1(b) and 1(e):

1). DSA-LA will expand participation, engagement, and relationship building via Mass Meetings and membership meetings:

(…)

b) DSA socialist electeds will regularly be invited to attend branch and chapter meetings alongside rank & file members, and ~~they and their staff, when relevant,~~should prominently attend and co-host mass meetings.

(…)

e) The Political Education Committee will work with other chapter bodies to ~~incorporate consistent messaging regarding the role of Socialist Electeds in DSA-LA into DSA introductory materials~~,expand popularization of the DSP [Democratic Socialist Program], and invite members and non-members to Political Education night schools/modules on Mass Parties.

II). Replace Section 2 with the following text in magenta (with the exception of 2(c)):

~~2. DSA-LA will expand and formalize Liaison roles to DSA Representative Offices~~

i. Branch Representatives will be responsible for attending Branch Organizing Committee meetings. For offices that fall outside of the boundaries of a branch, Representatives will be responsible for: and attending & updating members at Branch Meetings on developments with the Offices and serve as more visible points of contact to the membership. For example, the Branch Representative for the Eastside/SGV Branch will be the main source of updates on CD4.

c. Steering Committee, Electoral Committee, and Growth and Development will coordinate a comparative study of SiO programs in other chapters to inform a theory of best practices. This will involve:

i. Conducting interviews of leaders in other chapters concerning the structure and operations of their SiO programs, including what is working well and what challenges they face;

ii. Compiling a report of findings; and

iii. Producing recommendations for improvement

2). The Socialists in Office program will expand and formalize roles for engagement with DSA Representative Offices.

a. The Socialists in Office program will be re-established as a chapterwide body under the purview of the Steering Committee.

b. The Socialists in Office body will be constituted by:

i. three (3) members of the Steering Committee;
ii. one (1) member elected by each of the five (5) geographic branches;
iii. two (2) members appointed or elected by the Electoral Politics Committee; and
iv. two (2) members appointed or elected by each chapter body tasked with the implementation of any issue-based Priority Resolutions.
v. The Steering Committee may add up to four (4) members to the body at their discretion, should the political moment require expertise in a particular issue area, as well as any ex-officio members from former iterations of the Socialists in Office program to provide background and expertise.

(…)

d. The members participating in the Socialists in Office program will select at least two (2) members from the body to serve as liaisons to each elected office to maintain consistent points of contact. These liaisons will not have independent decision-making authority unless otherwise empowered by the majority of the Socialists in Office body. The Socialists in Office body, in coordination with the Steering Committee, will further establish clear guidelines on the role of these liaisons, with recognition and training on the sensitive nature of such relationships.

e. The full Socialists in Office body will schedule at least one (1) meeting per month with all DSA Representative Offices to discuss upcoming political developments, deliberate and vote on policy positions for key pieces of legislation to be determined by the body, and consider opportunities for chapter- or branch-wide mobilization when appropriate.

f. All members of the Socialists in Office body will also serve as points of contact for the program to their constituencies in the chapter. They can collect member questions, proposals, or feedback in relation to the Socialists in Office program. Members representing the geographic branches, in particular, will be responsible for attending Branch Organizing Committee meetings, and attending & updating members at Branch Meetings on developments with the Offices and serve as more visible points of contact to the membership.

PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE CHAPTER BYLAWS

Biennial DSA-LA Local Convention

Authors: Alex Wo, Paul Z, and Leslie C
Lead Contacts: Alex Wo (alexwolinetz(at)gmail.com), Paul Z (pzapstudio(at)gmail.com)

Bylaws amendment:

We should have a local convention every two years, alternating with National convention

Rationale or Whereas

Our current bylaws require our Local Chapter to host Annual Conventions and adopt up to three priority resolutions every year.

Campaigns that our chapter adopts not only require careful consideration, but the time necessary to scale up and win stated demands

Priority Campaigns adopted at our Local Conventions within the last three years have sought or will be seeking more than the one year provided by our current Annual Convention parameters, including: Transit, Power to the Tenants, Childcare for All, and a Green New Deal for Public Schools

Annual conventions absorb considerable administrative time from our membership, particularly in years where chapter leadership is responsible for organizing attendance and participation at our National Convention as well

Additional time provided by a Biennial Convention schedule allows our Local Chapter to dedicate more time for member recruitment, engagement, and retention

Additional time provided by a Biennial Convention schedule allows our Local Chapter more time for external campaigns such as our priority and electoral campaigns, labor solidarity, and important work that may arise like our No Money for Massacres campaign

A longer timeframe for organizing a Local Convention enables us to have greater attendance and participation for each

Hosting a Biennial Convention creates an opportunity for considerable cost savings for our Local Chapter

Questions:

Do we need to add any additional stipulations into the bylaws to assuage folks who may be nervous about something every 2 years? Something like an annual report due to the membership after the first year of a priority campaign?
Do we need to build in a way for campaigns to end early or start in between cycles if they are not materializing or our organizing terrain shifts?

ARTICLE 4: SECTION 2 – ~~ANNUAL~~ BIENNIAL CONVENTION

The Local will hold an ~~Annual~~ Biennial Convention ~~each~~ every other year and is not to take place during the same year as DSA’s National Convention. The ~~Annual~~ Biennial Convention is the highest legislative and decision making body of the Local. The ~~Annual~~ Biennial Convention votes on modifications to the Local Mission Statement and Organizational Priorities, Priority Resolutions, and any other relevant business. Requirements for amending the bylaws are outlined in Article XIV, requirements for modifying the Local Mission Statement and Organization Priorities are outlined in Article VI. Section 1, and requirements for Priority Resolutions are outlined in this Article.

Priority Resolutions are time-bound, large-scale structural and/or campaign-based initiatives that require major Local resources. Priority Resolutions must adhere to these Bylaws and shall be undertaken over the course of the ~~year~~ two years following their adoption by the ~~Annual~~ Biennial Convention. Priority Resolutions can be proposed for consideration by submitting a formal proposal to the Steering Committee at least one (1) month in advance of the ~~Annual~~ Biennial Convention. The Steering Committee will make these proposals available for members to review at least two (2) weeks in advance of the ~~Annual~~ Biennial Convention and provide time on the ~~Annual~~ Biennial Convention agenda to discuss and vote on proposed Priority Resolutions. The Steering Committee will put out a call for proposals at least two (2) months in advance of the ~~Annual~~ Biennial Convention.

A proposed Priority Resolution must receive a two-thirds supermajority of votes at the ~~Annual~~ Biennial Convention in order to be adopted. Up to 3 Priority Resolutions will be adopted at the ~~Annual~~ Biennial Convention. Fewer Priority Resolutions may be adopted, but in the event that more than 3 proposed Priority Resolutions receive a two-thirds supermajority vote, there will be a second, runoff round of voting to determine the top three Priority Resolutions. In the event of a runoff vote, each member will vote for up to three of the Priority Resolutions which have been approved by a two-thirds supermajority—the three Priority Resolutions which receive the most votes will then be adopted.

After the conclusion of the first year following a Priority Resolution’s passage, a non-deliberative Chapter Meeting will be called. At this Chapter Meeting, Working Groups formed by adopted Priority Resolutions will provide membership with a report on the campaign’s progress, analysis, and plans for the next year.

Binding Chapter Decisions to be Determined by Synchronous Votes

Authors: Max, B., Arielle S, Courtney Q., Willie W.
Lead Contact: Willie W.

Whereas socialist organizations are not merely vehicles for campaigns, but should be democratic institutions where deep, regular engagement in collective decision-making extends members’ opportunities to learn to govern society as a class

Whereas asynchronous, electronic votes on consequential chapter decisions replicate the passive, isolated political engagement that characterizes liberal democracy, depriving members of vibrant, institutional spaces that support collective political development and reinforce our common cause

Whereas atomized electronic votes on chapter decisions generally do not translate into the active, sustained membership participation required by an ambitious political program

Let it be resolved that all binding chapter decisions be determined by synchronous—primarily in-person & proxy—votes enshrined by amending the bylaws as follows:

ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIP

SECTION 5. RECORD DATE

(…)

If not otherwise fixed by the Steering Committee, the record date for determining members entitled to receive notice of a meeting of members shall be the next business day preceding the day on which notice is given or, if notice is waived, the next business day preceding the day on which the meeting is held. If not otherwise fixed by the Steering Committee, the record date for determining members entitled to vote at the meeting shall be the day on which the meeting is held.

~~If not otherwise fixed by the Steering Committee, the record date for determining members entitled to vote by written ballot shall be the day on which the first written ballot is mailed or solicited.~~

ARTICLE IV. CHAPTER MEETINGS

SECTION 5. QUORUM

A quorum of 10% of Local members, in person or by proxy, or 100 members present and voting in person, whichever is lower, must be present in order to conduct business. ~~If applicable, absentee ballots or votes cast electronically shall count towards attaining quorum of the business which it pertains to~~. <Electronic, asynchronous ballots shall not count towards attaining quorum of the business to which it pertains.>

(…)

SECTION 6. VOTING

If a quorum is present, the affirmative vote of a majority or supermajority, as appropriate, of the voting power represented at the meeting, entitled to vote and voting on the matter, shall be deemed the act of the members. For all binding business conducted at Chapter Meetings, remote <synchronous> votes may be facilitated and counted when possible.

Proxies

Each member entitled to vote shall have the right to do so by one or more agents authorized by a written proxy, signed by the member and filed with the Recording Secretary. A proxy shall be deemed signed if the member’s name is placed on the proxy by the member or the member’s attorney-in-fact, whether by manual signature, typewriting, electronic signature, or otherwise.

Proxyholders must be members. Each proxyholder shall be limited to voting three proxies.

Any form of proxy distributed to 10 or more members shall give the member an opportunity to specify a choice between approval and disapproval of each matter or group of related matters and, subject to reasonable specified conditions, shall provide that, when the person solicited specifies a choice in any such matter, the vote shall be cast according to that specification.

Any proxy covering matters for which a vote of the members is required shall not be valid unless the proxy sets forth the general nature of the matter to be voted on.

No proxy shall be valid after the expiration of the meeting or vote for which the proxy is specified, unless provided otherwise in the proxy, except that the maximum term of a proxy shall be 6 months after the date of execution. A validly executed proxy shall continue in full force and effect until either

It is revoked by the member executing it, before the vote is cast under that proxy, (a) by a writing delivered to the Recording Secretary, or agent designated by the Recording Secretary, stating that the proxy is revoked, or (b) by a subsequent proxy executed by that member and presented to the meeting, or (c) as to any meeting, by that member’s personal attendance and voting at the meeting; or
Written notice of the death or incapacity of the maker of the proxy is received by the corporation before the vote under that proxy is counted. A proxy may not be irrevocable.

~~Written Ballot~~

Any action that members may take at any meeting of members may also be taken without a meeting through action by written ballot. The ballot and any related material may be sent by DSA-LA via electronic transmission and responses returned by electronic transmission if approved by the Steering Committee as required by California Corporation Code § 5513. In any such actions, DSA-LA shall distribute one written ballot to each member entitled to vote on the matter. The ballot and any related material may be sent by electronic transmission by DSA-LA, and responses may be returned to the corporation by electronic transmission. All solicitations of votes by written ballot shall (1) state the number of responses needed to meet the quorum requirement; (2) state, with respect to ballots other than for election of Steering Committee members, the percentage of approvals necessary to pass the measure or measures; and (3) specify the time by which the ballot must be received in order to be counted. Each ballot so distributed shall (1) set forth the proposed action; (2) give the members an opportunity to specify approval or disapproval of each proposal; and provide a reasonable time in which to return the ballot.

Approval by written ballot shall be valid only when (1) the number of votes cast by ballot (including ballots that are marked “withhold” or otherwise indicate that authority to vote is withheld), within the time specified, equals or exceeds the quorum required to be present at a meeting authorizing the action, and (2) the number of approvals equals or exceeds the number of votes that would be required for approval at a meeting at which the total number of votes cast was the same as the number of votes cast by written ballot without a meeting. All written ballots shall be filed with the Recording Secretary and maintained in the corporate records

~~A written ballot may not be revoked.~~

SECTION 7. LOCATION OF MEETINGS

(…)

A Chapter Meeting of the members may be held solely by electronic transmission by and to DSA-LA or by electronic video screen communication only if one or more of the following conditions apply: (A) the Steering Committee determines it is necessary or appropriate because of an emergency, (B) the meeting is conducted between January 1, 2024 and ~~December 31, 2025~~ <April 30, 2024>, or (C) in accordance with any governing law that may be adopted in the future.

ARTICLE V. BRANCHES

SECTION 4. FORMATION

(…)

Each Local-wide vote on proposed Branch formation must be preceded by dedicated time at a Local Meeting, with time reserved for debate for and against the proposal. The vote passes by a simple majority, provided that at least ten percent of Local members participate in the vote <at a Chapter Meeting> , otherwise it fails.

ARTICLE VI. LOCAL SUBGROUPS

SECTION 5. COMMITTEE PLATFORMS

(…)
Platforms ultimately guide the direction and political will of the group. They must be developed democratically and ratified by 10 members before being put up for an up-or-down Local-wide vote <at a Chapter Meeting> , requiring a simple majority to pass initially and a two-thirds supermajority to pass on subsequent votes (see Article IV).

ARTICLE VII. ELECTIONS

SECTION 1. NOMINATIONS COMMITTEE

A three-person Nominations Committee shall be established at least one month prior to every Local Officer election by vote of the Local membership, unless only 3 members are nominated for the Committee, in which case they will be declared elected by acclamation. The Nominations Committee shall be convened by the Steering Committee to conduct the Local Officer election. It shall formulate and maintain written election procedures that allow a reasonable opportunity for a nominee to communicate to members the nominee’s qualifications and the reasons for the nominee’s candidacy, a reasonable opportunity for the nominee to solicit votes, and a reasonable opportunity for all members to choose among the nominees <at a Chapter Meeting>. It shall solicit and receive nominations for the positions to be elected, determine whether candidates are qualified, and conduct the election pursuant to its written election procedures. The Nominations Committee shall also conduct Local Subgroup Officer elections for active Local Subgroups following Local Officer Elections <at a Chapter Meeting>.

Elections conducted pursuant to this Article may be by written ballot. The Nominations Committee may adopt any reasonable and legally permissible voting system, including but not limited to ranked-choice or cumulative voting, provided that all members eligible to vote have equal voting rights. (…)

SECTION 3. ELECTIONS

Election for Local and Branch Officers shall be held with voting closing at least two weeks prior to the end of the previous Officers’ terms, in order to allow a two-week transition period. Elections shall be run by secret ballot. <Elections shall be held at a Chapter meeting.> If a position is uncontested, the nominee will be declared elected by acclamation.

(…)

ARTICLE XII. DELEGATES TO NATIONAL, REGIONAL, AND STATE BODIES

Delegates and alternatives representing the Local to the National Convention and any other meeting of DSA bodies in which decisions binding on the Local are to be made will be elected by the full membership of the Local <at a Chapter Meeting>.

Discouraging Submission of Omnibus Amendments

Authors: Max, B., Arielle S, Courtney Q., Willie W.
Lead Contact: Max B. (mbelasco1848(at)gmail.com)

Whereas the DSA-LA Mission Statement states that the chapter “should always be a deeply participatory organization whose processes and protocols reflect its values – democratic, transparent, and engaged”

Whereas a distinguishing feature of our organization is bringing working people into decision making and participatory democracy, an experience far too rare in our neoliberal capitalist society

Whereas the DSA-LA Local Convention provides an annual opportunity for all members to participate in our internal democracy through deliberating strategy and the internal processes that comprise our organization

Whereas a common practice in recent years has been to propose bylaws amendments that combine multiple (sometimes unrelated) amendments together in a single amendment for consideration

Whereas the creation of large “omnibus amendments” frequently lead to convention debates that are removed from the material consequences of the separate amendments

Whereas the creation of large “omnibus amendments” lead to diminished amounts of time to discuss and ask questions about the implications of discrete changes to the bylaws

Whereas our Local Convention should serve as a time to engage members in participatory democracy

Let it be resolved that future bylaws amendments shall be framed around resolving one discrete organizational issue by amending all impacted articles related to that topic, so that amendments can be discussed and considered separately.

Proposed Amendment

Article XIV. Amendments

Proposed amendments to these Bylaws must be made by written resolution, endorsed by 25 members of Local members, and submitted to the Steering Committee at least one (1) month in advance of a Local Meeting or the Annual Convention. <Proposed amendments may include significant changes to a single article along with limited changes to other articles to maintain consistency. Unrelated proposed bylaws amendments must be considered separately at a Local Meeting or Annual Convention.>

The Steering Committee will make these proposed amendments available for members to review at least two (2) weeks in advance of the Local Meeting or Annual Convention and provide time on the Local Meeting or Annual Convention agenda to discuss and vote on them. If any proposed amendment receives a two-thirds supermajority of votes, the Steering Committee will update the bylaws accordingly.

Electoral Committee Independence

Authors: Max, B., Arielle S, Courtney Q., Willie W.
Lead Contact: Max B. (mbelasco1848(at)gmail.com)

Whereas a core responsibility of our chapter is to build a mass organization in the service of realizing the Democratic Socialist Program (DSP) and building a strong independent base for socialist politics in Los Angeles

Whereas part of realizing said vision involves challenging the forces of capital for state power, including the contesting of elections

Whereas once in office members that are public officials will face pressure to compromise their commitment to the DSP with competing and conflicting interests represented in other constituencies, and thus must be organized to remain accountable to our program

Whereas the need to create mechanisms of accountability is recognized by the creation of the Socialist in Office (SIO) program

Whereas the current bylaws rightly ban any member currently working on a campaign to serve on the Electoral Committee to avoid conflicts of interest that lie with a member’s employment and fulfillment of the chapter’s DSP

Whereas the same reasoning can be extended to all members working for public officials should they be involved in chapter organs responsible for ensuring accountability among our elected members

Whereas the mechanisms for accountability among our elected members currently rest within the Electoral Committee

Let it be resolved that no member who is elected to public office or is currently working for an elected public official can serve on the DSA-LA Electoral Committee or any of its subgroups.

Proposed Amendment

Article X. Electoral Endorsements

Section 2. Electoral Committee

(…) Electoral Committee members may not be employed <either> by campaigns seeking Local Endorsement <or in the office of public officials elected to represent constituencies which fall within the Local’s geography>.

Make Priority Resolutions our Priorities

Authors: Noah C., Leslie C., Shiu-Ming C., Caleb E., Philip I., Thea O., and Xava
Lead Contact: Leslie C. (leslie.dsa.la(at)gmail.com)
Updated as of March 29, 2024

Summary of bylaws amendment:
DSA-LA should focus our resources and energy on a maximum of two, rather than three, priority resolutions per local convention cycle.

Rationale, or whereas:

DSA-LA is committed to building a mass movement organization that has power in the state, within organized labor, and across our community to achieve our socialist vision for a better Los Angeles for all
The strongest path to building a mass movement is through long-term campaigns with widely felt and winnable demands, as laid out in our Democratic Socialist Program (DSP)
Winning socialist demands for our fellow working class Angelenos requires us to (1) carefully prioritize chapter resources, and (2) engage our membership base in a concerted and consistent manner
While our bylaws have a ceiling on priority resolutions, our chapter regularly leads additional electoral and labor campaigns. We also often convene time-bound working groups to address critical issues that come up throughout the year (e.g. abortion rights, Palestinian solidarity)
Our chapter has limited resources, which means we should focus on executing fewer campaigns and doing them well, rather than committing to more campaigns and achieving less. For example, we can increase the budget for our priority resolutions if we focus our efforts, thereby increasing our effectiveness and the visibility of our demands
In addition, while local convention and chapter meetings are well attended, the day-to-day work that takes place within working groups and branches are only done by a few members. Without a critical mass of members working on our campaigns across the chapter, the burden of execution falls on just a few leaders
Careful prioritization will also allow us to strategically focus on continuous improvement, so that we achieve more by focusing more
Overall, being a member of DSA-LA means adhering to the democratic decision-making body of our membership. We must commit to doing the work necessary to carry out our vision. By focusing our resources and energy on two priority resolutions, we can accelerate our progress to achieving the demands laid out in the DSP

Therefore, let is be resolved that Article 4: Section 2 – Annual Convention be amended as follows:

ARTICLE 4: SECTION 2 – ANNUAL CONVENTION

The Local will hold an Annual Convention each year. The Annual Convention is the highest legislative and decision making body of the Local. The Annual Convention votes on modifications to the Local Mission Statement and Organizational Priorities, Priority Resolutions, and any other relevant business. Requirements for amending the bylaws are outlined in Article XIV, requirements for modifying the Local Mission Statement and Organization Priorities are outlined in Article VI. Section 1, and requirements for Priority Resolutions are outlined in this Article.

Priority Resolutions are time-bound, large-scale structural and/or campaign-based initiatives that require major Local resources. Priority Resolutions must adhere to these Bylaws and shall be undertaken over the course of the year following their adoption by the Annual Convention. Priority Resolutions can be proposed for consideration by submitting a formal proposal to the Steering Committee at least one (1) month in advance of the Annual Convention. The Steering Committee will make these proposals available for members to review at least two (2) weeks in advance of the Annual Convention and provide time on the Annual Convention agenda to discuss and vote on proposed Priority Resolutions. The Steering Committee will put out a call for proposals at least two (2) months in advance of the Annual Convention.

A proposed Priority Resolution must receive a two-thirds supermajority of votes at the Annual Convention in order to be adopted. Up to 2 3 Priority Resolutions will be adopted at the Annual Convention. Fewer Priority Resolutions may be adopted, but in the event that more than 2 3 proposed Priority Resolutions receive a two-thirds supermajority vote, there will be a second, runoff round of voting to determine the top three Priority Resolutions. In the event of a runoff vote, each member will vote for up to two ~~three~~ of the Priority Resolutions which have been approved by a two-thirds supermajority—the two ~~three~~ Priority Resolutions which receive the most votes will then be adopted. This bylaws amendment (reduce maximum 3 priority resolutions to maximum 2 priority resolutions) shall take effect no earlier than the date of DSA-LA’s local convention for calendar year 2025.

Structural Requirements for Priority Resolutions

Authors: Max, B., Arielle S, Courtney Q., Willie W.
Lead Contact: Arielle S. (ariellesallai(at)gmail.com)

Whereas Priority Resolutions passed at the Annual Convention are some of the highest profile campaigns in the Local, engaging a high number of members from across Branches and Local Subgroups, including many new members

Whereas the Chapter has established a precedent of forming separate time-bound working groups to implement each Priority Resolution passed by the Local

Whereas each Priority Resolution may interface with existing chapter bodies in different ways, necessitating a specific approach to how the Local structures its implementation

Whereas the current precedent risks creating duplicative chapter bodies lacking clear mandates for communication and coordination, such as the Power to the Tenants Working Group vis a vis the existing Housing & Homelessness Committee, which creates unnecessary confusion for how members engage in that area of work

Whereas the structure of implementation is an important component to the strategy behind a campaign, and worth discussing and debating as part of the Annual Convention decision-making process

Whereas the Campaigns Coordinator on the Steering Committee is already tasked with coordinating the activity of committees, branches and working groups and reporting back to the Steering Committee on the progress and operations of Local campaigns

Let it be resolved the Bylaws will be amended to require Priority Resolution proposals to specify which Local organizational body will implement the Resolution and how chapter leadership will coordinate/guide implementation, including the creation of any new Local Subgroups.

Proposed Amendment

Article IV, SECTION 2. ANNUAL CONVENTION

Priority Resolutions are time-bound, large-scale structural and/or campaign-based initiatives that require major Local resources. Priority Resolutions must adhere to these Bylaws and shall be undertaken over the course of the year following their adoption by the Annual Convention. Priority Resolutions can be proposed for consideration by submitting a formal proposal to the Steering Committee at least one (1) month in advance of the Annual Convention. <Priority Resolution proposals must specify how the chapter will implement the Resolution, including any new Local Subgroups to be created, and any new responsibilities from Chapter Leadership.> The Steering Committee will make these proposals available for members to review at least two (2) weeks in advance of the Annual Convention and provide time on the Annual Convention agenda to discuss and vote on proposed Priority Resolutions. The Steering Committee will put out a call for proposals at least two (2) months in advance of the Annual Convention.

A proposed Priority Resolution must receive a two-thirds supermajority of votes at the Annual Convention in order to be adopted. Up to 3 Priority Resolutions will be adopted at the Annual Convention. Fewer Priority Resolutions may be adopted, but in the event that more than 3 proposed Priority Resolutions receive a two-thirds supermajority vote, there will be a second, runoff round of voting to determine the top three Priority Resolutions. In the event of a runoff vote, each member will vote for up to three of the Priority Resolutions which have been approved by a two-thirds supermajority—the three Priority Resolutions which receive the most votes will then be adopted.

Article VIII, SECTION 5. CAMPAIGNS COORDINATOR

The Campaigns Coordinator shall be responsible for coordinating <the implementation of Priority Resolutions>, the activity of committees, branches and working groups, including assisting in the organizational structure, ensuring meetings of the committees operate according to principles of transparency, accessibility, and full participation, and reporting back to the Steering Committee on the progress and operations of committee and the Local’s campaigns, and planning logistics of the Annual Convention. The Campaigns Coordinator will also be responsible for tracking the Local’s coalitions and external relationships.