Meeting of 14 January, 2012

Minutes of the LPSF Meeting of January 14, 2012

 

Members Present: Marcy Berry (Chair), Michael Denny, Michael Edelstein, Aubrey Freedman, Jawj Greenwald (Secretary), and Leslie Mangus (Treasurer).

 

Latecomers:  Phil Berg, Starchild

 

Guests:  Garrett Smith.

Officers’ Reports:

 

Chair:  Agendas and minutes have been posted on the LPSF website.  Non-public documents such as membership lists can be posted on google.docs by officers who sign up for access.  As guidance for incoming officers, Marcy Berry reviewed current financial statements, emphasizing our dependence on fund-raising for this year’s activities.  Membership dues provide almost no income.  The money in our bank account comes from a one-time bequest and donations ear-marked mostly for LPSF operating expenses and for ballot arguments.

 

Vice Chair: No report

Treasurer: The LPSF has $4,554.42 in its bank account, and no more petty cash.  Les Mangus cautioned that campaign finance laws require that campaign funds be segregated in a bank account separate from the operating account, and campaign committees formed.

Secretary: Minutes of the December meeting were posted on the website.

 

Committee Reports:

 

Internet Communications/Social Networking: No report.

Initiatives/Ballot Measures: Aubrey Freedman reported that to date only two ballot measures are likely to appear on the June ballot – one to protect Coit Tower and its murals, and one setting forth a competitive bidding process for different garbage collection and disposal contracts.  Neither seems to require LP ballot arguments.  The November election should have more initiatives.

 

Membership: No report.

 

Outreach: No report.

 

Activism Reports:

 

We went around the table reporting on blows we’d struck for freedom this month.  Efforts focused on the Ron Paul campaign.  Everybody except your amanuensis seems to have given him money.  Aubrey Freedman, Mike Denny and Mike Edelstein did phone canvassing for him, and Mike Denny was interviewed for a Chronicle article about his campaign.  Aubrey wrote a Letter to the Editor of the Chronicle (alas, not published) about Ed Lee and pension reform.  Marcy Berry wrote and posted an article on our website, and posted a poll question about safety which members liked.

 

Announcements:

 

Details of the January Ron Paul meet-up were announced.  See www.meetup.com for further details of this regular monthly event.

 

Information about a January 17^th “occupy” event and follow up events are at www.occupyyourcongress.info

 

Information about an all-day January 20^th protest of the National Defense Authorization Act to be held at the Embarcadero can also be found on the Internet.

 

Signatures were solicited for the Marijuana Legalization Initiative, which seeks to regulate pot like wine.

Old Business:

 

California LP Convention:

 

Anyone wishing to be a delegate at the National LP Convention in Las Vegas May 4-6, 2012 so as to vote on the LP’s presidential candidate without having been a California convention delegate earlier should give their names to Starchild or Aubrey Freedman so they can be nominated at the California convention.

 

Budget for Pride Booth: A $500 budget for our booth (in conjunction with Outright Libertarians) for this year’s Pride Weekend was unanimously approved.

 

New Business:

 

Election of Officers for 2012: The following officers ran unopposed and were unanimously elected for 2012: Phil Berg, Chair; Aubrey Freedman, Vice Chair; Mike Denny, Secretary; and Les Magnus, Treasurer.  A heartfelt vote of thanks was given to Marcy Berry, stepping down from office after many years of wearing many hats.

 

Review of Tasks, Committee Appointments for 2012: Marcy Berry discussed the committees to be appointed and ministerial tasks for the incoming officers.  She circulated details of housekeeping tasks, including: arranging meeting rooms; posting and keeping track of minutes, agendas, and attendance lists; mail-box pickups; banking arrangements; and website maintenance.

 

Michael Edelstein was re-appointed time-keeper, and will also continue to make follow-up calls to new members.

 

Website maintenance was discussed.  Marcy Berry will continue to post to the website and to monitor it.   The role of Webmaster could be given to Steve DeKorte, who has expressed interest in expanding our online presence by creating automatic links to Facebook and other sites.  Or we could recruit a techie to whatever upkeep we feel necessary from time to time on an ad hoc basis.  Michael Edelstein volunteered to contact Marc Joffe to request his assistance as emergency webmaster.

 

Aubrey Freedman agreed to do mail-box pickups from February through April, after which Les Magnus will do it.

 

Alternative meeting places were discussed.  The Main Library is booked for February.  Further bookings will require someone registered with the library to fill out and submit room applications.  Mike Denny offered his Richmond District home as an alternative location for a more informal atmosphere.

 

Guest presentation:

 

Garrett Smith discussed the National Defense Authorization Act, which allows the military to detain American citizens worldwide without trial.  He urged a recall election for both California senators who voted in its favor.  Marcy Berry pointed out that California law doesn’t allow recall elections of federal officials, so that US Senators from California can only be removed by their Senate colleagues.  Garrett urges protest mainly to heighten awareness of the provisions of the NDAA.  He also discussed the need to oppose two internet censorship acts, the Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect Intellectual Property Act.  Those interested in learning more about these issues can visit his website: garretts.github.com/UsurpMSM/card/