The Pacifica Restructuring Project filed new papers with the court on Dec. 27, 2019, to help ensure that Pacifica members get to vote on the new Bylaws, despite maneuverings by those opposed to letting the members vote. The filing asks the court to require Pacifica to broadcast notices of the new Bylaws in compliance with the current Bylaws, to allow more time for that to be completed and for ballots to be sent out so that the members can vote on the new Bylaws, and for seating of new Directors to be delayed until that is done.
This followed a rather astounding Pacifica National Board meeting on Dec. 20, 2019, in which the Chair pro tem of the PNB, Alex Steinberg, urged PNB Directors to vote “yes” on the new Bylaws proposed by PRP, in order to help defeat them, as a yes vote by the PNB then makes the Bylaws go to the Delegates of each station, before going to the members for a vote. Even if the PNB and/or the Delegates voted to not approve the new Bylaws, the Members still get to vote on them and a vote of approval by the Members would override however the PNB and Delegates vote. Thus, the PNB and Delegates voting accomplishes nothing other than delaying a vote by the members of Pacifica. The PNB yes vote was clearly a vote to not approve the Bylaws, as stated by the Chair Pro Tem and posted on pacifica.org, and was simply a ploy to delay a member vote until after the (extended) deadline of Feb. 1, in order to prevent the member vote from taking place.
The National Election Supervisor, Renee Penaloza, had previously verified that the PRP Bylaws petition had enough valid signatures (at least 1% of Pacifica members) to be a proper petition, even though she was hired late — after the Notice Period for Bylaws amendments had already been completed, but without notices broadcast on Pacifica stations as the current Bylaws require to be done during each day of the notice period. Such a failure to broadcast notices had killed other proposed Bylaws amendments in early 2019..
Because both California law and the Bylaws guarantee the right of members to vote on new Bylaws or amendments submitted by a member petition, PRP is asking Judge Roesch to affirm that right but also to require that Pacifica fulfill the other notice requirements in the current Bylaws before the vote. Therefore, PRP is also asking the judge to extend the deadline for completing the member vote, as it cannot start until the broadcast notices are completed.
The new papers filed with the court are:
- Motion for further court orders
- Declaration supporting the motion, with exhibits
- Draft order for judge
The judge is expected to give a ruling on January 23 regarding this, so stay tuned for further updates.
Bill Crosier