COCRA Proposes Changes To Bylaws

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If you’re a member of COCRA you should have received a postcard in the mail alerting members to changes to our bylaws including a major change that affects representation.

To read the language of the proposed changes that will be voted on September 12th of this year in San Francisco at the COCRA Fall Conference just click on the read more link below.

I’ll be writing a post in the next couple of days explaining how these changes came about and why we believe these will be beneficial for COCRA members.

ARTICLE VI

Nominating Committee

Section 6.1 Composition.

The Nominating Committee shall be selected each year by the Steering Committee. It shall be composed of six (6) the Regional Representatives members of one from each Appellate Regional District. In the event a selected member is unable to serve on the Nominating Committee, the Steering Committee shall select a replacement Nominating Committee member from the respective Regional District.

Section 6.2 Duties.

The Nominating Committee annually shall appoint the Officers of the Association and may nominate District Regional Representatives (Section 7.5). The Immediate Past President shall preside as ex officio chair of the committee.

Section 6.3 Quorum.

A quorum shall consist of two-thirds (2/3) of the members of the Nominating Committee.

ARTICLE VII

Board of Directors

OLD LANGUAGE

Section 7.3  One District Representative shall work in and represent members of each of the following Appellate Districts:

(a) District 1-Alameda, Contra Costa, Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Solano, Sonoma;

(b) District 2-Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo;

(c)District 3-Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, El Dorado, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Mono, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Yolo, Yuba;

(d) District 4-Imperial, Inyo, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego;

(e) District 5-Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Stanislaus, Tulare, Tuolumne;

(f.)District 6-Monterey, San Benito, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz.

REVISED LANGUAGE

Section 7.3 One or more Regional Representative shall work in and represent members of each of the following Regional Districts:

Bay Area/Northern Coastal Region. This region shall consist of Judicial District 1 and Judicial District 6 and shall include the following counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Monterey, Napa, San Benito, San Francisco, San Mateo, Solano, Sonoma Santa Clara, Santa Cruz;

Northern/Central Region. This region shall consist of Judicial District 3 and Judicial District 5 and shall include the following counties: Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, El Dorado, Fresno, Glenn, Kern, Kings, Lassen, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Modoc, Mono, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Tulare, Tuolumne, Trinity, Yolo, Yuba;

Southern Region. This region shall consist of Judicial District 2 and Judicial District 4 and shall include the following counties: Imperial, Inyo, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, Santa Barbara, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Ventura.

Section 7.4 Eligibility.

To be eligible for appointment as an Officer or District Regional Representative, a member must be an Official Member in good standing for ninety (90) days prior to nomination.

To be eligible for nomination as a District Regional Representative, the member must work as an official court reporter in the respective Appellate Regional District.

Notwithstanding any other provision in these bylaws, an official court reporter employed by any court in a management position, as determined by the Nominating Committee, shall not be eligible to serve as an Officer or District Regional Representative.

Section 7.6 Election of District Regional Representatives.

Ninety (90) days before the Annual Meeting the Secretary shall mail to each Official Member of each appropriate district a request for nomination for their respective District Regional Representative, to be returned to the Secretary within thirty (30) days.

Within thirty (30) days thereafter, the Secretary shall mail to each Official Member of the subject district region a ballot listing the nominees and a return envelope.

If there is only one nominee, write-in votes shall be accepted. The ballot must be returned to the Secretary postmarked no later than ten (10) days prior to the Annual Meeting. Elections shall be by a plurality vote of the Official Members of each respective district.

At the Annual Meeting the ballot count shall be certified by the Secretary and the result officially declared. In the event of a tie vote, a special election shall be called as determined by the Board of Directors.

Section 7.7 Terms of Office.

Officers shall be appointed on a yearly basis and shall serve one-year terms or until their successors are appointed and installed.

The District Regional Representatives from the Bay Area/Northern Coastal, Northern/Central, and Southern Regions shall be elected on an annual a split-term basis. In even-numbered years, the Representatives from Districts 2, 4, and 6 shall be elected; and in odd-numbered years, the Representatives from Districts 1, 3, and 5 shall be elected. The Representatives shall serve two-year terms or until their successors have been elected and installed.

Section 7.9 Removal and Recall.

(a) Any member of the Board of Directors may be removed by two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Board of Directors at a meeting at which a quorum is present after a finding that the best interests of the Association would be served thereby. No member of the Board of Directors shall be removed without the member and his or her district first having received notice of the intention of such removal and having an opportunity to respond as provided in the procedures adopted by the Board of Directors.

(b) Any District Regional Representative may be recalled by the appropriate voting members of the represented district whenever, in their judgment, the best interests of the Association would be served thereby. A petition signed by twenty-five (25) percent of the voting members of the represented district must be submitted to the Secretary with reasons for the proposed recall. Upon receipt of the petition, the Board of Directors shall consider the petition and shall vote on whether the grounds stated would allow for recall of the District Regional Representative.

Upon a majority vote by the Board of Directors that the petition is appropriate, the respective District Regional Representative shall be sent a copy of the petition by registered mail no later than five (5) days after its receipt.

A written notice of a special meeting of the members of the represented district shall be mailed to the Official Members of such district by the Secretary not less than fifteen (15) days prior to the date of such meeting. The respective District Regional Representative shall be provided an opportunity to address the members orally and/or in writing, at the choice of said District Regional Representative, during the special meeting.

Rules of debate shall be previously adopted by the Board of Directors. A two-thirds (2/3) vote of the voting members registered and present at the special meeting at which a quorum is present shall be required in order to recall the challenged District Regional Representative.

A District Regional Representative who is so recalled shall cease to be a member of the Board of Directors on the effective date of the recall.

Section 7.10 Vacancies.

Vacancy of an Officer seat shall be filled by a majority vote of the Steering Committee for the unexpired term of the vacant position.

A vacant District Regional Representative seat may be filled by appointment by the Board of Directors.

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