Bienvenidos a LOC!
Welcome !
BY LAWS
Article I.
 
Name of Organization
Section 1: The organization shall be known as the Latino Outreach Council, herein referred to as the “Council.”

Article II.

Purpose of the Organization

Section 1: The Council is dedicated to assure equity to and empowerment of all members of the Latino community in San Luis Obispo County.
Section 2: The Council exists as an independent entity, with the power and freedom to become active in issues of interest to the Latino community. The Council’s primary purpose is to assist underprivileged members of the Latino community in attaining full access to the services and benefits offered to the general public of San Luis Obispo County, to which such individuals might not otherwise have access. The Council will serve as a form of Latino representation before the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors, the cities of the San Luis Obispo County, and other private and public organizations in an attempt to educate such agencies and organizations concerning the special needs of the underrepresented members of the Latino Community.

Article III.
 
Structure of the Organization

Section 1: The Council will operate as an organization of the community. The community consists of the County of San Luis Obispo County.
Section 2: The community is encouraged to participate in the activities of the Council. General membership is not a requirement for involvement in the organization

(refer to Article IV).
Section 3: The Policy Board is the decision-making body of the Council
(refer to Article V). The twenty-one (21) members of the Policy Board are elected by the general membership and represent the diverse range of occupations and geographical regions of the county.

Section 4
: The action committees are the standing committees of the Council

(refer to Article VII). Each action committee includes representatives of the Policy Board, general membership, and all other individuals willing to serve in such capacities.

Section 5
: The structure of the organization is depicted as follows: (Insert diagram)

Article IV.

General Membership

Section 1: This Corporation shall have no members as that term is defined in Section 5056 of the California Nonprofit Corporation Law. Unless otherwise provided herein or in the California Nonprofit Corporation Law, any action which would otherwise require approval by a majority of all members or approval by the members shall require only approval of the Board of Directors. All rights which would otherwise vest in the members shall vest in the Board of Directors.

Section 2
: Nothing in this Article III shall be construed as limiting the right of the Corporation to refer to persons associated with it, who participate in any activities of the Corporation, as “members” even though such persons are not members, as defined in Section 5056 of the California Nonprofit Corporation. Such persons shall be deemed to be associated persons with respect to the Corporation as that term is defined in Section 5332 of the California Nonprofit Corporation Law and no such reference shall constitute anyone a member of this Corporation. The general membership is open to anyone with a common interest in the mission and goals of the organization.

Section 3: To facilitate communications and pay for all costs associated with Council business, a donation of Forty Dollars ($40) will be requested of all persons wishing to participate in the Council annually.

Section 4: The Council will meet monthly, and all meetings of the Council are open to the general public.

Section 5: The annual meeting of the Council will be held in the month of December each year and shall include the installation of new officers.

Article V.

Policy Board

Section 1: The Policy Board is the decision making body of the Council.

Section 2: A quorum of the members of the Policy Board must be present to conduct the business of the Council. A quorum consists of a simple majority (eleven (11) members) of the Policy Board.

Section 3: The Policy Board will strive to make decisions by consensus. In the event a vote must be taken to act on any item, a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of those members of the Policy Board present is required for ratification.

Section 4: The Policy Board shall consist of twenty-one (21) members that represent a range of occupations from the geographical regions of San Luis Obispo County. It is incumbent upon the members of the Policy Board to maintain balance in representation. The Council will strive toward diversity in the composition of the Policy Board. Diversity includes, but is not limited to ethnicity, gender, age, religion, employment/business sector, participation with community groups, socioeconomic status (class), and place of residence in the San Luis Obispo County. A goal in the formation of the Policy Board shall be that one-third (1/3) of the members of the Policy Board will be “consumers” or community participants at the “grassroots” level.

Section 5: The members of the Policy Board will be selected in part from the following categories and balanced with members from the community-at-large (note that the list of occupations should serve merely as a guide):

                                              • Health/Social Services – Health directors, physicians, nurses, health care providers, dentists, psychologists, practitioner assistants, social service providers, …
                                                      • Educational/Cultural – Early intervention, K to 12, community college, university, adult and continuing education, Literacy Council, Art Council, and other groups serving the educational/cultural needs of the community. This includes administrators, teachers, professors, non-certificated staff, students, librarians, representatives of parent-teacher associations…
                                                     • Business/Finance/Employment – Private Industry Council, California Conservation Corps, Economic Advisory Council, Chambers of Commerce, Business Improvement Associations, labor groups, local businesses, banks and financial institutions,…
                                                • Housing/Land Use – Professional planners/developers, advisory groups on land use, agricultural producers, contractors, Peoples’ Self Help, …
                                                      • Elected Officials – Members of the Board of Supervisors, city councils, special districts, assembly – or senate, school board, County Sheriff…
                                             • Legal Community – Sheriff deputies, city police, district attorney, lawyers, judges, immigration enforcement, park rangers, probation officers, CASA, CRLA, …
                                                   • Community/Civic/Religious Related – South County Coalition for Human Services, Central Coast Community Council, Latinos Unidos, many others…

Section 6
: Election to the Policy Board is for a term of two (2) years. Members of the Policy Board will be elected annually at the annual meeting of the Council in November of each year.

Section 7: Members of the Policy Board are required to attend all meetings of the Policy Board unless prior notification is given to the Chair or Secretary. In the event a member of the Policy Board misses two (2) consecutive meetings without prior notification to the Chair, a vacancy will occur (refer to Article XI., Section I.). Written notification will be sent to the Policy Board member regarding removal as a Policy Board member but continued general membership.

Section 8
: The term of service as a member of the Policy Board begins with the installation of members at the annual meeting in November and terminates in two (2) years. Members of the Policy Board can be re-elected to service without limitation.

Section 9
: A rotation schedule will be developed in order that approximately one-half (1/2) of the members of the Policy Board are rotating off of the committee each year, thereby ensuring continuity in the operation of the Council.

Section 10
: Anyone interested in serving on the Policy Board shall certify his/her ability to serve by completing a nomination form (refer to Article X.). Minimum qualifications:
• attend meetings for one (1) year
                                                                              • serve on standing committee or as member of special projects committee

Section 11: The Policy Board may appoint a spokesperson for a given topic and/or area of study based on the individual’s area of expertise.

Section 12: The Policy Board has the responsibility of developing the agenda for the ensuing meetings of the organization.

Section 13: The Policy Board will advise and serve as a resource group to the city and county governments and other private and public organizations.

Section 14: The Policy Board will convene monthly to address issues, take action, and assign committees. Section 15: The Policy Board has the authority to form special committees.

Section 16: Policy Board members may be elected to Honorary Life Memberships that would allow them to serve as ex-officio members of standing or special projects committees.

Article VI.

Presiding Officers and Officer Duties

Section 1: The Executive Board of the Council consists of the following officers: a Chairperson, Co-Chairperson, a Secretary, Treasurer, and the facilitator (or designee) for each action committee.

Section 2: The officers shall be elected by the Policy Board for two-year terms.

Section 3: Each person seeking office must be a member of the Policy Board at the time of nomination, and must declare his/her willingness and capacity to serve at that time. Section 4: Each person seeking office must declare his/her willingness and capacity to serve at the time of nomination.

Section 5: The duties of the officers of the Council are to serve as official representatives of the organization. The officers are responsible for official communications, addressing emergencies or items of urgency, and representing the organization before government officials and the news media between meetings.

Item 1. The Chairperson shall preside over all meetings of the Council. The Co-Chairperson will preside over meetings in the absence of the Chairperson.

Item 2. The Chairperson in charge of the meeting is responsible for the development of an agenda for the meeting, based on discussions with the officers of the Council and representatives from any of the special committees.

Item 3. The Co-Chairperson is responsible to preside over meetings in the absence of the Chairperson.

Item 4
. The Co-Chairperson will be responsible for all correspondence including checking the Council’s post office box twice per month to report at the Executive Board meeting new issues/concerns.

Item 5. The Secretary is to develop and maintain a mailing list of all individuals regularly attending and/or participating in meetings/sessions of the Council. All individuals on the mailing list will be provided information relative to the activities of the Council on a regular basis. Such information shall include, but is not limited to minutes of previous sessions and agendas of upcoming meetings.

Item 6. The Secretary records the minutes of each meeting of the Council and disseminates them to the Council and interested parties.

Item 7. The Secretary is responsible for notifying the Council as to the time and place of regular and special meetings and sessions. Agendas are to be e-mailed to the Council and interested parties.

Item 8. The Treasurer will be responsible for LOC monthly financial statements, special project financial statements, facilitator of the Finance Committee, in charge of financial processes including rules for fiscal agent reports.

Article VII.

Committees

Section 1: Based on a review of the needs and concerns of the Latino community of San Luis Obispo County, the Council will identify strategies for addressing the issues, followed by dissemination of information, and education to targeted audiences. The Council will also conduct specific programs from time to time as the Council determines are necessary in order to accomplish the goals of the Council.

Section 2: The Council will advise and serve as a resource group to the city and county governments as well as private and public organizations.
Section 3: The following subcommittees will be formed by the Council and will have a continuing existence: Education, Finance, Event, and Project Committees. Additionally, the Council may establish other special (ad hoc) committees as the need arises and they will cease to exist upon completion of the specified task(s).
Section 4: Each committee will select a facilitator who should be a Policy Board member, co-facilitator, and a recorder.

Section 5: Issues that arise by individual committees will be presented to the Policy Board for action/consideration.

Section 6: Committees will be representative of the community to address the assigned task. It is important that all committees are representative and responsive to the interests, needs, and concerns of the “consumers” or community participants at the “grassroots” level.

Section 7: The Policy Board has the authority to form special committees. Article VIII. Meetings

Section 1: Regular meetings of the Policy Board will be convened the second (2nd) Thursday of each month. By consensus, the Policy Board can reschedule a monthly meeting to alleviate scheduling conflicts.

Section 2: A translator (English-Spanish) must be present at all meetings of the Policy Board.

Section 3: No meetings will be held in any facility that prohibits the admittance of any person or persons based on race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, or any physical disability or handicap. Section 4: Special meetings and sessions may be called by a majority vote of the Policy Board.

Section 5: The public will be notified in advance of the time and place of regular and special meetings and sessions.

Section 6: At least five (5) working days prior to each regular meeting, an agenda (Spanish language version will be made available upon request) will be e-mailed to the members of the Policy Board and other interested parties.

Section 7: The Policy Board will strive to make decisions by consensus (refer to Article Vl., Section 3.).

Section 8: The meeting will be conducted in accordance with the most recent version of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised, unless otherwise specified in the bylaws of the organization.

Article IX.

Annual Meetings

Section 1: An annual meeting of the Council will occur during the month of December. The installation of officers of the organization will take place at this time. Additionally, a review of the past year’s progress and a preview of the ensuring year’s plans will be presented.

Section 3: The Policy Board will appoint a special committee to oversee the arrangements and program for the annual meeting. Article X. Nomination and Elections

Section 1: The nominating committee will be a special committee appointed by the Policy Board.

Section 2: The nominating committee is not to exceed seven (7) people appointed a minimum of three (3) months prior to the annual election of officers.

Section 3: A maximum number of three (3) members of the Policy Board may serve on the nominating committee.

Section 4: All nominees for the Policy Board must be nominated by the nominating committee.

Section 5: Anyone interested in serving on the Policy Board shall certify his/her ability to serve by completing a nomination form.

Section 6: Nominations of officers will be held in October with the election to be held at the November meeting.

Section 7: A simple majority is required for election to the Policy Board. Article XI. Vacancies

Section 1: A vacancy exists when a member of the Policy Board misses two (2) consecutive meetings (without prior notification to the Chair of the Policy Board) or has tendered his/her resignation verbally or in writing to the Chair (refer to Article V., Section 7.).

Section 2: Filling any vacancies occurring other than at the end of a term for presiding officers will be the responsibility of the members of the Policy Board. Only members of the Policy Board may assume a vacant office. Section 3: When a vacancy exists on the Policy Board (other than during the time of elections), the Council shall nominate individuals to serve from the general membership that meet the minimum qualifications to serve on the Policy Board.

Article XII.

Amendments

Section 1: Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, these Bylaws may only be amended or repealed and new Bylaws adopted by the affirmative vote of a majority of a quorum of the Board.

STRUCTURE & MEETINGS

Structure This non-profit organization consists of a Policy Board of 21 individuals who represent various sectors of the community.
The Policy Board governs the organization by developing policy, writing position statements, addressing issues/concerns, and determining future direction. Meetings The Policy Board of the Latino Outreach Council generally meets on the fourth Thursday of each month from 8:30a.m. to 10a.m. in Room 261 of the County Government Center. The meetings are open to the public.