By Laws
ARTICLE
I: NAME
The name of the
organization is Valley Glen Neighborhood Association, hereafter referred to as
the "Association", a non-profit group, with its mailing address at
13659 Victory Blvd. PMB #283, Valley Glen, CA 91401, Telephone: (877) 411-VGNA
(8462). For legal purposes, its principal place of business is located at the
home of the current secretary.
The term
"neighborhood" herein refers to that area bounded and enclosed on the
north by Sherman Way, on the west by Hazeltine Avenue, to the south by Burbank
Boulevard and on the east by Whitsett Avenue and currently designated by the
City of Los Angeles as Valley Glen.
ARTICLE
II: GOALS AND PURPOSES
The goal of our Association is to foster community pride, civic
betterment and community beautification, to make our neighborhood a better and
safer place to live and work, to promote businesses and business growth in
Valley Glen, and to foster education and the arts in Valley Glen. The goals
will be accomplished by activities including but not limited to:
- Get-acquainted
programs with our neighbors
- Improving
neighborhood safety
- Promoting
neighborhood beautification
- Holding
bimonthly meetings to discuss neighborhood concerns
- Working
together as advocates to address community problems
- Programs
supporting neighborhood businesses and neighborhood shopping
- Welcoming
and encouraging new businesses into Valley Glen
- Initiate
programs fostering education, cultural development and the arts in Valley
Glen.
- Charitable
assistance for those in need in Valley Glen.
ARTICLE
III: MEMBERSHIP
Section A -
General Membership: General Membership will be open to any person, business or organization
interested in participating in the Valley Glen community including but not
limited to individuals, families, neighborhood businesses, neighborhood non-profit
organizations and all others interested in promoting the betterment of Valley
Glen. The membership will consist of four categories: (1) General Members; (2)
Sponsoring Members; (3) Business Members and (4) Organization Members, with
benefits appropriate for each category.
Section B - Sponsoring Membership: Any
General Member can become a Sponsoring Member with an annual donation to the
Association as determined by the Board.
Section C -
Business Membership: Business Membership is available to any Business upon terms and conditions as
determined by the Board.
Section D - Organization Membership: Any
non-profit Organization may become an Organization Member upon terms and
conditions as determined by the Board.
ARTICLE
IV: BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Section A –
Composition of Board of Directors.
The Board of
Directors shall be composed of not less than eight persons and shall consist of
the executive officers and all area and grid representatives and alternates.
The Board of Directors shall be elected annually at the February General
Meeting as provided for in Section B of ARTICLE VIII. Each member of the Board
of Directors shall serve a one year term or until a successor has been duly
elected and installed.
Section B -
Limits on Term of Office.
The Executive
officers will be elected for one-year terms. Any Executive Officer member may
seek re-election to three (3) successive terms if nominated. The previous
President automatically becomes a member of the Board as Past President for the
purpose of insuring continuity. There shall be no term limits for Area
Representatives.
Section C -
Quorum.
A quorum will
consist of five Board members and in the event that a quorum is not present,
those members present will constitute a Committee of the Whole for the purpose
of conducting business.
Section D -
Attendance.
Attendance is
critical to the functioning of this Board. Therefore, failure to participate
without excused absence from three (3) consecutive, regularly scheduled Board
and or General meetings, constitutes an automatic resignation from the Board.
Vacancies will be filled by appointment of the President and these members will
serve out the term of the resigned Board member. Upon formal, written request,
a Board member may be granted a leave of absence of up to four (4) months at
the discretion and upon the vote of the rest of the Board.
Section E -
Meetings.
Board meetings
will be held at least six times per year, at a location determined by the
President.
Section F -
Duties.
Duties of the
Board of Directors are to conduct the business of the Association and to
develop and administer programs consistent with the goals and philosophy of the
Association.
Section G –
Authority
The Board of
Directors of the Association is authorized to undertake all actions appropriate
to effecting the goals and purposes of the Association.
ARTICLE
V: OFFICERS
Executive
Officers of the Association will be:
President: Preside over Board and General
Membership meetings and perform any customary duties of the office. The
President will also appoint representatives for the Association to other
community organizations that are concerned with Valley Glen interests.
Vice
President: Perform the
duties of the President in the President’s absence, and assume the duties of the
President in the event that the President no longer is able to serve in that
office; and also to chair such committee(s) as designated by the President.
Secretary: Will keep minutes of all meetings of
the Board and of the General Membership meetings. Minutes will state time,
place and business conducted and will adhere to California Corporate Minutes
Guidelines. The Secretary also will also be responsible for maintaining a
record of all Association correspondence.
Treasurer: Will keep a record of the accounts of
the Association and submit a report at each General meeting.
OTHER
OFFICERS OF THE ASSOCIATION WILL BE:
Area and Grid
Representatives and Alternates: Will represent the interests of the area and grid in which they
reside. Duties include attending Board and general meetings as representatives
of their respective areas and serving as liaisons with Association members. No
more than two
representatives and two alternates will be elected from each of the following
areas and grids:
Area A - Bounded by Victory on the north, Fulton on the West, Oxnard on the
south, and Coldwater on the east.
Area B - Bounded by Victory on the north,
Woodman on the West, Oxnard on the south, and Fulton on the east.
Area C - Bounded by Oxnard on the north, Woodman on the west, Burbank on the south, and Fulton on the
east.
Grid 1 - Bounded by Oxnard on the north, Woodman on the east, Burbank on the south,
and Hazeltine on the west.
Grid 2 - Bounded by Victory on the north,
Woodman on the east, Oxnard on the south, and Hazeltine on the west.
Grid 3 - Bounded by Vanowen on the north,
Woodman on the East, Victory on the south, and Hazeltine on the west.
Grid 4 - Bounded by Sherman Way on the north, the Tujunga Wash on the
east, Vanowen on the south, and Woodman on the west.
Grid 5 - Bounded by Vanowen on the north, Fulton on the east, Victory on the south, and Woodman on the
west.
Grid 6 - Bounded by Vanowen on the north, Coldwater Canyon on the east (except for the area from Kittridge St. to Vanowen St.,
and Atoll Ave. to Coldwater Canyon Ave.), Victory on the south, and Fulton on the
west.
Grid 7 - Bounded by Kittridge on the north,
Whitsett on the east, Victory on the south, Coldwater Canyon on the west.
Grid 8 - Bounded by Victory on the north,
Whitsett on the east, Oxnard on the south, and Coldwater on the
west.
Business
Grid: Two (2) Board
members from the Business Community elected at large to represent the Business
Community in Valley Glen.
Arts and
Education Grid: Two (2)
Board members elected at large to represent the Arts and Education Community in
Valley Glen.
Organization
Grid: Two (2) Board
members elected at large to represent Non-profit Organizations.
No Area
Representatives will be elected from the area occupied by Valley College and Grant High School.
ARTICLE
VI: COMMITTEES
The Association
will have the following standing committees:
- Civic
Improvement Committee
- Neighborhood
Beautification
- Public
Works
- Zoning
Issues
- Public
Safety Committee
- Police
and Fire Services
- Emergency
Response Services
- Neighborhood
Watch Programs
- Valley
Glen Voice Newsletter Committee
- Publicity
and Community Outreach Committee
- Develop
Speaker Program for Bi-monthly Meetings
- Prepare
and Distribute Flyers, Posters & Other Materials
- Promote
VGNA Membership
- Business
Support & Development Committee
- Programs
Supporting Neighborhood Businesses And Neighborhood Shopping
- Welcoming
and Encouraging New Businesses into Valley Glen
- Arts
and Education Committee
- Encourage
Development of the Arts in Valley Glen
- Support
Performing Arts in Valley Glen Educational Institutions
- Support Valley Glen Educational Institutions
- Annual
Christmas Party Meeting Committee
- Adopt-A-Family
Committee
- Annual Valley Glen Neighborhood Picnic Committee
Ad Hoc
committees will be established by the membership as necessary and convenient to
conduct Association business. Each and every committee will consist of no less
than two (2) members who will serve as Chair and Secretary.
Each committee
will keep true and accurate records of its proceedings, which will be submitted
to the Secretary for inclusion into the permanent records of the Association.
Committees will report to the Association at the next general meeting following
the committee meeting.
ARTICLE
VII: MEETINGS
Section A -
Parliamentary Authority
Meetings will be
conducted according to "Robert's Rule of Order" in all cases in which
they are not in conflict with these bylaws for legal authority.
Section B: To facilitate movement of the agenda, no
member may speak from the floor for more than two minutes on any issue. Any
general member or Board member may submit an item in writing for consideration
by the Board for inclusion on the General meeting agenda. The
document should
be limited to one page and one topic relevant to the goals and mission of the
Association. Submission must be received prior to the Board meeting, which
precedes the general meeting whose agenda inclusion is desired.
ARTICLE
VIII: VOTING
Section A:
General Membership.
Votes on General
membership business will be conducted by a show of hands, one vote per member.
Simple majority prevails. The minimum voting age for any Association business
shall be 18 years of age.
Section B:
Board of Director Elections.
The Board
membership election will take place at the February General Meeting in
accordance with the procedure outlined below:
(1) SECRET BALLOTS
Election of the Board of Director shall be by secret ballot.
(2) ELECTION
COMMITTEE
An Election Committee consisting of two (2) area representative
board members appointed by the President and one (1) VGNA member appointed by
the Vice President. These appointments shall be made no later than the December
general meeting.
(3) FLOOR NOMINATIONS
Nominations for the Board of Directors shall be submitted from the
floor only during the December general meeting.
(4) CANDIDATES SLATE
The Election Committee shall nominate a slate of candidates to be
announced and nominated by January 10th..
(5) VOTING AT FEBRUARY GENERAL MEETING
Voting will take place during the February general meeting or by
the Monday prior if voting by mailed ballot.
(6)ELECTION PROCEDURE
This election will be by Members voting in person and via mailed
ballots to Sponsoring Members of the Association requesting a mailed ballot.
Any mailed ballot recipient not having returned the mailed ballot by the mailed
ballot deadline and all non-sponsor members may vote in person during the
February general meeting.
Section C - Election Timeline, Supervision and
Results.
The entire
election process and the timeline for election ballots will be supervised by
the members of the Election Committee and will be as follows:
(1)
Nominations accepted from the general membership only at December General
Membership Meeting
(2) Election Committee Candidate Slate nominated and announced by
January 10th;
(3) Ballots prepared listing all candidates nominated at December
General
Meeting and Election Committee Candidate Slate;
(4) Mailed Ballots returned by the Monday prior to the February
meeting;
(5) In person voting at the General Meeting in February;
(6) The Chairperson of the Election Committee and two (2)
volunteers at the February general meeting shall tally the mailed ballots and
in-person ballots and announce and publish the election results and certify the
newly elected Board of Directors at the conclusion of the February General
Meeting.
Section D -
Office Assumption.
Newly elected Board members will assume office the first regularly scheduled
meeting immediately following the Elections meeting.
Section E -
Special Elections.
Special
Elections will be conducted by written ballot. There will be one vote to each
residence address within Association boundaries.
ARTICLE
IX: AMENDMENTS
These bylaws may
be amended by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote in favor of the change by the
general membership during a regularly scheduled general membership meeting.
As amended at
the Valley Glen Neighborhood Association General meeting on December 9, 2008.
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