BYLAWS

VETERANS CAUCUS OF THE CALIFORNIA DEMOCRATIC PARTY

Amended and Approved by Submitted to Cthe CDP Veterans Caucus Membership on 11.23.136.18.16

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Article I – NAME AND LOGO ...............................................................................

Section 1. Name of Organization

Section 2. Organization’s Logo

Section 3. Use of Logo by Chartered Clubs

Article II – MISSION STATEMENT ........................................................................

Article III – MEMBERSHIP ...................................................................................

Section 1. Values

Section 2. Members

Section 3. Voting Members

Section 4. Membership Dues

Section 5. Membership Termination

Section 6. Levels of Organization

Section 7. Policy & Procedure Requests

Section 8. Endorsements

Section 9. Fundraising Prohibition

Article IV – OFFICERS ..........................................................................................

Section 1. Qualifications

Section 2. Officers of the VC-CDP

Section 3. Officer Elections

Article V – OFFICER REPLACEMENT AND REMOVAL .............................................

Section 1. Replacement of Officers

Section 2. Removal of Elected Officers

Article VI – MEETINGS ........................................................................................

Section 1. Meeting Requirements

Section 2. Notice of Caucus Meetings

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Section 3. Rules of Meetings

Section 4. Meeting Provisions

Section 5. Qualified Voters

Section 6. Electronic Voting

Section 7. Ballots

Article VII – EXECUTIVE BOARD DUTIES .............................................................

Section 1. Duties

Section 2. Policies & Procedures

Article VIII – COMMITTEES ................................................................................

Section 1. Creating Committees

Section 2. Committee Chair

Section 3. Special Committees for Review

Section 4. Removal of Committee Officers and Members

Article IX – FUNDRAISING PROHIBITION ...........................................................

Article X – PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY ..........................................................

Article XI – AMENDMENTS OF THE BYLAWS ......................................................

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VETERANS CAUCUS OF THE CALIFORNIA DEMOCRATIC PARTY BYLAWS

AMENDED AND RESTATED REVISION

(Amended 4/19/11; 7/27/12; 11/23/13; 6/18/16April 29, 2011 and, July 27, 2012; Revised, and November 2012 November 23, 2013)

Article I: Name and Logo

Section 1. Name of Organization. The name of this organization is shall be the Veterans Caucus of the California Democratic Party. (Veterans Caucus). It may be abbreviated to ‘VC-CDP’and may be referred to as ‘CalDemVets’. In these bylaws it is also often referred to as “the organization” or “the caucus”.

Section 2. Organization’s Logo. The logo of the VC-CDP shall be that of a solid blue bear outline, bordered in gold and with a gold-bordered, yellow star in the middle. Section 3. Use of Logo by Chartered Clubs. VC-CDP regions and properly chartered veterans clubs of County Democratic Central Committees are permitted to utilize the logo of the VC-CDP.

Article II: Purpose Mission Statement

It shall be the mission of the VC-CDP The purpose of the Veterans Caucus is to work within and through the California Democratic Party, providing a strong voice and representation within the party structure; and promoting the welfare of Vveterans both through effective legislation and encouraging Vveterans to participate fully as Democrats at all levels of policy making and public service.

Article III: Voting Membership

A voting member shall be any Democrat currently registered to vote in California who has either paid their dues or been granted a waiver for economic hardship, and: Section 1. Values. The VC-CDP shall maintain the following four core values: Leadership, Honor, Service and Democratic values.

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Section 2. Members. Membership in the organization shall be open to any registered Democrat who supports the mission of the VC-CDP.

Section 3. Voting Members. All members are permitted to vote in the manner prescribed for the vote they are present for. No member has the right to vote unless they are found to be in good standing at the exact time and place they wish to do so. Good standing shall be defined as being current on membership dues and compliant with the requirements of membership no later than 10 days prior to a vote. Further, VC-CDP recognizes its obligations under the General Policies/Provisions of the Democratic State Central Committee of California.

Article IV: Dues The Caucus shall neither raise nor disburse funds other than nominal dues in the amount of twenty-five dollars ($25.00) per year, or $100.00 for a life-time membership, and standard or routine costs of regular meetings. Annual dues are paid each calendar year. A waiver of dues on the grounds of economic hardship may be provided by the Executive Committee upon request. Section 4. Membership Dues.

a) Membership is due in January of each calendar year.

b) Dues are set by the Executive Board annually.

Section 5. Membership Termination.

a) Membership in the VC-CDP is a privilege. This privilege can be revoked for conduct that is deemed harmful to the organization.

b) Any member may voluntarily resign their membership at any time. Members who resign are eligible for return to the VC-CDP at any time by paying their dues and updating their information.

c) The Executive Board may automatically remove any member if, during his/her term of membership, such member affiliates with or registers as a member of another party; publicly avows preference for another party; publicly advocates that the voters should not vote for the endorsed candidate of the CDP for any office; or who publicly gives support to or avows a preference for a candidate nominated by another party.

d) Any member can request that another member be reviewed for potential disciplinary action, up to the termination of their membership.

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1. Such a request must be submitted in writing to the Organizational Development Committee Chair.

2. The Chair then has a period of no more than 72 hours to inform the Chair or Acting Chair of the VC-CDP of the request.

3. The Chair or Acting Chair of the VC-CDP then appoints a Special Committee for Review.

4. The Special Review Committee is tasked with investigating the request and all parties involved.

5. This Committee presents their findings to the VC-CDP Chair in writing in a timely and efficient manner.

6. The VC-CDP Chair will then decide if the findings require a Special Meeting or can wait for presentation to the membership at the next regular scheduled meeting.

7. At the time the findings are presented to the membership, a motion for the recommended disciplinary action is needed. A seconding of the motion is required and the motion must pass by a two-thirds majority vote of the voters present. It is the right of the accused member to address the membership in their own defense prior to the presentation of motions for disciplinary action(s).

8. Once passed, the execution of disciplinary action(s) is delegated to the Chair, who then carries out the action(s) prescribed.

Section 6. Levels of Organization. The caucus shall have two levels of organization – Executive Board and Main Body.

a) Executive Board. This board serves as the steering committee of the Caucus and acts on its behalf when a vote of the membership is not available. The Executive Board will consist of:

i. Chairii. 1 st Vice Chair

iii. 2 nd Vice Chairiv. Treasurerv. Secretary

b) Main Body. The Main Body shall be the entire body of membership of the Executive Board and all paid members.

Section 7. Policy & Procedure Requests. The Main Body may request that an approved Executive Board Policy & Procedure be brought to the floor for debate and vote for possible repeal. Should a motion, second and

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majority vote repeal the Policy & Procedure, it is repealed effective on the certification of the vote. Repealed Policies & Procedures may not be re-approved by the Executive Board during the same term.

Article XIII: Endorsements. Section 8. Endorsements.

This Caucus shall not endorse candidates for partisan or non-partisan office, or position on a State Ballot Proposition, Initiative, or Referendum unless a candidate has received the official endorsement of the California Democratic Party, as provided by its bylaws. Furthermore, unless the candidate, or position on a State Ballot Proposition, Initiative, or Referendum, has received the official endorsement of the California Democratic Party, all motions of support, recommendation, or other expressions of approval, no matter how denominated, are deemed to be out of order at any meeting of the VC-CDP.

Local ballot initiatives or candidates for any office that falls under the jurisdiction of a local Veterans Club, County Central Committee or multiple County Central Committees can be considered for position or endorsement by the Caucus.

Article VIII IV: Officers

Section 1. Qualifications.

Officers must be a Veteran. Veterans are defined as a veteran of the United States Armed Forces, which shall be broadly construed to include the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, Merchant Marines, Filipino Veterans who served with our allies during the Battan Bataan Death March and resistance in World War II, Native American Indians who provided the communications code for our allies during World War II. This shall include all current members of the Armed Forces who have served at least 30 days of duty beyond their initial training and shall have continued forward with their service. Additionally, military service members who were released from service due to medical conditions, regardless of the length of their service, qualify as a veteran.

Active duty military service members are prohibited from being an officer in accordance with the Hatch Act of 1939 and Department of Defense Directive 1344.10, Political Activities by Members of the Armed Services, which states that “A member of the Armed Forces on active duty shall not service in any official capacity with or be listed as a sponsor of a partisan political club; speak before a partisan political gathering, including any gathering that promotes a partisan political party, candidates, or cause;

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participate in any radio, television, or other program or group discussion as an advocate for or against a partisan political party, candidate, or cause.”a) and the windows, spouses, domestic partners, and children of deceased Veterans, if receiving some benefit from the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the windows, spouses, domestic partners, and children of deceased Veterans, if receiving some benefit from the Department of Veterans Affairs, or, [a)] [b)] Who believes in and supports the purpose of the Veterans Caucus. [c)] [d)] As the Veterans Caucus has a membership where members only represent themselves, the use of secret ballots is allowed in General Membership proceedings. Section 2. Officers of the VC-CDP. The VC-CDP will have the

following officers:

a) Chair: The Chair shall preside over all general meetings of the caucus and represent the caucus on the Executive Board of the Democratic State Central Committee. The Chair shall provide required documentation to the Rules Committee of the California Democratic Party including a membership list and a copy of the current bylaws. This officer must be a member of the Democratic State Central Committee (DSCC).

b) 1 st Vice Chair : . The 1st Vice-Chair shall assume the responsibility of the Chair if the Chair is absent for regularly scheduled meetings or other function that requires Chair’s attendance or upon the occasion of a vacancy in the position of Chair. This officer must be a member of the DSCC.

c) 2 nd Vice-Chair: The 2nd Vice-Chair shall assume the responsibility of the Chair if both the Chair and the 1st Vice-Chair is absent for regularly scheduled meetings or other function that requires their attendance or upon the occasion of a vacancy in the position of both the Chair and the 1st Vice-Chair. This officer must be a member of the DSCC.

d) Treasurer: The Treasurer shall promptly account for all Caucus funds, prepare financial reports as required by the Democratic State Central Committee. The Treasurer is responsible to maintain the list of voting members at meetings.

e) Secretary: The Secretary shall keep the minutes of the Caucus and be responsible for sending out correspondence as directed by the Executive Committee. The Secretary is responsible to maintain the list of voting members at meetings.

Section 3. Officers Elections.

Members who want to be elected as an Officer must provide a copy of

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their official discharge papers (DD-214) no later than immediately before the election so that the voting members can make an informed decision. Officers are elected during the Caucus Officer Elections held at the first meeting of the CDP during odd numbered years. The term of office is two years. They are elected by simple majority vote in a ballot voting process. Article X: Elections [A.] The elections of officers shall occur at the Caucus meeting during odd-numbered years at the time and place that the California Democratic Party holds its biennial convention. [B.] All officers shall be voting members of the Caucus, and the Chair and Vice Chairs must be members of the Democratic State Central Committee. All officers of the Caucus shall be Veterans who have served ‘Honorably’ in the Armed Services of the United States. [C.] Officers shall be nominated from the floor and elected by a majority of the members present and voting on the day and date determined for the first meeting of the Caucus of each odd-numbered year. Immediately following the election of officers, the newly elected Chair shall assume the role of presiding officer. [D.] All vacancies shall be filled by election at the next Caucus meeting after the vacancy occurs.

Article V. Officer Replacement and Removal

Section 1. Replacement of Officers.

If an elected officer position shall become vacant at any time, for any reason, the Chair or Acting Chair is to hold a special election at the next meeting of the Main Body as the first order of business, prior to the execution of the standard order of business. The Executive Board is permitted to appoint an interim officer to fulfill the duties of the position for the time from the vacancy to the special election. In cases where one officer or two officers are the only remaining officers on the board for any reason, the Chair or Acting Chair is permitted to directly appoint interim officers until a quorum of officers is reached and they shall appoint the remaining interim officers as prescribed.

Section 2. Removal of Elected Officers.

a) Officers being investigated by the Special Committee for Review will continue to serve until a decision has been made by the Main Body.

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b) If, for purposes deemed just and right by a Special Committee for Review, the removal of an Elected Officer, other than the Caucus Chair, the Caucus Chair dismisses the elected officer in question.

c) If, for purposes deemed just and right by a Special Committee for Review, the removal of the Caucus Chair, the 1st Vice Chair becomes the presiding officer and dismisses the Caucus Chair.

Article IX: Officer Removal Clause Any officer of the Caucus may be removed prior to the expiration of term for malfeasance, misfeasance and nonfeasance provided that the due process rights of any officer sought to be removed shall be observed. Article XII: Meetings [A.] Regular meetings of the membership shall coincide with the annual California

Democratic Party Convention and the meetings of the Executive Board of the California Democratic Party.

[B.] Quorum for a membership meeting must be 5.

[C.] All meetings shall be conducted in accordance with Roberts Rules of Order, Newly Revised.

[D.] All members shall be informed of each Caucus meeting.

[E.] All meetings shall be fully accessible to people with disabilities in compliance with the applicable State and Federal laws as well as the rules of the California Democratic Party.

[F.] Except as may be otherwise provided herein, and with regard to amendments of these bylaws, at least ten (10) days written notice shall be given of all meetings of the General Membership and Executive Committee of the Caucus. Written notice given by the CDP for its meetings, if a meeting of this Caucus is noted thereon, shall suffice if given within this time frame.

[G.] Those members who have email may receive notice via email in a manner consistent with CDP Bylaws for the use of e-mail within the Democratic Organizations, including but not limited to, the requirement of the member to consent to notice via email.

Article VI. Meetings.

Section 1. Meeting Requirements.

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a) A minimum of five (5) voting members is required to qualify the presence of a quorum. Except as may be otherwise specifically provided herein, all decisions shall be made by a majority vote of those present and votinA quorum for any meeting for the general membership shall consist of 5 voting members of the Veterans Caucus.

b) The manner in which a Committee meeting occurs (in person, over the phone, online, etc.) shall be at the discretion of the Committee Chair, with care provided to ensure that the most inclusive of desiring participants is utilized.

Section 2. Notice of Caucus Meetings. All members eligible to attend a meeting shall be informed of that meeting and receive an agenda a minimum of 2 weeks prior to the same. All meeting notices must contain information pertaining to the time and place of the meeting, the purpose of the meeting and any needs from potential attendees. Should all information not be readily available, notice with as much information as possible is still required. Once more information becomes available, the membership shall be informed within 24 hours of this availability. All meeting notices shall note that the bylaws, qualifications and procedures are posted on the web site.

Section 3. Rules of Meetings. The VC-CDP shall consult the Newly Revised Robert’s Rules of Order as a reference for conducting meetings. It shall comply fully with all requirements of the CDP and its Rules Committee in regard to its conduct and activity. The Veterans Caucus specifically recognizes its obligations to adhere to the General Provisions of the CDP Bylaws.

Section 4. Meeting Provisions.

[a)] All public Caucus meetings shall be open to all members of the Democratic Party regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, sex, age, religion, ethnic identity, and sexual orientation, gender identity, and persons with disabilities as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 or economic status.

a) The Veterans Caucus VC-CDP shall not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, creed, national origin, sex, age, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disabilities as defined by the American with Disabilities Act of 1990, or economic status.

Section 5. Qualified Voters.

a) A ‘voting member’ is a member in good standing at the time of the vote or vote deadline.

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b) The Caucus Secretary will post a list of members in good standing in the meeting room and confirm that the people who are voting are in good standing.

A voting member must be present to cast a vote, no proxies are permitted. Section 6. Electronic Voting.

a) Only those members in good standing will be permitted to vote electronically.

b) The means of electronic voting will be determined by the Chair or Acting Chair and will be accomplished via use of a contact form on the website, enabling each member of the Caucus to enter their vote and email address for identification. Regular email will not be used for voting purposes, and confirmation of votes received will be accomplished via an email from the Caucus to the member confirming they voted as reflected from the contact form on the website.

c) The means of electronic voting will be determined by the Chair or Acting Chair and will be accomplished via use of a contact form on the website, enabling each member of the Caucus to enter their vote and email address for identification. Regular email will not be used for voting purposes, and confirmation of votes received will be accomplished via an email from the Caucus to the member confirming they voted as reflected from the contact form on the website.

[a)] The Chair or Acting Chair determines the timing and duration of the electronic voting.

Section 7. Ballots. Members shall be permitted to vote in the manner prescribed by the Chair or Presiding Officer. Members may also request, or overrule via majority vote on a motion, a different method of voting than prescribed. Options for voting of the Membership includes: Show of Hands, Voice, Division of the Assembly, Open and Signed Ballot, and Secret Ballot.

Article XI: Voting

Article XV: General Policies

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Article VI: Executive Committee Article VI I . Executive Board Duties.

A. Membership of the Executive Committee of the Veterans Caucus shall be composed of Veterans Caucus officers duly elected by the voting membership.

Section 1. Duties. Duties of the Executive Committee Board shall be to exercise all executive powers on behalf of the Veterans Caucus between meetings. The Executive Committee Board shall inform the members of the Veterans Caucus of all decisions and recommendations made by the Executive Committee. As the Executive Committee Board is representative of the membership, no vote may be taken by secret ballot. Information regarding any such decision shall be provided at the next Veterans Caucus Main Body meeting in the form of the Executive Board Meeting Minutes. Section 2. Policies & Procedures. The Executive Board shall be given the ability to promulgate Policies & Procedures that compliment or clarify these Bylaws in accordance with Article III, Section VI.

Article VII: Committees There are no standing committees of the Veterans Caucus. Special and AD Hoc Committees may be established as necessary by the Chair who shall appoint the chair(s) of such committees, after consulting with the other members of the Executive Committee.

Article VII I . Committees.

Section 1. Creating Committees. The Executive Board may create Committees as, necessary, for a stated time and duration to accomplish the stated goal/mission.

Section 2. Committee Chair. All committees shall have a Committee Chair appointed by the Caucus Chair or Acting Chair. The Committee Chair serves at the pleasure of the Executive Board. Committee Chairs are tasked with the appointment of the committee members. At a minimum, the Committee Chair shall select a Vice Chair and a Secretary.

Section 3. Special Committees for Review. This committee shall be created and tasked with a specific matter to be investigated for determination of possible disciplinary or negative action on the part of the membership.

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a) The Committee will consist of 3 members. It will be chaired by an Executive Board member of the Chair’s choosing, another member will be an Executive Board officer, and the third member will be appointed by the Executive Board. If the Caucus Chair is the one subjected to the Special Review for Committee investigation, then the Committee will be chaired by an Executive Board member of the 1st Vice Chair’s choosing.

b) A written statement of the charges must be submitted to the Committee Chair containing the grounds for removal.

c) Upon receipt of the statement of charges, the Committee Chair must send to the accused member by timely registered mail, a copy of the statement of charges and a letter stating that the accused member may either resign or have a hearing before the Special Review Committee.

d) If the accused member does not resign, the Committee Chair shall send a copy of the statement of charges to all Committee members along with a notice of the hearing date.

e) The hearing shall be conducted in such fashion as to afford the accused member due process of law. The hearing shall afford the accused member an opportunity to respond to the statement of charges and to confront the witnesses against such member and the member may be represented by counsel at such hearing.

f) At the hearing the Committee shall examine the statement of charges brought against the accused member.

g) After such hearing, a sanction shall be imposed where appropriate. Except for a violation of publicly giving support to, or avowing a preference for, a candidate nominated by another party, the sanction shall be removal from membership.

h) Where the member has been found to have violated the prohibition on publicly giving support to or avowing a preference for a candidate nominated by another party, the sanction shall be removal from membership and a bar from reappointment or reelection to membership in the caucus, immediately following the term during which the sanction of removal was imposed. For example, if the violation occurred in October 2008 and the sanction was imposed in December 2008, the removed member would be barred from renewed membership until after the convening of the annual meeting of the Caucus. However, if the violation occurred in January 2009 and the sanction was imposed

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after the seating of members at the annual regular meeting of the Caucus in 2009, the member would be barred from renewed membership until after the convening of the annual regular meeting of the Caucus in 2013. Any finding of a violation, and the imposition of an appropriate sanction for that violation, shall require a vote of not less than two-thirds of the officers present and voting.

i) Should the accused member’s term expire after the charge is filed, but prior to the completion of the hearing process and should the accused member, during such pendency of the charges, be reelected or reappointed to the Caucus, the processing of the charges shall continue and the fact that the violation occurred during a previous term shall not bar the imposition of an appropriate sanction.

j) Upon presentation of their findings to the membership, the specific Special Committee for Review formed for that issue ceases to exist.

Section 4. Removal of Committee Officers and Members. Committee Chairs may dismiss any member from their respective committee at any time, and are only required to inform the Chair of the VC-CDP of their reasons in a timely manner.

Article XIV: California Democratic Party By-Laws Any issues not specifically covered by these by-laws shall be governed by the by-laws of the California Democratic Party. In case of conflict in the by-laws, the CDP by-laws will be the governing document.

Article IX. Fundraising Prohibition

The Caucus shall neither raise nor disburse funds other than nominal dues, and standard or routine costs of meetings (such as postage, other costs associated with notice, cost of meeting rooms, etc.). All such funds shall be promptly accounted for and processed according to the rules promulgated by the Finance Committee of the CDP.

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Article X. Parliamentary Authority

The Caucus bylaws shall govern this organization and the members shall govern the bylaws through the process provided to them herein. In cases where the Caucus bylaws shall conflict with the decisions of any part or whole of the VC-CDP, the Caucus bylaws shall supersede all until such a time where they are properly changed. In case of conflict in the Caucus bylaws, the CDP bylaws will be the governing document. Any issues not specifically covered by these by-laws shall be governed by the by-laws of the California Democratic Party.

Article V: Organization This Caucus is constituted in accordance with the by-laws of the California State Central Committee of the California Democratic Party. Article XVII: Amendments to the By-Laws [A.] Proposed amendments to these by-laws must be in writing and must be mailed to all

current voting members of the Veterans Caucus at least two weeks before any vote can be taken on such amendments.

[B.] Amendment to these by-laws must be approved by affirmative vote of two-thirds of those voting members who are voting on such proposed amendments. Voting

will occur at a regularly scheduled meeting of the Veterans Caucus.

Article X I . Amendments of the Bylaws

Any member may propose an amendment to these Bylaws. These proposals shall go through the following process:

a. The amendment is proposed on the floor of a Main Body meeting. A vote is taken regarding the proposed amendment in order to proceed with this process.

b. If approved by the Main Body, the Executive Board drafts the final language of the proposed amendment and approves the same through a process outlined by the Chair. This process ensures that the amendment’s final language does not contradict other provisions in the bylaws, assures congruence, and allows for Executive Board input.

c. The final recommended language of the proposed amendment draft is then distributed to all members of the Caucus no later than two weeks prior to the meeting at which they will be considered for final approval.

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d. The final recommended language of the proposed amendment draft becomes effective upon the approval of no less than two-thirds of the members present for the vote and in good standing.

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