IE DSA Bylaws – Inland Empire DSA

The name of the Local Chapter shall be The Inland Empire CA Chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America. The Chapters name may also be shortened to Inland Empire CA DSA, Inland Empire DSA, or IE DSA. DSA is a not-for-profit corporation.

1.2 Logo

The colors of IE DSA’s logo are as follows:

DSA Red (HEX #EC1F27; RGB 236, 31, 39; CMYK 1, 99, 97, 0)
DSA Black (HEX #231F20; RGB 35, 31, 32; CMYK 69, 68, 64, 74)
White (Hex #FFFFFF; RGB 255, 255, 255; CMYK 0, 0, 0, 0).

As a nod to National DSA’s logo, two hands of different color are clasped in a handshake in front of a Foothill Yucca (hesperoyucca whipplei) on a field of DSA Red.

The act of the hand shake symbolizes the necessary and inseparable solidarity needed to abolish imperialism and its attendant structures. The darker color hand on top of the lighter one symbolizes the need to center voices from Black and brown people.

The Foothill Yucca is a native plant to the Inland Empire and appears with fifteen flowers at its top and thirteen palms at its base. The fifteen flowers represent the fifteen letters it takes to spell Inland Empire DSA. The thirteen palms represent Article XIII of these bylaws which lay out the rules of our Chapter, our foundation in which we operate.

ARTICLE II. Purpose

As a Local Chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, our organization understands socialism as the culmination of democracy. Rather than upholding class domination and structural oppression as the freedom of the few, socialist democracy strives for collective liberation and economic participation through shared control of the means and resources of production. We understand that this goal requires, in the long term, the abolishing of the capitalist mode of production, along with its attendant structures of imperialism, settler-colonial racism, and hetero-patriarchy. In the short term, we are focused on building a base of mass power through electoral activism, mutual aid, direct action, awareness-raising, and political education.

This vision of a better world can only be accomplished through the joining together of many struggles, as tributaries which flow into a single river of democratic power. With women, with sexual minorities, with those who are transgender and gender non-conforming, with all people of color, we declare a necessary and inseparable solidarity, and view their self-determination and empowerment as linked with our collective freedom.

As class knows no boundaries, we stand against the detention and deportation of immigrants, and call for an end to any and all state apparatuses which function to enforce immigration status. Similarly, we refuse to endorse or participate in any bourgeois military conflicts which violently divide the working people of the world.

We believe that capitalism is unable to address the looming environmental crises that threaten our planet, or the abuse and misuse of local resources. Environmental justice is possible only through the rational planning of production as directed toward social use; production for private profit generates only waste and endangers us all.

Within the organized structure of the Local Chapter itself, we seek a microcosm of the new hope we wish to bring into being, shaped by principles of equality, solidarity, and freedom. This ethos ought to inform all member interactions, as well as the duties, procedures, and rules as set out in the Local Chapter bylaws.

ARTICLE III. Membership

3.1: Membership

Members of the Inland Empire CA Local Chapter of DSA (“Members”) will be those individuals (a) whose dues to DSA are paid in full and (b) who reside and/or work in the geographical Bylaws of the Inland Empire CA Local Chapter area represented by the zip codes negotiated with national DSA (such area is referred to herein as “Inland Empire”) according to DSA’s records. Individuals may not be members of the Local Chapter without being members of national DSA.

3.2: Membership Duties

It shall be the responsibility of Members, among other responsibilities set forth elsewhere in these Bylaws, to: (a) elect the officers of the IE Local Chapter; (b) elect the members of the Steering Committee (as such term is defined below) (c) elect delegates to the annual National Convention of DSA (d) vote on matters related to national policy of DSA, as provided by DSA; and (e) make recommendations on issues and other matters to the National Political Committee of DSA.

3.3: Member Discipline, Suspension, and Expulsion

Pursuant to Article III, Section 4 of the national DSA constitution, the Steering Committee shall have the power to suspend or expel members from the Local Chapter if they (1) are found to have harassed or acted violently against another member; (2) are found to to be in substantial disagreement with the principles or policies of the organization; (3) consistently engage in undemocratic, disruptive behavior or behavior in violation of the member Code of Conduct (with a membership Code of Conduct to be ratified by a membership vote); or (4) if they are members of any external organization that publicly endeavors to undermine the efforts of DSA or YDSA made according to the decisions of its internal democracy.

In order for such a finding to be made, another DSA member must formally prefer written charges against the member in question to the Local Chapter Steering Committee, which will set the date of a Local Chapter meeting for deliberations on the charges. Members facing suspension or expulsion must receive written notice of charges against them, at least fourteen days before the deliberation date. A two-thirds vote of the Local Chapter members is required to suspend or expel a member. An expelled member in good standing may appeal to the National Political Committee of DSA.

3.4: Voluntary Donations

The IE Local Chapter may establish a local pledge system of voluntary donations from Members to fund its operations. Members may not face retaliatory action for the nonpayment of donations or preferential treatment for paying local donations (see the Code of Conduct). Donations shall be kept anonymous to the greatest practical extent.

3.5: Privacy

Care will be taken to protect the privacy of each member’s contact information. Public information includes the names of Steering Committee members. Protected information includes member email addresses, phone numbers, and mailing or physical addresses. Protected information may only be shared to members outside the Steering Committee on a need-to-know basis to facilitate communication to members. Anyone with access to protected information must agree to use it only to further goals of the Local Chapter.

ARTICLE IV. Local Chapter Meetings

4.1: Conventions

The IE Local Chapter (IE DSA) will retain the option to hold an Annual Convention each year at a time and location in Riverside or San Bernardino County, California to be determined by the Steering Committee. All members of IE DSA will be sent notice of the convention at least four weeks before it begins. Notice may be sent by electronic means, but members in good standing who have not provided an email address must be sent a paper copy of the notice or contacted by phone call or text. At the convention, the content of these bylaws are subject to changes and edits.
1. A virtual option to attend the convention must be made available in order to provide accessibility for all members.
The Steering Committee (SC) will select a Convention Planning Committee (CPC) at random from a list of volunteers. The CPC will consist of five (5) members in good standing (MIGs). At least three (3) of its members must not be active SC officers.
1. The CPC will be responsible for creating the convention’s rules which will establish its framework, the tabulation of votes and dissemination of results to the membership. These rules must be ratified at a preceding General or Special Meeting at least three weeks before the Annual Convention is held. However, an electronic vote may be conducted to ratify these rules if at least ten (10) percent of MIGs, but no less than six (6), participate.
  1. A notice outlining the convention’s rules must be sent to members at least two (2) days after they have been ratified.
  2. Notice of any legislation that will be voted on during the Annual Convention must be sent to members at least two weeks before the convention begins.
  3. No legislation may be raised from the convention floor unless the CPC has created a framework to do so.
  4. Any change to these bylaws during an Annual Convention must be approved by a two-thirds vote of the convention’s attendants.
  5. Dissemination of convention results must conclude within two (2) weeks of the convention’s closure.
2. The CPC retains the right to create subcommittees under its purview to help set up and run the convention, but the subcommittees are not allowed to make convention rules.
3. Once the convention has concluded and its results disseminated amongst chapter members, the CPC shall be considered dissolved.
During the Annual Convention, membership will act upon any other matters as may be determined by the CPC or otherwise properly raised by MIGs at the convention. At the discretion of the CPC, the Annual Convention may also include informational updates on the various activities of IE DSA, educational presentations, meetings of Working Groups (as such term is defined below) and any other activities.

4.2: General Meetings

The Local Chapter will hold at least four General Meetings each year, the time and place of which shall be set in a schedule published and distributed by the Steering Committee at least fourteen (14) days prior. The General Meetings will set Local Chapter policy and work priorities and may include political discussion or education sessions. The Steering Committee will propose the agenda for General Meetings.

4.3: Special Meetings

The Steering Committee, or ten percent of the membership, may call a Special Meeting of the Local Chapter on at least seven days’ notice when an urgent and important matter requires deliberation. No matters other than those listed in the meeting notice may be brought to or raised from the floor at a Special Meeting.

4.4: Quorum

A quorum of two-thirds of the average attendance of members in good standing at the preceding three (3) chapter-wide deliberative meetings, or ten (10) percent of all members in good standing, is required to transact business at any chapter-wide deliberative meeting. However, quorum can not be fewer than six (6) members in good standing. Furthermore, if the number calculated to produce quorum has a decimal, the number shall be rounded up, since there can not exist a fraction of a person.

4.5: Accessibility

Members may participate in Meetings by, or through the use of, any means of communication allowing all participants to simultaneously or sequentially communicate with one another, such as teleconference, video-conference, or other available technology. This includes voice votes. Any participant in a Meeting by such means shall be deemed present in person at such meeting. The Local Chapter may nominate an individual or individual(s) to translate text or speech of official Local Chapter business into languages other than English upon request by members which do not speak English as their primary language.

4.6: Online Voting

The Steering Committee may decide, or shall decide at the request of at least 6 members making a proposal, to hold an online vote on any issue except for candidate or ballot initiative endorsements. Members shall be eligible to vote so long as they are members in good standing as of the start of the online voting period following close of debate. At least 10%, or 80% of the average response rate of the prior three (3) online communications, whichever shall be higher, of members in good standing must vote or the vote will be considered invalid for lack of a quorum.

The Steering Committee shall announce all online votes to the membership by email, but individuals who have not provided an email address must be sent a paper copy or contacted by phone or text. There shall be a 7-day period for debate following the announcement. At the close of debate, there shall be a 7-day voting period during which any eligible member may vote. The Steering Committee may propose a shorter time-frame for discussion or voting, but if any member objects to the shortened time frame, it may not be shortened. No motions to call the question or extend debate will be allowed, and no amendments will be allowed. However, at any time after the start of debate, any eligible member may motion to table the proposal, either temporarily or permanently, with a simple majority vote.

All voting thresholds for a passing vote shall be the same as if the vote were held at an in-person meeting. Votes to abstain will not count toward the voting total. Abstentions cannot affect the outcome of the vote. A vote can become binding before the close of the 48-hour voting period if the number of votes in favor or against has surpassed the threshold that would be required if all eligible votes were cast.

4.7: Decision-Making Authority

The membership, meeting in an Annual, General, or Special Meeting, shall constitute the highest decision-making body of the Local Chapter. All decisions, policies, agendas, statements, and other items of business decided at these Meetings are binding over any other body of the Local Chapter. Meetings may overturn the decisions of prior Meetings, but no other body may.

4.8: Endorsements

Initiatives or candidates for elected office seeking endorsement from the Local Chapter must be proposed or nominated at a quorum-satisfying membership meeting and pass by a two-thirds majority vote.

ARTICLE V. Officers and Elections

5.1: Officers

The Chapter shall have 6 officers: two Co-Chairs (of different genders, or at least one non-male), one Secretary, one Communications Chair, one Treasurer, and one Outreach Chair.

5.2: Officer Duties

Co-Chairs: Co-Chairs shall be the chief spokespeople of the Local Chapter. They shall preside over all meetings of the Local Chapter, shall interpret these bylaws, subject to appeal to the Steering Committee, and perform such other duties that are specified in these bylaws. Co-Chairs may delegate meeting functions, such as facilitation, at their discretion.

Secretary: The Secretary shall be responsible for collecting minutes and records of and Steering Committee meetings as well as all Local Chapter meetings (including General, Annual, and Special meetings).

Treasurer: The Treasurer will be responsible for the funds and financial records of the IE Local Chapter. All funds collected by the IE Local Chapter will be turned over to the Treasurer, who shall deposit them in a bank account under the name of the IE Local Chapter. The Treasurer will prepare the annual budget of theLocal Chapter and deliver a financial report for the Local Chapter at each Annual Meeting, as well as other periodic progress reports as requested by the Steering Committee.

Communications Chair: The Communications Chair shall coordinate the Communications Working Group, responsible for public-facing statements from the Local Chapter. The Communications Chair shall also coordinate internal emails and announcements and maintain and manage access to the Local Chapter’s web presence, including but not limited to websites and social media accounts.

Outreach Chair: The outreach chair shall coordinate mobilization of current and prospective members in support of chapter activities. The Outreach chair will be responsible for reporting (or delegating to another member when necessary) the activities of the Outreach Working Group at General Meetings.

5.3: Terms

The term of office for each officer shall be one (1) year. Elections shall be held in Spring for the Outreach Chair and Summer for the Communications Chair. The officers term shall conclude when the officer’s successor has been properly elected pursuant to Article 5.4.

5.4: Nominations and Elections

The SC shall create an ad hoc Election Committee (AHEC) consisting of three members – selected at random from a list of volunteers – which shall be convened when there is a vacancy or at least three weeks prior to an election. The AHEC shall be responsible for establishing the framework of the election – including a nomination period and voting period, tabulation of votes and dissemination of information regarding the election and its results to the membership. Once the elections have concluded, the AHEC shall dissolve.

MIGs may nominate themselves and/or any other MIG for an officer position, although a MIG may only accept one nomination per election. Under regular circumstances, the nomination period must last at least two weeks prior to the voting date as set by the AHEC. In the event of sudden vacancies, the nomination period will last for one week after the AHEC has formed and notice of the vacancy and details of the subsequent election has been disseminated to the Chapter’s membership.

All votes shall be conducted as a ballot in a manner determined by the AHEC, with winners defined as the nominees receiving a plurality of votes in their respective races. If a position is uncontested, the nominee may be declared elected by acclamation.

If an AHEC cannot be formed, the SC, in full transparency, shall have the power to run the election as they see fit until November 25, 2025 at which point this clause shall be reviewed by the general body and determined by a vote if it stands or expires.

ARTICLE VI: Steering Committee

6.1: Composition

The Steering Committee of the IE Local Chapter (the “Steering Committee”) will be composed of (a) two Co-Chairs, the Secretary and the Treasurer; (b) Representatives from each Branch (see Article XI) or affiliated YDSA chapter, selected in concordance with their bylaws.

6.2: Terms

The terms of Steering Committee Officers shall be staggered to ensure preservation of institutional knowledge and chapter stability. Elections shall be held in Spring for one (1) Co-Chair, Summer for the Treasurer and Fall for the other Co-Chair and the Secretary. The officers term shall conclude when the officer’s successor has been properly elected pursuant to Article 5.4.

6.3: Duties

The Steering Committee shall: (a) administer the affairs of the IE Local Chapter and oversee the implementation of the decisions of the Members at Annual Meetings and General Meetings; (b) propose policies to the Members to be voted upon at Annual Meetings and General Meetings, in its discretion; (c) receive progress reports from Working Groups as it shall reasonably request; (d) advise Working Groups on their policies and activities; (e) organize Annual Meetings and General Meetings in accordance with these Bylaws; (f) establish program activities for the IE Local Chapter; and (g) acting on IE Local Chapter’s behalf between Annual Meetings and General Meetings.

6.4: Meetings

The meetings of the Steering Committee will be held at the call of a Co-Chair at such intervals as may be determined by the Steering Committee. All members of the Steering Committee must be given four (4) days’ advance notice of regular Steering Committee meetings; provided, however, that under special emergency circumstances (as determined by the Chair) a meeting of the Steering Committee may be held upon twenty-four (24) hours advance notice.

6.5: Quorum

A quorum of no less than two-thirds of the seated Steering Committee, including at least two (2) of the four (4) officers, is required for the transaction of Steering Committee business.

6.6: Removal

Any Officer or member of the Steering Committee may also resign in writing, submitting their resignation to the Recording Secretary and Co-Chairs.

Any elected Officer or member of the Steering Committee who misses three consecutive meetings or ten total meetings in a term without an acceptable reason shall be removed from the committee and their position declared vacant. Members of the Steering Committee may also be removed for malfeasance or gross incompetence.

An Officer may be removed in one of two ways:

The Steering Committee may vote, by a two-thirds majority, to remove an Officer, or,
Members may petition for the removal an elected official by collecting signatures of either 30 members or 20% of the general body membership, the greater of the two.

In either case, two-thirds of those present at a general body meeting must vote in favor of removal.

The official will be given a chance to speak in their own defense at this meeting. Members may petition for a snap election of any elected body by having two-thirds of those present at a general body meeting vote in favor of a snap election, to be held at the time and place of the general body’s discretion.

ARTICLE VII. Working Groups

7.1: Function

Working Groups shall be formed whenever at least three members in good standing come together around a shared vision of work, with a mission and activities that do not violate the Local Chapter Bylaws. Working Groups may be formed around a core political issue or a single campaign/goal. Working Groups will be established to maintain ongoing local engagement and education by organizing discrete campaigns, events, and projects. Working Groups are required to develop a mission statement, ratified by the Working Group and Local Chapter membership. Working Groups will be responsible for reports to the Local Chapter membership at General Meetings.

7.2: Oversight and Dissolution

If the Steering Committee finds the activities of a Working Group violates the mission and/or Bylaws of the Local Chapter, they shall have the authority to halt its activities until it can be approved at the next general body meeting. Any Working Group may be dissolved by a majority of its members, when it fails to have at least three active members in good standing, has been inactive for more than one year, or at a general body meeting by a vote of two-thirds of the members present

ARTICLE VIII. Delegates to National, Regional, and State Bodies.

Delegates and alternate delegates of the IE Local Chapter to the DSA National Convention, as well as to any regional or state organizations, will be elected by Members at an Annual Meeting or General Meeting. Elections for IE Local Chapters’ delegates and alternate delegates to the DSA National Convention shall be held on the schedule announced by DSA.

8.1 Method of Voting

Following Article V, Section 5 of national DSA’s Constitution, delegates to the National Convention must be elected by secret ballot. Following Article VI, Section 3, of national DSA’s Bylaws,Local Chapters “may determine their own method of election of delegates to the Convention except that a petition from 10% of a Local’s membership or a motion supported by 15% of those present and voting at the Local meeting which determines the method of election will require the use of the Hare system in that Local’s election of delegates to the National Convention.”

ARTICLE IX: Amendments

These bylaws shall be amended at (1) any Annual Convention as laid out in Article 4.1 or (2) at any legislative meeting of IE DSA by a two-thirds vote, provided that they are agendized on no less than two general or special meetings and that notice to the membership of the amendment has been given fourteen (14) days in advance.

ARTICLE X: Caucuses

Caucuses are independent, unofficial formations of members within the Local Chapter. A Caucus shall be formally recognized by the Local Chapter in one or more official media if no less than five members in good standing sign a mission statement that includes the name and purpose of the Caucus. The Local Chapter Secretary will be responsible for ensuring proper recognition and ensuring that Caucuses listed in any official media still consider themselves to be active.

ARTICLE XI: Branches

A Branch is a subgroup of the Local Chapter consisting of at least five (5) members in good standing with national DSA. Branches may be defined by geography or language. The chairs of Branches will hold membership on the Local Chapter Steering Committee.

Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA) chapters within the geographic area defined by a DSA Local Chapter may affiliate as a branch of that Local Chapter, in which case the local YDSA chapter may send a representative to the Local Chapter Steering Committee.

ARTICLE XII. Prohibited Activity

IE Local Chapter will not engage in activity prohibited by the IRS guidelines established for 501(c)(4) organizations or similar rules established by the state of California. Nor will the Local Chapter engage in any activity prohibited by resolutions adopted by DSA’s National Convention or DSA’s National Political Committee.

ARTICLE XIII. Rules of the Local Chapter.

13.1 Rules

The Rules contained in Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised 11th Edition, will govern this Local Chapter in cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these Bylaws. Consensus decision-making is desirable where feasible, but meetings must submit to Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised 11th Edition upon the request of a member.

13.2 Action Out of Order

Any action taken by an officer or member of the Local Chapter in contravention of these Bylaws is null and void.

13.3 Harassment Policy

The Local Chapter will follow the Harassment Policy of national DSA.

ARTICLE XIV. Dissolution and Distribution of Assets

The Steering Committee may pass a motion to dissolve the Local Chapter via two-thirds vote, requiring ratification by two-thirds vote of the membership at the next General Meeting. Upon dissolution of the organization, any residual assets shall become property of the national organization of Democratic Socialists of America.