Pacifica Panel-Defense Of Pacifica & The Proposed 2nd National Bylaw Changes

The Defense Of Pacifica & The Proposed 2nd National Bylaw Changes
What They Are, Who Is Behind It And What We Need To Do To Defend Our Stations & Network

A Rescue Pacifica educational panel
https://rescuepacifica.net

Sunday April 25th 3:00 pm PST/5:oo pm CST/6:oo pm EST

In the midst of the pandemic, and escalation of racist murders including George Floyd, the attack on Mumia
and threat to journalists and independent media, an attack is taking place against Pacifica.
For the second time in two years, Pacifica has been forced to have a costly election for a new bylaw change.

The last bylaw changes supported by many of the same people that are pushing this latest was
defeated 2 to 1 but this was never reported by the KPFA management and News Department.

Speakers:
P.K. McCary, KPFT CAB
Lawrence Reyes KPFK LSB & Pacifica National Board
Alex Steinberg, Pacifica National Chair
Ralph Poynter, KPFA LSB Staff & Pacifica National Board
Ann Garrison, KPFA Reporter
James McFadden, KPFA LSB
Grace Aaron, KPFK former Pacifica PNB Member

Don't miss this!
To join the meeting - register now and get a confirmation
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwscOytqzwiGtL_3PTDGL-AJPCK9zJ2GYG5

Additional Information:
Rescue Pacifica http://rescuepacifica.net
Rescue Pacifica
No Censorship / No Compromise / No Bankruptcy / No Break Up / KPFA
* Audio of the debate between Tracy Rosenberg & Beth Kean, from the Full Circle program
https://archives.kpfa.org/data/20210409-Fri1900.mp3
https://pacificainexile.org/archives/category/newsletter scroll down to Majority Rules
https://pacifica-democracy-project.org
Campaign to Preserve Democracy & Accountability at Pacifica Radio
https://pacificafightback.org
pacificafightback [at] gmail.com


Anti-Democratic Bylaws – AGAIN

Sadly, the anti-democratic brigade was not dissuaded by their crushing defeat earlier this year and they have forced another bylaws referendum. The new proposal which goes by the name “New Day” is no better than the first and returns Pacifica to the same self-appointed model that caused all the problems in 1999, with a few distracting flourishes, including toothless local station boards and pro forma elections for powerless station representatives. Don’t be fooled.

Watch this space for more information about how you can defeat this latest attempt – and in order to do vote No this June, you must have become a member of KPFA between April 8 of 2020 and of 11:59 pm April 7 2021, by donating $25 or volunteering for at least 3 hours. (Membership must be renewed yearly.)

You will be emailed a ballot to vote Yes or No on this referendum if you were a contributing member to KPFA in the year preceding April 8 2021. That ballot will arrive after June 6th 2021

Another Power Grab By Pacifica Corporatizers

From Alex Steinberg, Chair Of The Pacifica National Board

Anti-Democratic Bylaws – AGAIN.


This is the second attempt forcing PACIFICA to hold yet another referendum after the first just last year that cost us $150 thousand.

It is being sponsored mostly by the same cast of characters who sponsored the last referendum. That one was defeated by a 2-1 margin.

Although some of the details are different this bylaws proposal is another assault on democratic governance like the last one.

It would centralize Pacifica governance structure and remove any oversight functions from Local Station Boards.

It would introduce a winner takes all voting method thus leaving no room for minority voices as our current proportional representation system does.

Representatives from each of the stations on the Pacifica National Board would be a minority (5 out of 15) on the Board.

It favors paid staff over unpaid staff while simultaneously reducing the percentage of overall staff representation on the PNB.

It reduces the percentage of affiliate representation on the on the PNB.

The 4 Officers who will be on the PNB will be voted on separately in a Pacifica wide election. They will represent whatever faction has the ability to get out the most votes in a winner take all election. There is no room for minority representation, even if the minority gets 49% of the vote. It’s the same story for representatives in the station Director elections, staff representatives elections, etc.

The 3 At large Directors will be selected by the Board itself, thus guaranteeing whatever faction gets a majority on the Board a practically unassailable super majority.

SUMMARY

In sum these amendments are proposing a return to a centralized, self selecting Board structure with no room for local oversight by the listener or staff of the stations and no room for any minority representation. It’s exactly what the March bylaws referendum attempted to do and it’s another attempt to return to the anti-democratic structure PACIFICA used to have before 2002.

Finally, the rationale for why these bylaws amendments are needed are based on the same lies that were behind the last one- namely that PACIFICA faces an existential crisis and that the PNB and LSB’s are “dysfunctional” and incapable of dealing with this crisis and that unless the amendments are adopted immediately the sky will fall in.

It’s the same attempt to panic members into choosing an authoritarian solution that Naomi Klein talks about in her book The Shock Doctrine. While it is true that PACIFICA faces a serious financial crisis, it is false to say that the PNB is “dysfunctional”

There is also no basis at all for believing that the hand-picked transitional Board the new bylaws want to put in place would be any better at dealing with the financial crisis than the current PNB. On the contrary given their track record of supporting the shut down of WBAI, of supporting bankruptcy as a “solution” to Pacifica’s problems, there is plenty of evidence that the Transitional Board lacks the competence or wisdom to solve Pacifica’s problems.

The idea that Pacifica’s problems can be solved by getting rid of our democratic governance system is just a case of magical thinking.

To be more informed, also see
http://www.PacificaInExile.org/archives/category/newsletter
– scroll down to the 2nd and 3d articles
and
https://pacifica-democracy-project.org/
Also check out “Some Good News from Pacifica!” at that site.


KPFA TOWN HALL

Rescue Pacifica-affiliated local board members called a meeting for April 30, 2020 since the full board was out of compliance with the bylaws, not having met since January 11, 2020. The bylaws require local boards to meet every 60 days.

15 of the 16 UIR-affiliated reps boycotted the meeting, but 35 members showed up and a town hall discussion was held. The audio recording is below. Vice-Chair Marilyn Langlois presided in the absence of the board chair.