Policy Committee says No to Restore Co-op Democracy Initiative

Co-op Policy Committee says No to Restore Co-op Democracy Initiative

The Co-op Board Policy Committee met on May 18, 2011 and passed a recommendation that the Restore Co-op Democracy "initiative not be placed on the [upcoming annual September] ballot because it obviates the Bylaws and Corporations Code." The Co-op’s Bylaws give neither the Committee nor the Board authority over member initiatives other than to put them on the ballot.

The Committee’s expressed objection to the initiative is that only the Board gets to make policy. When the Committee was asked what would be appropriate for member initiatives, one Committee member suggested the bag policy (this was not clarified, but may have referred to the question about the use of paper, plastic or cloth bags). Committee member Barbara Mendenhall said that "it might be appropriate for an owner initiative to be directed to a particular policy" and later said that member initiatives could be about "anything that is not illegal or in contradiction to the Bylaws."

The Committee’s recommendation will be considered by the Board at its June 7, 6pm Board meeting.

Please contact the Co-op Board and express your concern (contact info below).

More details at http://www.coopdemocracy.org and in the Sacramento Press article: (http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/50820/Coop_Board_Policy_Committee_Says_No_to_Restore_Coop_Democracy_Initiative)

New Website for Sac Co-op Owners for Democracy and Human Rights: http://www.coopdemocracy.org

Sacramento News & Review (SNR) May 19 article on Co-op: Write a Letter-to-the-Editor

Not the hoped-for in-depth piece of all-sources-cited journalism, the SNR article (http://bit.ly/jGK78W) does include some accurate reporting though it is noticeably incomplete. It also lapses into some attempts at sit-down-comedy-journalism involving unsubstantiated but presumably clever assertions, which range from idiotic to being misleading or outright false. Still it raises the issue and the opportunity for letters to the editor: sactoletters [at] newsreview.com

May 20-22: Stop by or Join in at the Informational Picket this Weekend

Sac Co-op Owners for Democracy and Human Rights will hold a Free Speech and Democracy informational picket this Friday (4:30-6:30pm), Saturday (11am-1pm) & Sunday (4-6pm) on the Co-op sidewalk. Mark your calendars for a June 3 Free Speech and Democracy Sidewalk Rally at the Co-op.

Reminder: June 1 is the deadline for letters-to-the-editor of the Co-op Reporter
Submit to tesperas [at] sacfoodcoop.com. Ask that your letter go in both the Co-op Reporter and on the Co-op’s website.

Please attend: June 7 Co-op Board meeting at 6pm, followed by Quarterly Member meeting.

Co-op GM Paul Cultrera tries to Justify Tabling Discrimination and Censorship

In a recent email to a Co-op member expressing confusion about Cultrera's letting only one perspective about the Israeli/Palestinian issue be presented in front of the Co-op, Cultrera writes (emphasis added):

“I can understand your confusion is this is not an easy issue to manage. However, as I have started before, the suspension of the tabling privileges specifically for SAPA and by extension to other groups/individuals who want to table on the Israeli Palestinian issue was in response to the complaints received from Co-op customers regarding the behavior of people tabling on that issue. At that time the only tabling on the issue was form the pro-boycott groups, so those are the ones that the suspension has been applied to. The purpose of the suspension is to honor the input that customers have brought to management in which they have expressed that they were being inappropriately addressed by the tablers. To then allow subsequent tabling from the same side of the issue can be viewed by customers as neglecting their interest, and my responsibility is to place those interests before those of any tablers.

"The information that I have seen that was being made available to customers by the “keep politics out of the Co-op” group seems to only deal with the Israeli/Palestinian issue in an indirect manner as it discusses the role of BDS in attempting to boycott Israeli goods, which is an example of the “politics” that they believe should be kept out. As yet that group has not drawn complaints from customers. There is a complaint from one of the BDS members who was demonstrating on the sidewalk that I am investigating. Depending on what I learn, as I wrote, the “keep politics out of the Co-op” group’s tabling privileges may also be suspended.”

How to Contact the Co-op Board and General Manager
Board Emails: michellereyn [at] gmail.com, steven_maviglio [at] yahoo.com, adienst [at] sbcglobal.net, sonemi [at] comcast.net, rhdjr65 [at] aol.com, sccfcommittee [at] yahoo.com
Email the board through the website:
http://www.sacfoodcoop.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=372%3Aboard-of-directors&catid=57%3Acontact-us&Itemid=94=us
Co-op General Manager, Paul Cultrera: pcultrera [at] sacfoodcoop.com

For more information, to ask questions, to subscribe or unsubscribe, email: humanrightsareacoopvalue [at] gmail.com