Deliberation and Consensus. The CSC will use voting by simple majority for decision-making. Decision-making will not proceed without a quorum (quorum = 50% CSC plus 1 voting member) of voting members present at a meeting. Steering Committee members may choose to recuse themselves from decisions at any time. Members must recuse themselves from decisions where there is a conflict of interest. The Political Reform Act requires that, “No public official at any level of state or local government shall make, participate in making or in any way attempt to use his official position to influence a governmental decision in which he knows or has reason to know he has a financial interest” (Government Code Section 87100 et seq). In the event a conflict arises during an Agenda item, the CSC Members can suggest to postpone the Action or Agenda item of discussion and agree to table it for a future meeting by way of vote, to allow for the Co-Chairs, Co-Leads, and Facilitatorto help resolve the issue. If an action does not receive an affirmative vote, discussion and deliberation will continue until actions have reached consensus or an affirmative vote is reached.
Deliberation and Consensus. A professional and impartial facilitator(s) will be employed to support the steering committee in the overall organization, order and focus of the meeting, resolve conflicts and help reach consensus to ensure the goals and objectives of this charter are met. Achieving full consensus of the steering committee may not always be possible. In the event of an impasse, the co-leads shall be the final decision-makers, carefully weighing the consequences of any decision where there is a lack of consensus. If the co-leads cannot agree, then the action in question will not proceed. Community Steering Committee members who do not agree with a majority consensus on a decision may submit a minority position statement. Member Participation Only one member from each affiliation may participate as part of the steering committee deliberative process in any individual meeting. If the primary member is unable to attend, the designated alternate on the steering committee roster may attend in their absence and deliberate on the primary member’s behalf. If a primary member or their alternate is not able to attend a scheduled meeting, they may submit written comments for consideration on relevant agenda topics to the Committee chair or the co-leads prior to the scheduled meeting. Written communications may inform, but not substitute, for being physically present during deliberations of the committee. If a primary member or their alternate has not attended three consecutive steering committee meetings, their membership may be revoked as determined by the co-leads.
