2025-10-28 Steering Committee Meeting Minutes

Minutes & Historicals
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1

Land Acknowledgement

Code of Conduct

Declared Absences: Patrick C., Olivia D., Jack S., Dieter L.M.

Undeclared Absences:

Consent Agenda

Approve Agenda

Approve Previous Minutes

Reports

  • Financial Report (Dieter LM)

    Secretary Report (Patrick C)

    Campaigns Council Report (Far)

    • Work groups submitting fall reports, joint CC and Steering this upcoming Thursday

    • Priority Campaign form has gone out, further discussion around what is included on that form needed

NoVA Branch (Bob?)

  • Updates from newsletter

MoCo Branch (Olivia D)

PG Branch (Alex A)

    • Update from newsletter

    • PG Street Team forming

  • YDSA Update (Jack S)

  • MED Update (Diego)

    • 11/9 New Member event to coincide with GBM

    • Looping new members from GDC into 1:1 mentorship program

    • First week of November for “Final Fridays” event

Old Business

  • GBM debrief (Nell)

    • Had to ad hoc child care

      • Nell offer to put a call out for interest in doing childcare

      • Julia has concern around qualifications and want to ensure vetting

      • Kurtis says don’t overengineer it, but good to ask during GBM RSVP

      • Far suggests looking to Red Cubs as historic example

      • Bakari mentions Paige talking about required ratios to children to caregivers being different for different ages.

      • Action Item for Patrick listed below

  • Status of Hiring Committee (XXX)

  • November GBM Planning Discussion (XXX)

  • Convention dates and immediate needs (Kurtis)

    • IEFD - Kurtis will put out request

    • Meeting space - FMH may be available 12.7, 12.6 less certain

    • Need to notify expired members by 10.30 - Kurtis will draft language, work w Patrick to send email

    • Kurtis - motion to approve dates - passed by UC

New Business

  • Rapid response / red rabbits (Nell)

    • Nell noting interest for training and resources. Chad has taken lead on interest form. Meeting at MLK on Nov 10.

      • Speaking with Andy about restarting Red Rabbits, end of November meeting. Interest in melding this with the effort that Chad is working on

    • Far asking if we have tangible medical lessons or anything?

      • Nell, not in this context

  • Training survey (Nell)

  • Coats Not Cops Funding Request (Georgia)

    • Geo - event coming up on 11/1

    • Fundraiser on GoFundMe raised $4K, 97 signups on AN

    • Concerned that funds raised (170 coats) won’t be sufficient. $500 covers 16 more people.

    • Higher level of need projected

    • First time asking for funds, not a priority campaign

    • Hoping to cruise into end of year meeting other needs

    • Diego - question about media or pictures

      • Geo - we do have pictures, but being careful

    • Far - a lot of engagement. Good for us to be able to meet the need. In support

    • Nell - Suggest that we use “outreach fund” to preserve discretionary for convention. Potentially have Priority Campaigns donate funds to Abolition

    • Marli - question about what abolition have vs what they need in their budget. WePower open to collaborating with Abolition

      • Geo - track money in running meeting notes. Tracker may not be up to date. They have around $900 in regular funding and $600 from WABA (defunct coalition). Between what they’re expecting to spend money on, will probably get down to 0 on $900 and preserving $600 as backup

    • Bakari - outreach budget better place for street team costs and lit printing

    • Julia - Request that contact is made with Dieter so ensure tracker updated.

      • Geo - Delays in finance side of things

      • Nell - POI: tab on sheet was tracking reddesk inputs, is Dieter keeping this up to date

    • Marli - Is the $690 usable for this discretionary request?

      • Geo - NoVA and PG, trying to avoid stiffing requests for those areas with a focus on DC.

    • Marli: Motion to use $250 from discretionary

    • Seconded by Joe

      • Diego: Yes

      • Far: Yes

      • Bakari: Yes

      • Nell: Yes

      • Joe: Yes

      • Marli: Yes

      • John: Yes

      • Kurtis: No

      • Julia: No

    • Motion Passes

    • Far: Motion to approve an additional 100 discretionary

    • Seconded by Nell

      • Far: Yes

      • Bakari: No

      • Nell: Yes

      • Diego: Yes

      • Joe: No

      • John: Yes

      • Kurtis: No

      • Marli: No

      • Julia: No

    • Motion Fails

  • Electoral Endorsement Updates (Bakari)

    • Bakari: Concern from candidate that questionnaire with strategy and fundraising information and made publicly available. PEC considering member’s only vs public to share without disclosing detailed strat and fundraising info

    • Joe: Suggestion to create 2 versions, but not sure it’s really necessary. Fundraising goals and door knocking goals are not generally shocking. Open to leaving out strat questions on website

    • Bakari: broke some news, no way around that. Late entries, fine with having a hard cutoff for most of them, but extra consideration for Shayla. Might be good to pass something at convention to determine status of incumbents and process for this (not needing to reendorse)

    • Joe - what does it mean to reendorse an incumbent, considerations to keep in mind. We should offer to meet with Shayla as PEC to say that not being endorsed in every race doesn’t close the SIO off from her. Not getting a flat no in an email.

  • WFP Coalition Request (Bakari)

    • Bakari: Wants to close the loop on conversations about WFP. Propose joining the WFP

    • Kurtis - question about hypothetical Robert White endorsement

      • Bakari - if we endorse other candidates in DC, we would knock doors for people we have endorsed, WFP would take care of the rest. WFP has a lot of funds, don’t need anything from us.

    • Diego - what is makeup of leadership? How much influence would we have?

      • Bakari - We would be on the organizing committee. Each org has an equal vote on decisions. All of the unions involved have a history of coendorsing with us. DSA would only have one vote

    • Marli - When we started these conversations, had reservations. Now in favor. Happening whether or not we’re in. Might as well be in. They want us and trust us.

    • Bakari - Ranked choice voting in play, importance in slates is going to increase. Similar dynamics to NYC mayoral primary with WFP party slate

    • Bakari - Motion to Approve joining the WFP Coalition

      • Second by Marli

      • Far: Yes

      • Bakari: Yes

      • Nell: Yes

      • Joe: Yes

      • Diego: Yes

      • John: Yes

      • Kurtis: Yes

      • Marli: Yes

      • Julia: Yes

    • Motion Passes

  • Conjunctural discussion planning updates (julia)

    • Nov 6, 6 - 8pm. Far willing to set up AN