democraticclub

Tough to get a quorum

July 9, 2008

Local Democrats' club is paralyzed by its numbers, following mayor's campaign-season tactic

By Steve Marschke

News-Ledger Editor

File this one under “unintended consequences.”

Earlier this year, West Sacramento mayor Christopher Cabaldon’s campaign chest paid the membership dues for about 700 people to join the formerly-sleepy West Sacramento Democratic Club. Before that influx, the club had only a few dozen members.

This move helped boost the number of party delegates the group was entitled to send to the state Democratic convention. That helped Cabaldon lock up the state party’s endorsement for his candidacy in the 8th District Assembly race.

While that strategy worked, Cabaldon eventually lost a tight contest with Mariko Yamada to be the Democrats’ ultimate nominee for Assembly in the fall.

The 700 new members, though, are still on the books at the local Democratic club. Most are evidently very “casual” members – unlikely to show up at a club meeting.

And therein lies the problem.

The group’s bylaws say it needs a quorum of at least ten percent of its members – over 70 – to be present if the club wants to actually do anything at one of its meetings.

“About 35 showed up at our April meeting,” said one member, who goes by the two-word name “four waters.” “Without a quorum, under the state party’s laws, you’re only allowed to convene, meet, hear testimony and adjourn.”

As long as the West Sacramento Democratic Club has a big membership list and a low attendance record, then, it seems to be stuck, said four waters.

She added that the club hopes to find a way to get around its new problem. Club members initially were divided about Cabaldon’s campaign tactic, and some people alleged that some of the new members had even been signed up for membership without their consent. But those squabbles are in the past, said four waters.

“Whatever bad feelings there may have been, what was unanimously agreed upon in April is that we need to move forward in order to have a meaningful impact on the presidential elections in November.”

The club has formed a subcommittee to look at solutions, she said. But since the subcommittee was formed without a vote of a club quorum, it’s unofficial.

How can the club break its shackles?

“We can fix the club and resolve the quorum issue,” said four waters, or “we can let the club go fallow until fees are again due (and allow some of the casual members to disappear through attrition). If we do that, we can set up an interim, secondary club in the meantime, with a loose affiliation with the Democratic party. One of our options is to make an active effort to get the next quorum numbers to show up at a meeting to change the bylaws. The other option is to reduce the size of the club down to a number where we can get a quorum.”

Before the membership drive, said four waters, the West Sacramento Democratic Club had “fewer than 50” members.

The club invites interested Democrats to attend a meeting at 5:30 p.m. on July 17 at 1790 Terminal Street to discuss solutions. For more information, call four waters at 743-2782.