NCYPC BYLAWS

Photo by Matt LaFever

NCYPC Overview

The Northern California Youth Policy Coalition’s objective is to ensure that the youth voices of this region are heard on local, regional and state levels, where decisions make a direct impact on our rural communities. By advocating for the needs and priorities of rural youth, we aim to create positive change that uplifts our region and fosters a sense of representation and fairness for all. Through increased representation and dedicated efforts, we can pave the way for a brighter future for Northern California and its youth.


Article I: Name and Purpose

  • Section 1, Name: This organization shall be known as the Northern California Youth Policy Coalition, or abbreviated as the NCYPC.

  • Section 2, Purpose: The purpose of this organization is to give a voice to rural youth who feel unheard and a platform to come together to advocate for issues that are most important to our rural youth in Northern California.


Article II: Membership

  • Section 1, Eligibility: Membership is open to any high school students (grades 9-12) who live within one of these thirty Northern California counties: Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Marin, Mendocino, Modoc, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Tuolumne, Yolo, and Yuba.

  • Section 2, Application: To become a member, prospective members must submit a membership form. Northern California Youth Policy Coalition Sign-Up Form


Article III: Organization

  • Section 1, Organization: The Northern California Youth Policy Coalition shall consist of a Board of Directors and other regional directors created with the discretion of the Chair.

  • Section 2, Regional Organization: The Northern California Youth Policy Coalition shall be divided into three different regions.

- First Region: The First Region will consist of Del Norte, Humboldt, Trinity, Mendocino, Lake, Sonoma, and Marin counties.

- Second Region: The Second Region will consist of Siskiyou, Modoc, Shasta, Lassen, Plumas, Tehama, Glenn, Colusa, Butte, Sierra, Yuba, and Nevada counties. 

- Third Region: The Third Region will consist of Napa, Solano, Yolo, Sutter, Sacramento, Placer, El Dorado, Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, and Tuolumne

counties.

  • Section 3, Addition of Counties: To add a county to the Northern California Youth Policy Coalition, a majority of the total membership must vote to add a new county. If 50.01% or more of the members vote to add a county, it will then move to the Board of Directors. ¾ of the Board of Directors must vote to approve the addition of a new county.


Article IV: Organizational Structure

  • Section 1, Board of Directors: The coalition shall have a Board of Directors responsible for overall governance and decision making.

  • Section 2, Requirements to join the Board of Directors: To become a member of the Board of Directors, you must be a member of the Northern California Youth Policy Coalition.

  • Section 3, Selection of Board of Directors: Each member of the Board of Directors must be appointed to that position. To become a member of the Board of Directors, you must fill out an application. An application committee consisting of the entire Board of Directors in conjunction with the Board of Advisors will review each prospective applicant. To be appointed, you must receive a majority of the votes of the incumbent Board of Directors to be appointed.

  • Section 4, Board of Directors Positions: The Board of Directors shall consist of the following positions: Chair, Vice Chair, Chief of Staff, Director of Policy, Director of Finance, Director of Communications, Director of Activism, Director of Technology, and Director of Outreach.

  • Section 5, Duties and Powers of the Board of Directors: Each position shall have specific duties as outlined in the bylaws:

  1. Chair - The Chair shall serve as the Chief Executive of the Northern California Youth Policy Coalition, set the agenda, and chair all meetings of the Board of Directors, as well as serve as the official voice of this organization. The Chair must also execute and obey all rules and resolutions adopted by this organization. The Chair may appoint staff to aid in fulfilling organization responsibilities and furthering the goals of the NCYPC as a whole.

  2. Vice Chair - The Vice Chair shall fulfill all duties of the Chair in the absence of the office holder and aid in the management of the staff of this organization.

  3. Chief of Staff - Organize emails to different Directors, serve as the secretary to the Chair and Vice Chair, send meeting notices and meeting links to members. The Chief of Staff will also be in charge of taking notes during meetings.

  4. Director of Policy - Oversees all policy and governmental relations of the coalition. They create new proposals for each identified policy area and present it to the Board of Directors. The Policy Director works closely with the Chair in creating and implementing the policy of the Northern California Youth Policy Coalition. Connect with local politicians and draft the policy for the NCYPC.

  5. Director of Finance - Oversees and reviews accounting tasks. Presents financial reports to the Board of Directors, investors, and other stakeholders. Collaborates with the Board of Directors to create budgets and track key performance indicators.

  6. Director of Communications - In charge of social media, advertisement, and updating the website. In charge of establishing relationships with media outlets, handling public relations, and advertisements. The Communications Director is also in charge of writing the monthly newsletter.

  7. Director of Technology -  Provide technological support to ensure the coalition runs smoothly. Handles online meetings. Setting up zoom meetings and webinars including handling online conferences.

  8. Director of Outreach - Role is to reach out to other organizations who may be interested in supporting the NCYPC on an issue or supporting financially. This is an important role that allows us to get the word out about our coalition and one that can help us to effectively implement and publicize our coalition. In general, you will want to prepare specific asks for the partnership, and to ask what they want from our coalition. We can also collaborate on advocacy that the other organizations are doing. Reach out to organizations who align with our goals. Meet with new organizations to establish terms of partnerships. Keep in regular contact with organizations to maintain a relationship. Build coalitions of organizations with related goals to support a specific issue. Collect information about our partners’ campaigns to present to the Board of Directors about a possible partnership. Reach out and interview each person or assign someone to do the interviews of people who sign up on the google form.

  • Section 6, Creation of Director Positions: Any position on the Board of Directors can be created with the discretion of the Chair.

  • Section 7, Removal of a Director Position: Any position on the Board of Directors can be removed by the consent of the Board of Directors.

  • Section 8, Board of Directors Meetings: The Board of Directors shall meet every other Sunday at 6:30 PM

  • Section 9, Notice of Meetings: Each Board member shall be notified at least three days in advance of each meeting.

  • Section 10, Board of Directors Meeting Attendance: If a member of the Board of Directors misses more than two consecutive meetings without notification to the Chair at least twenty-four hours in advance for an excused absence, they will be immediately suspended from the Board of Directors. This member can request to be reinstated to the Board of Directors wherein the member’s status will be under the discretion of the Chair.

  • Section 11, Regional Directors: This coalition shall have three appointed Regional Directors who oversee all functions within their respective regions. They act as the liaison between the County Directors and the Board of Directors.

  • Section 12, Appointment of Regional Directors: Each Regional Director must be appointed to that position. To become a Regional Director, you must fill out an application. An application committee consisting of the entire Board of Directors in conjunction with the Board of Advisors will review each prospective applicant. To be appointed, you must receive a majority of the votes of the incumbent Board of Directors to be appointed.

  • Section 13, Board of Directors and Regional Directors Meetings: The Board of Directors and the Regional Directors shall meet once every two weeks and special meetings may be called as necessary.

  • Section 14, Notice of Meetings: Each member shall be notified at least three days in advance of each meeting.

  • Section 15, County Directors: This coalition shall have County Directors for each of the thirty counties within this coalition. Their main duty is to recruit members into the coalition and organize local events.

  • Section 16, Leadership Meeting: The leadership of the Northern California Youth Policy Coalition, consisting of the Board of Directors, Regional Directors, and County directors, shall meet once every three weeks.

  • Section 17, Notice of Meetings: Each member shall be notified at least five days in advance of each meeting.

  • Section 18, Causes for Impeachment: Any director is subject to removal from their office for failure to fulfill assigned duties or for violation of any law or rule of this organization or for egregious behavior or inappropriate conduct.

  • Section 19, Process of Impeachment: Two members of the Board of Directors must present evidence of wrongdoing towards a fellow director. The proceedings shall be overseen by the Chair, unless they are the one accused of wrongdoing  in which the Vice Chair will oversee the proceedings. Evidence will be presented of wrongdoing with the member who was accused of wrongdoing allowed to present a defense argument. For impeachment, it requires ⅝ of the Board of Directors for any director to be impeached. 


Article VI: Committees

  • Section 1, Establishment: The Board of Directors may establish committees to carry out specific tasks and objectives.

  • Section 2, Committee Structure: The composition, responsibilities, and authority of committees shall be defined by the Board of Directors.

  • Section 3, Policy Committee: The Policy Committee shall be composed of the Chair, Vice Chair, Director of Policy, Director of Outreach, and one Advisor. The committee shall review all possible legislation related to the coalition and consider whether to advance it to the Board of Directors for a vote. 


Article VII: Meetings

  • Section 1, General Meetings: The NCYPC shall hold regular general meetings once a month.

  • Section 2, Notice of Meeting: Members must be provided with notice of general meetings at least a week ahead of time.

  • Section 3, Quorum: A minimum number of members, constituting a quorum, must be present to conduct business.

  • Section 4, Conduction of Meeting: The Chair will preside over the meeting.

  • Section 5, Approval of Items: A motion to pass an item may be made by any Board of Director members and the motion can only mass with the majority of the Board members present.


Article VIII: Policy

  • Section 1, Notice of Support for Policies - The Northern California Youth Policy Coalition supports and advocates for bills that effectively address the issues that our rural youth face.

  • Section 2, Approval of Support for Bills - For the NCYPC to support a bill, it first must have to be motioned by one of the members of the Board of Directors to support a bill. There will then be a discussion on the bill. Afterwards, the Policy Director will then do research on the bill and write a summary on the bills and make a recommendation on whether the NCYPC should support the bill. There must be a majority support amongst the Board of Directors for a bill to be supported by the NCYPC.


Article X: Amendments

  • Amendment Process: These bylaws may be amended by the consent of the Chair and Vice Chair along with the simple majority vote of the Board of Directors. Alternatively, this document may be amended with a two-thirds majority vote of the Board of Directors. Any member of the Board of Directors may propose an amendment.

  • Notice of Amendment: Members must be provided with notice of proposed amendments at least three days ahead of the Board of Directors vote.

APPROVED ON APRIL 9, 2024