Seems to me redundancy is a good thing and the purposes are becoming clearer:<div><br></div><div>1. WePay will be yet another way we can engage in transactions, which can be valuable. (Have we figured out how to accept bitcoin yet?)</div>
<div>2. A local Credit Union will be a valuable stake in the local community, though most of them simply offer car loans and other small loans, sometimes for housing, not often for businesses ;(. It will also keep us transparent in the interim before we spend or move the money to some other place.</div>
<div><br></div><div>If you're interested in moving your money to a Credit Union, check out this site: <a href="http://bankmigration.org">http://bankmigration.org</a></div><div><br></div><div>// Matt<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">
On Thu, May 24, 2012 at 11:50 AM, Eddan Katz <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:eddan@oaklandlocal.com" target="_blank">eddan@oaklandlocal.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<div bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000">
Thanks for anthropologicizing the situation, Sudo Agent! No reason
why we can't do both.<br>
We'll open a local credit union account, and use WePay for online
transactions.<br>
Any credit union recommendations?<br>
<br>
WePay, by the way, is associated with mid-size banks in order to
qualify to be FDIC insured. Otherwise, if you lose your .02c, you'd
have no hope of getting it back. The fact that the banks they are
associated with are based in Delaware only tells you that Delaware's
corporate laws are the most predictable for resolving disputes. <br>
<br>
As far as I understand it, WePay is basically serving as an
intermediary enabling a wider population to be able to make
transactions. They've figured out how to extend the assurance they
can guarantee; so that people and organizations could make
transactions they otherwise couldn't. <br>
<br>
You're absolutely right though, that WePay is not based in Oakland.
They're in Palo Alto. Maybe we should offer to build one of the
local credit union's web interface? I think the combination of WePay
and Flattr for online transactions would probably be a good idea. <br>
<br>
-Eddan<br>
[self-appointed Exchequer]<div><div class="h5"><br>
<br>
On 5/24/12 10:40 AM, Eddie A Tejeda wrote:
<blockquote type="cite">Great research Micheal.<br>
<br>
I think keeping money in the local economy is definitely a higher
priority than friendly web interface.<br>
<br>
--<br>
Eddie A Tejeda<br>
<br>
<br>
<div class="gmail_quote">On Thu, May 24, 2012 at 10:34 AM, Michael
Scroggins <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:michaeljscroggins@gmail.com" target="_blank">michaeljscroggins@gmail.com</a>></span>
wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<div bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000">WePay is essentially a
user friendly front end pasted onto a medium sized business
bank in Delaware. Their back end is Bancorp (rhymes with
Newscorp) which specializes in white label banking solutions
for their mid-sized "affinity partners", of whom WePay is
one. That Occupy uses WePay because of flexibility and
convenience says something about Occupy, but not something I
find encouraging. <br>
<br>
A local credit union is..local. It is possible a Sudo Agent
could run for and possibly be elected to the board of
directors and have real input over how money is used and the
money is more likely to be reinvested in Oakland, and so
forth...<br>
<br>
My .02c - which I would like to stay in Oakland:) <br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<blockquote style="border:0px none" type="cite">
<div style="margin-left:40px">
<hr style="border:none 0;border-top:1px dotted #b5b5b5;min-height:1px;margin:0"><br>
</div>
<table style="padding-top:5px">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="padding-top:4px" valign="top"><img name="137802f9e9500141_1377fea02b55cc9a_compose-unknown-contact.jpg" height="25px" width="25px"></td>
<td style="padding-left:5px" valign="top"><a href="mailto:mattsenate@gmail.com" style="color:#2057ef!important;text-decoration:none!important" target="_blank">Matthew Senate</a><br>
<font color="#888888">Thursday, May 24, 2012 12:13
AM</font></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<div style="color:#888888;margin-left:35px">
<div>
<div><br>
** Please Read Voting + Motions at bottom of minutes
**<br>
<br>
In short, tonight at the meeting we decided that all
who are present at our weekly meeting are welcome to
vote on making non-binding decisions for Sudo Room
during this interim period, with the requirement to
report back via email and record these motions on
the wiki. This is a great way to move forward in
this period before we figure out the exact terms of
decision-making (who, how, etc) which we can now
figure out as we actually move forward to opening a
room.<br>
<br>
I'll move this over to the wiki tomorrow, must
sleep.<br>
<br>
----<br>
<br>
<div><span><b>5/23/2012 - Meeting Minute</b></span><span><b>s</b></span></div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><span><b>Attendees</b></span><span>: Patrik,
Timon, Marina, Phil, Eddie, Victoria, Michael,
Michel, Angela, Rick, Eddan, Patrick, Matt</span></div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><span><b>Marginalia:</b></span><span> Space and
Time form a curved surface - and our new
business. </span><span><b>- Nerd Night Bay Area
happening near last week of October talk to
Rick - </b></span></div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><span><b>Old Business</b></span></div>
<div><span>1. Model + Budget + Income investigations
(e.g Noisebridge, other)</span><span> - Jenny</span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span>(ping via email)</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div><span>2. Tax Structure Options:</span><span>
Eddan, Matt, Eddie</span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span>** Eddan and Timon (zoning) have done
research, neither as Lawyers (see below)</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div><span>3. Distilling Decision Maker/Community
Options (Matt, Marina, Rachel, Jenny, Timon)</span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span>This is translated into future
decision-making options (once we open a
space), since we have an interim solution
for now</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div><span>4. Most transparent process </span><span>for
making decisions</span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span>This is also touched on below</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<span>5. Determining important deadlines</span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span>Done, please expect an email to be
directed to a space on the wiki for this!</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div><span>6. Clean up listing of table of
properties</span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span>Begun, needs more love, more listings,
etc.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><span>== Break-out Groups ==</span></div>
<div><span>1. Note-cleaning and -posting</span></div>
<div><span>2. Notable date / deadline / calendar
comprehension (initiated, will be posted for
editing on wiki)</span></div>
<div><span><b>Decisions That Need Deadlines: </b></span></div>
<div>
<ol start="1">
<li><span>Space. (Before end of June =
negotiation w/ EBALC; space would be
~November)</span></li>
</ol>
</div>
<div>
<ol start="2">
<li><span><s>Banking Structure (i.e. what to do
w/ our donations collected)</s></span></li>
</ol>
</div>
<div>
<ol start="3">
<li><span><s>Interim/ </s></span><span>Long-Term
Tax Structure (interim vs permanent) (501c3,
fiscal sponsor, LLC, B Corp)-- how long
does it take to apply for each one of these?</span></li>
</ol>
</div>
<div>
<ol start="4">
<li><span>Membership Structure/ Pricing/ When
Begin to Pay</span></li>
</ol>
</div>
<div>
<ol start="5">
<li><span>Decision Making (once have paying
members)</span></li>
</ol>
</div>
<div>
<ol start="6">
<li><span>Revenue Models</span></li>
</ol>
</div>
<div>
<span>3. Sudo Room option listings (begun, on
wiki)</span></div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><span><b>New Business</b></span></div>
<div><span>+ Focus on concrete goals and deadlines</span></div>
<div><span><b>====Space and Time====</b></span></div>
<div><span>Update from Timon about Zoning</span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>
<span>@TODO investigate zoning laws esp in
Oakland. Learned much from oakland city
website "CBD Central Business District Zone
Regulations"</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span> Eddie suggests that "playing as
we go" is not the way to go. </span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div><span>Update from Eddan about Tax Structure</span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span>@TODO fill out wiki with all options
and comparative analysis for both tax
structure and organization structure</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span>Eddan wants some feedback--but it
would be wise to have an environment that
enables different types of innovation
funding. Fixing computers, teaching
classes, etc. </span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span>The diversity here is how you could
fund publicly-minded projects. This could
be beneficial, we should consider ways of
fostering this. </span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div><span> Eddan is not acting as a lawyer.
Looking at tax structure, ways to organize it -
501(c)3. Also have the jobs act and
crowdfunding, very new. Comparing to different
structures of organizations. Wants to ask
everyone a question:</span></div>
<div>
<ol start="1">
<li><span>Become a non-profit?</span></li>
</ol>
</div>
<div>
<ol start="1">
<li><span>Can't do lobbying (too much),
supporting candidates, other reporting
requirements. Potential for pigeon-holing. </span></li>
</ol>
</div>
<div>
<ol start="2">
<li><span>Could be advantages to being forced to
foreclose, be transparent--but that can also
be a choice to be transparent. </span></li>
</ol>
</div>
<div>
<ol start="2">
<li><span>Keep going, loosely bound collective,
move forward without worrying about other
things?</span></li>
</ol>
</div>
<div>
<ol start="3">
<li><span>Options include all the way to a Super
PAC</span></li>
</ol>
</div>
<div>
<ol start="4">
<li><span>LLC - $900 / year</span></li>
</ol>
</div>
<div>
<ol start="5">
<li><span><b>Pop-up lease opportunity.</b></span><span>
Oakollective + Popup Hood are great examples
of this. </span></li>
</ol>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><span>== Voting ==</span></div>
<div>
<span>The group recognizes that we have critical
decisions to make, and everyone wants to move
forward with making decisions. Further, the
group points out that we need an interim
decision-making process and that this should
(and will) change once we have a room [the
ultimate goal]. It is also recognized that we
must make a leap of faith in order to begin with
interim decision-making.</span></div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><span><b>Motion: In this interim period,
non-binding decisions will be voted on at Sudo
Room meetings by those attending and
interested in voting, these will then be
shared with the email list and recorded on the
Wiki.</b></span></div>
<div><span>11 Vote in Favor (2 abstain, for
sociological and journalistic reasons
respectively ;)</span></div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><span><b>Motion: To aim to find an initial
location, a Sudo Room (rather than a
full-fledged Sudo Space), targeted for the end
of July</b></span></div>
<div><span>10 in Favor - One dissenter, Patrik's
offers that Techliminal is a sufficient platform
and that it is not necessary to strive to open
another space. There are advantages and
disadvantages to this position, it is good this
position is visible for thought and moving
forward. (Again 2 abstain for obvious reasons).</span></div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><span><b>Strawpoll (not a vote, just ): Willing
to pay on a regular interval for Sudo Room as
a hackerspace (no discussion of membership,
responsibilities, benefits, etc.)</b></span></div>
<div><span>10 - One dissenter, Patrick based on the
lack of an option to contribute without
financial payment. A valuable sentiment, and
brings up that one topic from the last meeting
included strategies for allowing folks without
funds to contribute and participate in the
space. This is on our radar as we move forward!
(2 abstain ' ' ' )</span></div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><span><b>Motion:</b></span><span> To create an
interim solution for storing our current
donations by (a) using WePay on the condition
that it acts just like a bank and won't charge
us any fees! (WePay is encouraging since its
used by Occupy for its flexibility.) If this
fails to qualify such conditions, then (b) the
alternative is to have Matt and Eddan sign a
Doing-Business-As and sign up at a local Credit
Union for a free account to store this money.
The caveat is that this can be changed easily,
we can always move money to some other bank, or
under different names or a corporation, but our
current situation is non-ideal.</span></div>
<div><span>10 - (One abstains ' ' ' ) The emphasis
behind this motion is to (1) deal with the fact
that we have donations from our fundraiser in
three locations and it would be good to
consolidate them (2) this makes things more
transparent for everyone and (3) it allows us to
easily start adding more income to the coffer at
the apporpirate times, and (4) spend money
easily when that is appropriate.</span></div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<br>
</div>
</div>
<div>
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</blockquote>
</div>
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</div>
<br>
<br clear="all">
<br>
-- <br>
Eddie A Tejeda<br>
<br>
<br>
<fieldset></fieldset>
<br>
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