AMENDED AND RESTATED
BYLAWS OF AMERICAN CONTRACT BRIDGE LEAGUE
OF SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, UNIT 550
A California Nonprofit Public Benefit Corporation
The name of this corporation is AMERICAN CONTRACT BRIDGE LEAGUE OF
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, UNIT 550.
ARTICLE
I
PRINCIPAL
OFFICE OF CORPORATION
1.1 Principal Office. The principal office for the transaction of
the activities and affairs of this corporation is located at 720-E Capitola Avenue,
Capitola, CA 95010, in Santa Cruz County, California. The board of directors
may change the location of the principal office. Any such change of location
must be noted by the secretary on these bylaws opposite this Section;
alternatively, this Section may be amended to state the new location.
1.2 Other
Office. The board may at any time
establish branch or subordinate offices at any place or places where this
corporation is qualified to conduct its activities.
ARTICLE
II
GENERAL
AND SPECIFIC PURPOSES; LIMITATIONS
2.1 Purpose. The
purpose of this corporation is to promote social and community welfare through
fostering amateur bridge competitions in Unit 550 of the American Contract
Bridge League, pursuant to Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(4) or the
corresponding provision of any future United States internal revenue law. In
the context of these general purposes, the corporation shall conduct regular
and social card games and tournaments in conjunction with the American Contract
Bridge League. Also in the context of these purposes, the corporation shall
preserve and promote the best interest of and stimulate interest in the art of
playing competitive duplicate contract bridge and any modifications thereof;
cooperate with and assist the American Contract Bridge League in promotion and
conduct of contract bridge tournaments; encourage the highest standards of
conduct and ethics by its members, and enforce such standards; promote the
development and organization of affiliated clubs within Unit 550; cooperate in
the American Contract Bridge League’s charity program, and sponsor and conduct
charity events with the object of realizing funds to be devoted to worthy
humanitarian causes; and conduct such other activities as may be in keeping
with the corporation’s principal objectives. Also in the context of these purposes,
the corporation shall not, except to an insubstantial degree, engage in any
activities or exercise any powers that do not further the purposes of this
corporation, and the corporation shall not carry on any other activities not
permitted to be carried on by (a) a corporation exempt from federal income tax
under Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(4) or the corresponding provision of
any future United States internal revenue law, or (b) a corporation,
contributions to which are deductible under Internal Revenue Code section
170(c)(2) or the corresponding provision of any future United States internal
revenue law.
2.2 Construction
and Definitions. Unless the context
requires otherwise, the general provisions, rules of construction, and
definitions in the California Nonprofit Corporation Law shall govern the
construction of these bylaws. Without limiting the generality of the preceding
sentence, the masculine gender includes the feminine and neuter, the singular
includes the plural, the plural includes the singular, and the term “person”
includes both a legal entity and a natural person.
ARTICLE
III
MEMBERSHIP
3.1 Voting
Rights. All members shall have the
right to vote, as set forth in these bylaws, on the election of directors, on
the disposition of all or substantially all of the corporation’s assets, on any
merger and its principal terms and any amendment of those terms, and on any election
to dissolve the corporation. In addition, those members shall have all rights
afforded members under the California Nonprofit Public Benefit Corporation Law.
3.2 Dues,
Fees and Assessment. Each member
must pay, within the time and on the conditions set by the board, the dues,
fees, and assessments in amounts to be fixed from time to time by the board.
3.3 Members
in Good Standing. Members who have
paid the required dues, fees, and assessments in accordance with these bylaws
and who are not suspended shall be members in good standing.
3.4 Termination. A membership shall terminate on occurrence of
any of the following events:
(a)
Resignation of the member;
(b)
Expiration of the period of membership, unless the membership is renewed on the
renewal terms fixed by the board;
(c) The
member’s failure to pay dues, fees, or assessments as set by the board within
thirty (30) days after they are due and payable;
(d) Any
event that renders the member ineligible for membership, or failure to satisfy
membership qualifications; or
(e) Termination
of membership based on the good faith determination by the board, or a
committee or person authorized by the board to make such a determination, that
the member has failed in a material and serious degree to observe the rules of
conduct of the corporation, or has engaged in conduct materially and seriously
prejudicial to the corporation’s purposes and interests.
3.5 Suspension.
A member may be suspended based on the good faith determination by the
board, or a committee or person authorized by the board to make such a
determination, that the member has failed in a material and serious degree to
observe the corporation’s rules of conduct, or has engaged in conduct
materially and seriously prejudicial to the corporation’s purposes and
interests.
A person whose membership is suspended shall not be a
member during the period of suspension.
3.6 Grounds. If grounds appear to exist for suspending or
terminating a member under Sections 3.4 or 3.5 of these bylaws, the following
procedure shall be followed:
(a) The
board shall give the member at least 15 days’ prior notice of the proposed
suspension or termination and the reasons for the proposed suspension or
termination. Notice shall be given by any method reasonably calculated to
provide actual notice. Notice given by mail shall be sent by first-class or
registered mail to the member’s last address as shown on the corporation’s
records.
(b) The
member shall be given an opportunity to be heard, either orally or in writing,
at least five days before the effective date of the proposed suspension or
termination. The hearing shall be held, or the written statement considered, by
the board
or by a committee or person authorized by the board to
determine whether the suspension or termination should occur.
(c) The
board, committee, or person shall decide whether the member should be suspended,
expelled, or sanctioned in any way. The decision of the board, committee, or
person shall be final.
(d) Any
action challenging an expulsion, suspension, or termination of membership,
including a claim alleging defective notice, must be commenced within one year
after the date of the expulsion, suspension, or termination.
3.7 Transfer of Membership. No membership or right arising from
membership shall be transferred. All membership rights cease on the member’s
death or dissolution.
ARTICLE
IV
MEETINGS
OF MEMBERS
4.1 Annual Meeting. An annual meeting of members shall be held on
the second Saturday of December of each year at 12:00 P.M., unless the board
fixes another date or time and so notifies members as provided in Sections 4.6,
4.7, and 4.8 of these bylaws. If the scheduled date falls on a legal holiday,
the meeting shall be held on the next full business day. At the meeting,
directors shall be elected and other proper business may be transacted, subject
to Sections 4.6 and 4.7 of these bylaws.
4.2 Place of Meeting. Meetings of the members shall be held at any
place within or outside California designated by the board or by the written
consent of all members entitled to vote at the meeting, given before or after
the meeting. In the absence of any such designation, members’ meetings shall be
held at the corporation’s principal office.
4.3 Special
Meetings. The board or the chairman
of the board, if any, or the president, or 5 percent or more of the members,
may call a special meeting of the members for any lawful purpose at any time.
4.4 Calling
Special Meetings. A special meeting
called by any person entitled to call a meeting (other than the board) shall be
called by written request, specifying the general nature of the business
proposed to be transacted, and submitted to the chairman of the board, if any,
or the president or any vice president or the secretary of the corporation. The
officer receiving the request shall cause notice to be given promptly to the
members entitled to vote, under Section 5.1 of these bylaws, stating that a
meeting will be held at a
specified time and date fixed by the board, provided,
however, that the meeting date shall be at least 35 but no more than 90 days
after receipt of the request. If the notice is not given within 20 days after
the request is received, the person or persons requesting the meeting may give
the notice. Nothing in this Section shall be construed as limiting, fixing, or
affecting the time at which a meeting of members may be held when the meeting
is called by the board.
4.5 Proper
Business of Special Meetings. No
business, other than the business that was set forth in the notice of the
meeting, may be transacted at a special meeting.
4.6 General
Notice Requirements. Whenever
members are required or permitted to take any action at a meeting, a written
notice of the meeting shall be given, under Sections 4.7 and 4.8 of these
bylaws, to each member entitled to vote at that meeting. The notice shall
specify the place, date, and hour of the meeting. For the annual meeting, the
notice shall state the matters that the board, at the time notice is given,
intends to present for action by the members. For a special meeting, the notice
shall state the general nature of the business to be transacted and shall state
that no other business may be transacted. The notice of any meeting at which
directors are to be elected shall include the names of all persons who are
nominees when notice is given.
4.7 Notice
of Certain Agenda Items. Approval by
the members of any of the following proposals, other than by unanimous approval
by those entitled to vote, is valid only if the notice or written waiver of
notice states the general nature of the proposal or proposals:
(a) Removing
a director without cause;
(b) Filling
vacancies on the board;
(c) Amending
the articles of incorporation; or
(d) Electing
to wind up and dissolve the corporation.
4.8 Manner
of Notice. Notice of any meeting of
members shall be in writing and shall be given at least 10 but no more than 90
days before the meeting date. The notice shall be given either personally or by
first-class, registered, or certified mail, or by other means of written
communication, charges prepaid, and shall be addressed to each member entitled
to vote, at the address of that member as it appears on the books of the
corporation or at the address given by the member to the corporation for
purposes of notice. If no address appears on the corporation’s books and no
address has been so given, notice shall be deemed to have been given if either
(i) notice is sent to that member by first-class mail or facsimile or other
written communication to the corporation’s principal office or (ii) notice is
published at least once in a newspaper of general circulation in the county in
which the principal office is located.
An affidavit of the mailing of any notice of any members’ meeting, or of the giving of such notice by other means, may be executed by the secretary, assistant secretary, or any transfer agent of the corporation, and if so executed, shall be filed and maintained in the corporation’s minute book.
4.9 Quorum. Ten
percent (10%) of the members eligible to vote shall constitute a quorum for the
transaction of business at any meeting of members.
The members present at a duly called or held meeting at which a
quorum is present may continue to transact business until adjournment, even if
enough members have withdrawn to leave less than a quorum, if any action taken
(other than adjournment) is approved by at least a majority of the members required
to constitute a quorum.
4.10 Adjournment and Notice of Adjourned Meetings. Any members’ meeting, whether or not a
quorum is present, may be adjourned from time to time by the vote of the
majority of the members represented at the meeting, either in person or by
proxy. No meeting may be adjourned for more than 45 days. When a members’
meeting is adjourned to another time or place, notice need not be given of the
adjourned meeting if the time and place to which the meeting is adjourned are
announced at the meeting at which adjournment is taken. If after adjournment a
new record date is fixed for notice or voting, a notice of the adjourned
meeting shall be given to each member who, on the record date for notice of the
meeting, is entitled to vote at the meeting. At the adjourned meeting, the
corporation may transact any business that might have been transacted at the
original meeting.
ARTICLE
V
VOTING
5.1 Eligibility to Vote.
Subject to the California Nonprofit Public Benefit Corporation Law, members in
good standing on the record date as determined under Sections 3.3 and 5.12 or
5.13 of these bylaws shall be entitled to vote at any meeting of members.
5.2 Manner of Voting.
Voting may be by voice or by ballot, except that any election of
directors must be by ballot if demanded before the voting begins by any member
at the meeting.
5.3 Number of Votes. Each member entitled to vote may cast one
vote on each matter submitted to a vote of the members.
5.4 Approval by Majority
Vote. If a quorum is present, the
affirmative vote of a majority of the voting power represented at the meeting,
entitled to vote and voting on any matter, shall be deemed the act of the
members unless the vote of a greater number, or voting by classes, is required
by the California Nonprofit Public Benefit Corporation Law or by the articles
of incorporation.
5.5 Waiver of Notice or
Consent. The transactions of any
meeting of members, however called or noticed and wherever held, shall be as
valid as though taken at a meeting duly held after standard call and notice, if
(a) a quorum is present either in person or by proxy, and (b) either before or
after the meeting, each member entitled to vote, not present in person or by
proxy, signs a written waiver of notice, a consent to the holding of the
meeting, or an approval of the minutes of the meeting. The waiver of notice,
consent, or approval need not specify either the business to be transacted or
the purpose of the meeting except that, if action is taken or proposed to be
taken for approval of any matter specified in Section 4.7 of these bylaws, the
waiver of notice, consent, or approval shall state the general nature of the
proposal. All such waivers, consents, or approvals shall be filed with the
corporate records or made a part of the minutes of the meeting.
A member’s attendance at a meeting shall also constitute a waiver
of notice of and presence at that meeting unless the member objects at the
beginning of the meeting to the transaction of any business because the meeting
was not lawfully called or convened. Also, attendance at a meeting is not a
waiver of any right to object to the consideration of matters required to be
included in the notice of the meeting but not so included, if that objection is
expressly made at the meeting.
5.6 Action by Written
Consent. Any action required or
permitted to be taken by the members may be taken without a meeting, if all
members consent in writing to the action. The written consent or consents shall
be filed with the minutes of the meeting. The action by written consent shall
have the same force and effect as a unanimous vote of the members.
5.7 Action by Written
Ballot. Any action that members may
take at any meeting of members may also be taken without a meeting by complying
with Sections 5.8, 5.9, 5.10, 5.11, and 5.12 or 5.13 of these bylaws.
5.8 Solicitation of
Written Ballots. This corporation
shall distribute one written ballot to each member entitled to vote on the
matter. The ballots shall be mailed or delivered in the manner required by
Section 4.8 of these bylaws. All solicitations of votes by written ballot shall
(a) state the number of responses needed to meet the quorum requirement; (b)
state, with respect to ballots other than for election of directors, the
percentage of approvals necessary to pass the measure or measures; and (c)
specify the time by which the ballot must be received in order to be counted.
Each ballot so distributed shall (a) set forth the proposed action; (b) give
the members an opportunity to specify approval or disapproval of each proposal;
and (c) provide a reasonable time in which to return the ballot to the
corporation. If the corporation has 100 or more members, any written ballot
distributed to ten or more members shall provide that,
subject to reasonable specified conditions, if the person solicited
specifies a choice in any such matter, the vote shall be cast according to that
specification.
In any election of directors, a written ballot that a member marks
“withhold,” or otherwise marks in a manner indicating that authority to vote is
withheld, shall not be voted either for or against the election of a director.
5.9 Number of Votes and
Approvals Required. Approval by
written ballot shall be valid only when (i) the number of votes cast by ballot
(including ballots that are marked “withhold” or otherwise indicate that
authority to vote is withheld) within the time specified equals or exceeds the
quorum required to be present at a meeting authorizing the action, and (ii) the
number of approvals equals or exceeds the number of votes that would be
required for approval at a meeting at which the total number of votes cast was
the same as the number of votes cast by written ballot without a meeting.
5.10 Revoking Ballots. A written ballot may not be revoked.
5.11 Filing Ballots. All written ballots shall be filed with the
secretary of the corporation and maintained in the corporate records for at
least two (2) years.
5.12 Record Date. For purposes of establishing the members
entitled to receive notice of any meeting, entitled to vote at any meeting,
entitled to vote by written ballot, or entitled to exercise any rights in any
lawful action, the board of directors may, in advance, fix a record date. The
record date so fixed for:
(a) Sending notice of a meeting shall be no
more than 90 nor less than 10 days before the date of the meeting;
(b) Voting at a meeting
shall be no more than 60 days before the date of the meeting;
(c) Voting by written ballot shall be no
more than 60 days before the day on which the first written ballot is mailed or
solicited; and
(d) Taking any other action shall be no more
than 60 days before that action.
5.13 Record Date for
Actions Not Set by the Board. If
not otherwise fixed by the board, the record date for determining members
entitled to receive notice of a meeting of members shall be the next business
day preceding the day on which notice is given or, if notice is waived, the
next business day preceding the day on which the meeting is held. If not
otherwise fixed by the board, the record date for determining members entitled
to vote at the meeting shall be the day on which the meeting is held.
If not otherwise fixed by the board, the record date for
determining members entitled to vote by written ballot shall be the day on
which the first written ballot is mailed or solicited.
If not otherwise fixed by the board, the record date for
determining members entitled to exercise any rights with respect to any other
lawful action shall be the date on which the board adopts the resolution
relating to that action, or the 60th day before the date of that action, whichever
is later.
For purposes of Sections 5.12 and 5.13 of these bylaws, a person
holding a membership at the close of business on the record date shall be a
member of record.
ARTICLE
VI
PROXIES
6.1 Members Proxy Rights. Each member entitled to vote shall have the
right to do so either in person or by one or more agents authorized by a
written proxy, signed by the person and filed with the secretary of the
corporation. A proxy shall be deemed signed if the member’s name is placed on
the proxy by the member or the member’s attorney-in-fact, whether by manual
signature, typewriting, facsimile transmission, or otherwise.
6.2 Solicited Proxies. If the corporation has 100 or more members,
any form of proxy distributed to 10 or more members shall give the member an
opportunity to specify a choice between approval and disapproval of each matter
or group of related matters and, subject to reasonable specified conditions,
shall provide that, when the person solicited specifies a choice in any such
matter, the vote shall be cast according to that specification. In an election
of directors, any form of proxy that a member marks “withhold,” or otherwise
marks in a manner indicating that authority to vote for the election of directors
is withheld, shall not be voted either for or against the election of a
director.
6.3 Subject Matter of
Proxy to be Stated. Any proxy covering matters for which a vote of the
members is required shall not be valid unless the proxy sets forth the general
nature of the matter to be voted on or, in an election of directors, the proxy
lists the persons who have been nominated at the time the notice of the vote is
given to the members. Such matters include amendments of the articles of
incorporation or bylaws changing proxy rights; certain other amendments of the
articles of incorporation; removal of directors without cause; filling
vacancies on the board of directors; the sale, lease, exchange, conveyance,
transfer, or other disposition of all or substantially all corporate assets,
unless the transaction is in the usual and regular course of the corporation’s
activities; the principal terms of a merger or the amendment of a merger
agreement; or the election to dissolve the corporation.
6.4 Revocability of Proxies. No proxy shall be valid after the expiration
of 11 months from the date of the proxy, unless provided otherwise in the
proxy, except that the maximum term of a proxy shall be three years after the
date of execution. A validly executed proxy shall continue in full force and
effect until either:
(a) It is revoked by the
member executing it, before the vote is cast under that proxy (i) by a writing
delivered to the corporation stating that the proxy is revoked, or (ii) by a
subsequent proxy executed by that member and presented to the meeting, or (iii)
as to any meeting, by that member’s personal attendance and voting at the
meeting; or
(b) Written notice of
the death or incapacity of the maker of the proxy is received by the
corporation before the vote under that proxy is counted. A proxy may not be
irrevocable.
ARTICLE
VII
BOARD
OF DIRECTORS
7.1 General Powers. Subject to the provisions and limitations of
the California Nonprofit Public Benefit Corporation Law and any other
applicable laws, and subject to any limitations of the articles of
incorporation or bylaws regarding actions that require approval of the members,
the corporation’s activities and affairs shall be managed, and all corporate
powers shall be exercised, by or under the direction of the board.
7.2 Specific Powers. Without prejudice to the general powers set
forth in Section 7.1 of these bylaws, but subject to the same limitations, the
board shall have the power to:
(a) Appoint and remove,
at the pleasure of the board, all corporate officers, agents, and employees;
prescribe powers and duties for them as are consistent with the law, the
articles of incorporation, and these bylaws; fix their compensation; and
require from them security for faithful service.
(b) Change the
principal office or the principal business office in California from one
location to another; cause the corporation to be qualified to conduct its
activities in any other state, territory, dependency, or country; conduct its
activities in or outside California; and designate a place in or outside
California for holding any meeting of members.
(c) Borrow money and
incur indebtedness on the corporation’s behalf and cause to be executed and
delivered for the corporation’s purposes, in the corporate name, promissory
notes, bonds, debentures, deeds of trust, mortgages, pledges, hypothecations,
and other evidences of debt and securities.
(d) Amend these bylaws
and adopt new bylaws from time to time, to the full extent permissible under
the California Nonprofit Public Benefit Corporation Law.
7.3 Number of and
Qualifications for Directors; Term of Office.
(a) The board of
directors shall consist of at least five (5) but no more than eleven (11)
directors unless changed by amendment to these bylaws. The exact number of
directors shall be fixed, within those limits, by a resolution adopted by the
board of directors from time to time. The qualifications for directors are
membership in good standing with the corporation.
(b) Each director shall
be elected for a two (2) year term. For
the year 2004 only, the Nominating Committee shall present two separate slates
of nominees, one slate of nominees for four (4) directorships designated for
two (2) year terms, and the other slate of nominees for five (5) directorships
designated for one (1) year terms.
7.4 Restriction on
Interested Persons as Directors.
None of the persons serving on the board may be “interested persons.” An
interested person is (a) any person who has received material compensation,
defined as more than Three Hundred Dollars ($300,00), from the corporation for
services rendered to it within the previous 12 months, whether as a full-time
or part-time employee, independent contractor, or otherwise, excluding any
reasonable compensation paid to a director as director; and (b) any brother,
sister, ancestor, descendant, spouse, brother-in-law, sister-in-law,
son-in-law, daughter-in-law, mother-in-law, or father-in-law of such person.
However, any violation of this paragraph shall not affect the validity or
enforceability of transactions entered into by the corporation.
7.5 Nominations by
Committee. The chairman of the board
or, if none, the president shall appoint a committee to nominate qualified candidates
for election to the board at least 120 days before the date of any election of
directors. The nominating committee shall make its report at least 90 days
before the date of the election, or at such other time as the board may set,
and the secretary shall forward to each member, with the notice of meeting
required by these bylaws, a list of all candidates nominated by committee.
7.6 Nominee’s Right to
Solicit Votes. The board shall
formulate procedures that allow a reasonable opportunity for a nominee to
communicate to members the nominee’s qualifications and the reasons for the
nominee’s candidacy, a reasonable opportunity for the nominee to solicit votes,
and a reasonable opportunity for all members to choose among the nominees.
7.7 Use of Corporate
Funds to Support Nominee. If more
people have been nominated for director than can be elected, no corporate funds
may be expended to support a nominee without the board’s authorization.
7.8 Events Causing
Vacancies on Board. A vacancy or
vacancies on the board of directors shall occur in the event of (a) the death
or resignation of any director; (b) the declaration by resolution of the board
of a vacancy in the office of a director who has been convicted of a felony,
declared of unsound mind by a court order, or found by final order or judgment
of any court to have breached a duty under California Nonprofit Public Benefit
Corporation Law, Chapter 2, Article 3; (c) the vote of the members or, if the
corporation has fewer than 50 members, the vote of a majority of all members,
to remove the director(s); (d) the increase of the authorized number of
directors; or (e) the failure of the members, at any meeting of members at which
any director or directors are to be elected, to elect the number of directors
required to be elected at such meeting.
7.9 Resignation of
Directors. Except as provided below,
any director may resign by giving written notice to the chairman of the board,
if any, or to the president or the secretary of the board. The resignation
shall be effective when the notice is given unless it specifies a later time
for the resignation to become effective. If a director’s resignation is
effective at a later time, the board may elect a successor to take office as of
the date when the resignation becomes effective.
Except on notice to the California Attorney General, no director
may resign if the corporation would be left without a duly elected director or
directors.
7.10 Vacancies Filled by
Board. Except for a vacancy created
by the removal of a director by the members, vacancies on the board may be
filled by approval of the board or, if the number of directors then in office
is less than a quorum, by (1) the unanimous written consent of the directors
then in office, (2) the affirmative vote of a majority of the directors then in
office at a meeting held according to notice or waivers of notice complying
with Corporations Code section 5211, or (3) a sole remaining director.
7.11 Vacancies Filled by
Members. The members may elect a
director or directors at any time to fill any vacancy or vacancies not filled
by the directors.
7.12 No Vacancy on
Reduction of Number of Directors.
Any reduction of the authorized number of directors shall not result in
any director’s being removed before his or her term of office expires.
ARTICLE VIII
MEETINGS
OF BOARD OF DIRECTORS
8.1 Meetings; Location. Meetings of the board shall be held at any
place within or outside California that has been designated by resolution of
the board or in the notice of the meeting or, if not so designated, at the
principal office of the corporation.
8.2 Meetings by Telephone
or Other Telecommunications Equipment.
Any board meeting may be held by conference telephone, video screen
communication, or other communications equipment. Participation in a meeting
under this Section shall constitute presence in person at the meeting if all of
the following apply:
(a) Each member
participating in the meeting can communicate concurrently with all other
members.
(b) Each member is
provided the means of participating in all matters before the board, including
the capacity to propose, or to interpose an objection to, a specific action to
be taken by the corporation.
(c) The board has
adopted and implemented a means of verifying both of the following:
(1) A person
participating in the meeting is a director or other person entitled to
participate in the board meeting.
(2) All actions of or
votes by the board are taken or cast only by the directors and not by persons
who are not directors.
8.3 Annual and Other
Meetings. Immediately after each
annual meeting of members, the board shall hold a general meeting for purposes
of organization, election of officers, and transaction of other business.
Notice of this meeting is not required.
Other general meetings of the board may be held without notice at
such time and place as the board may fix from time to time.
8.4 Authority to Call
Special Meetings. Meetings of the
board for any purpose may be called at any time by the chairman of the board,
if any, the president or any vice president, the secretary, or any two
directors.
8.5 Notice of Special
Meetings. Notice the time and place
of special meetings shall be given to each director by (a) personal delivery of
written notice; (b) first-class mail, postage prepaid; (c) telephone, including
a voice messaging system or other system or technology designed to record and
communicate messages, either directly to the director or to a person at the
director’s office who would reasonably be expected to communicate that notice
promptly to the director; (d) facsimile; (e) electronic mail; or (f) other
electronic means. All such notices shall be given or sent to the director’s
address or telephone number as shown on the corporation’s records.
Notices sent by first-class mail shall be deposited in the United
States mails at least four (4) days before the time set for the meeting.
Notices given by personal delivery, telephone, or electronic mail shall be
delivered, telephoned, or sent, respectively, at least forty-eight (48) hours
before the time set for the meeting.
The notice shall state the time of the meeting and the place, if
the place is other than the corporation’s principal office. The notice need not
specify the purpose of the meeting.
8.6 Quorum. A majority of the authorized number of
directors shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of any business except
adjournment. Every action taken or decision made by a majority of the directors
present at a duly held meeting at which a quorum is present shall be an act of
the board, subject to the more stringent provisions of the California Nonprofit
Public Benefit Corporation Law, including, without limitation, those provisions
relating to (a) approval of contracts or transactions in which a director has a
direct or indirect material financial interest, (b) approval of certain
transactions between corporations having common directorships, (c) creation of
and appointments to committees of the board, and (d) indemnification of
directors. A meeting at which a quorum is initially present may continue to
transact business, despite the withdrawal of some directors, if any action
taken or decision made is approved by at least a majority of the required
quorum for that meeting.
8.7 Waiver of Notice. Notice of a meeting need not be given to any
director who, either before or after the meeting, signs a waiver of notice, a
written consent to the holding of the meeting, or an approval of the minutes of
the meeting. The waiver of notice or consent need not specify the purpose of
the meeting. All such waivers, consents, and approvals shall be filed with the
corporate records or made a part of the minutes of the meetings. Notice of a
meeting need not be given to any director who attends the meeting and who,
before or at the beginning of the meeting, does not protest the lack of notice
to him or her.
8.8 Adjournment. A majority of the directors present, whether
or not a quorum is present, may adjourn any meeting to another time and place.
8.9 Notice of Adjourned
Meeting. Notice of the time and
place of holding an adjourned meeting need not be given unless the original
meeting is adjourned for more than 24 hours. If the original meeting is
adjourned for more than 24 hours, notice of any adjournment to another time and
place shall be given, before the time of the adjourned meeting, to the
directors who were not present at the time of the adjournment.
8.10 Action without a
Meeting. Any action that the board
is required or permitted to take may be taken without a meeting if all board
members consent in writing to the action; provided, however, that the consent
of any director who has a material financial interest in a transaction to which
the corporation is a party and who is an “interested director” as defined in
Corporations Code section 5233 shall not be required for approval of that
transaction. Such action by written consent shall have the same force and
effect as any other validly approved
action of the board. All such consents shall be filed with the
minutes of the proceedings of the board.
8.11 Compensation and Reimbursement. Directors and members of committees of the
board may receive such compensation, if any, for their services as directors or
officers, and such reimbursement of expenses, as the board may establish by
resolution to be just and reasonable as to the corporation at the time that the
resolution is adopted.
ARTICLE
IX
COMMITTEES
OF BOARD OF DIRECTORS
9.1 Creation and Powers
of Committees. The board, by
resolution adopted by a majority of the directors then in office, may create
one or more committees, each consisting of two or more directors and no one who
is not a director, to serve at the pleasure of the board. Appointments to
committees of the board shall be by majority vote of the directors then in
office. The board may appoint one or more directors as alternate members of any
such committee, who may replace any absent member at any meeting. Any such
committee shall have all the authority of the board, to the extent provided in
the board resolution, except that no committee may:
(a) Take any final
action on any matter that, under the California Nonprofit Public Benefit
Corporation Law, also requires approval of the members or approval of a
majority of all members;
(b) Fill vacancies on
the board or any committee of the board;
(c) Fix compensation of
the directors for serving on the board or on any committee;
(d) Amend or repeal
bylaws or adopt new bylaws;
(e) Amend or repeal any
resolution of the board that by its express terms is not so amendable or
repealable;
(f) Create any other
committees of the board or appoint the members of committees of the board;
(g) Expend corporate
funds to support a nominee for director if more people have been nominated for
director than can be elected; or
(h) Approve any
contract or transaction to which the corporation is a party and in which one or
more of its directors has a material financial interest, except as special
approval is provided for in Corporations Code section 5233(d)(3).
9.2 Meetings and
Action of Committee. Meetings and
actions of committees of the board shall be governed by, held, and taken under
the provisions of these bylaws concerning meetings and other board actions,
except that the time for general meetings of such committees and the calling of
special meetings of such committees may be set either by board resolution or,
if none, by resolution of the committee. Minutes of each meeting shall be kept
and shall be filed with the corporate records. The board may adopt rules for
the governance of any committee as long as the rules are consistent with these
bylaws. If the board has not adopted rules, the committee may do so.
9.3 Advisory
Committees. The board, by resolution
adopted by a majority of the directors then in office, may create one or more
Advisory Committees, consisting of a director and members who are not
directors, to serve at the pleasure of the board. Appointments to advisory committees of the
board shall be by the President and ratified by a majority vote of the
directors then in office. Any such
committee shall be limited to the authority provided to it by resolution of the
board and shall be limited to making recommendations to the board or carrying
out specific actions directed by the board.
ARTICLE
X
OFFICERS
OF THE CORPORATION
10.1 Offices Held. The officers of this corporation shall be a
president, a secretary, and a chief financial officer. The corporation, at the
board’s discretion, may also have a chairman of the board, one or more vice
presidents, one or more assistant secretaries, one or more assistant
treasurers, and such other officers as may be appointed under Section 10.3 of
these bylaws.
10.2 Election of
Officers. The officers of this
corporation, except any appointed under Section 10.3 of these bylaws, shall be
chosen annually by the board and shall serve at the pleasure of the board,
subject to the rights of any officer under any employment contract.
10.3 Appointment of Other
Officers. The board may appoint and
authorize the chairman of the board, the president, or another officer to
appoint any other officers that the corporation may require. Each appointed
officer shall have the title and authority, hold office for the period, and
perform the duties specified in the bylaws or established by the board.
10.4 Removal of Officers. Without prejudice to the rights of any
officer under an employment contract, the board may remove any officer with or
without cause. An officer who was not chosen by the board may be removed by any
other officer on whom the board confers the power of removal.
10.5 Resignation of
Officers. Any officer may resign at
any time by giving written notice to the board. The resignation shall take
effect on the date the notice is received or at any later time specified in the
notice. Unless otherwise specified in the notice, the resignation need not be
accepted to be effective. Any resignation shall be without prejudice to any
rights of the corporation under any contract to which the officer is a party.
10.6 Vacancies in Office. A vacancy in any office because of death,
resignation, removal, disqualification, or any other cause shall be filled in
the manner prescribed in these bylaws for normal appointments to that office,
provided, however, that vacancies need not be filled on an annual basis.
10.7 Chairman of the Board. If a chairman of the board of directors is
elected, he or she shall preside at board meetings and shall exercise and
perform such other powers and duties as the board may assign from time to time.
If there is no president, the chairman of the board shall also be the chief
executive officer and shall have the powers and duties of the president of the
corporation set forth in these bylaws.
10.8 President. Subject to such supervisory powers as the
board may give to the chairman of the board, if any, and subject to the control
of the board, the president shall be the general manager of the corporation and
shall supervise, direct, and control the corporation’s activities, affairs, and
officers. The president shall preside at all members’ meetings and, in the
absence of the chairman of the board, or if none, at all board meetings. The
president shall have such other powers and duties as the board or the bylaws
may require.
10.9 Vice President. If the president is absent or disabled, the
vice presidents, if any, in order of their rank as fixed by the board, or, if
not ranked, a vice president designated by the board, shall perform all duties
of the president. When so acting, a vice president shall have all powers of and
be subject to all restrictions on the president. The vice presidents shall have
such other powers and perform such other duties as the board or the bylaws may
require.
10.10 Secretary. The secretary shall keep or cause to be kept,
at the corporation’s principal office or such other place as the board may
direct, a book of minutes of all meetings, proceedings, and actions of the
board, of committees of the board, and of members’ meetings. The minutes of
meetings shall include the time and place that the meeting was held; whether
the meeting was annual, general, or special, and, if special, how authorized;
the notice given; the names of persons present at board and committee meetings;
and the number of members present or represented at members’ meetings.
The secretary shall keep or cause to be kept, at the principal
California office, a copy of the articles of incorporation and bylaws, as
amended to date.
The secretary shall keep or cause to be kept, at the corporation’s
principal office or at a place determined by resolution of the board, a record
of the corporation’s members, showing each member’s name, address, and class of
membership.
The secretary shall give, or cause to be given, notice of all
meetings of members, of the board, and of committees of the board that these
bylaws require to be given. The secretary shall keep the corporate seal, if
any, in safe custody and shall have such other powers and perform such other
duties as the board or the bylaws may require.
10.11 Chief Financial Officer. The chief financial officer shall keep and
maintain, or cause to be kept and maintained, adequate and correct books and
accounts of the corporation’s properties and transactions. The chief financial
officer shall send or cause to be given to the members and directors such
financial statements and reports as are required to be given by
law, by these bylaws, or by the board. The books of account shall
be open to inspection by any director at all reasonable times.
The chief financial officer shall (i) deposit, or cause to be
deposited, all money and other valuables in the name and to the credit of the
corporation with such depositories as the board may designate; (ii) disburse
the corporation’s funds as the board may order; (iii) render to the president,
chairman of the board, if any, and the board, when requested, an account of all
transactions as chief financial officer and of the financial condition of the
corporation; and (iv) have such other powers and perform such other duties as
the board or the bylaws may require.
If required by the board, the chief financial officer shall give
the corporation a bond in the amount and with the surety or sureties specified
by the board for faithful performance of the duties of the office and for
restoration to the corporation of all of its books, papers, vouchers, money,
and other property of every kind in the possession or under the control of the
chief financial officer on his or her death, resignation, retirement, or
removal from office.
10.12 Contracts with
Directors and Officers. No director
of this corporation nor any other corporation, firm, association, or other
entity in which one or more of this corporation’s directors have a material
financial interest, shall be interested, directly or indirectly, in any
contract or transaction, unless (a) the material facts regarding that
director’s financial interest in such contract or transaction or regarding such
common directorship, officership, or financial interest are fully disclosed in
good faith and noted in the minutes, or are known to all members of the board
prior to the board’s consideration of such contract or transaction; (b) such
contract or transaction is authorized in good faith by a majority of the board
by a vote sufficient for that purpose without counting the votes of the
interested directors; (c) before authorizing or approving the transaction, the
board considers and in good faith decides after reasonable investigation that
the corporation could not obtain a more advantageous arrangement with
reasonable effort under the circumstances; and (d) the corporation for its own
benefit enters into the transaction, which is fair and reasonable to the
corporation at the time the transaction is entered into.
This Section does not apply to a transaction that is part of an
educational or charitable program of this corporation if it (a) is approved or
authorized by the corporation in good faith and without unjustified favoritism
and (b) results in a benefit to one or more directors or their families because
they are in the class of persons intended to be benefitted by the educational
or charitable program of this corporation.
10.13 Loans to Directors
and Officers. This corporation shall
not lend any money or property to or guarantee the obligation of any director
or officer without the approval of the California Attorney General; provided,
however, that the corporation may advance money to a director or officer of the
corporation for expenses reasonably anticipated to be incurred in the
performance of his or her duties if that director or officer would be entitled
to reimbursement for such expenses by the corporation.
ARTICLE
XII
INDEMNIFICATION
11.1 Permissive
Indemnification. To the fullest
extent permitted by law, this corporation shall indemnify its directors,
officers, employees, and other persons described in Corporations Code section
5238(a), including persons formerly occupying any such positions, against all
expenses, judgments, fines, settlements, and other amounts actually and
reasonably incurred by them in connection with any “proceeding,” as that term
is used in that section, and including an action by or in the right of the
corporation, by reason of the fact that the person is or was a person described
in that section. “Expenses,” as used in this bylaw, shall have the same meaning
as in that section of the Corporations Code.
On written request to the board by any person seeking
indemnification under Corporations Code section 5238(b) or section 5238(c), the
board shall promptly decide under Corporations Code section 5238(e) whether the
applicable standard of conduct set forth in Corporations Code section 5238(b)
or section 5238(c) has been met and, if so, the board shall authorize
indemnification. If the board cannot authorize indemnification, because the
number of directors who are parties to the proceeding with respect to which
indemnification is sought prevents the formation of a quorum of directors who
are not parties to that proceeding, the board shall promptly call a meeting of
members. At that meeting, the members shall determine under Corporations Code
section 5238(e) whether the applicable standard of conduct has been met and, if
so, the members present at the meeting in person or by proxy shall authorize
indemnification.
To the fullest extent permitted by law and except as otherwise
determined by the board in a specific instance, expenses incurred by a person
seeking indemnification under Section 11.1 of these bylaws in defending any
proceeding covered by that Section shall be advanced by the corporation before
final disposition of the proceeding, on receipt by the corporation of an
undertaking by or on behalf of that person that the advance will be repaid unless
it is ultimately found that the person is entitled to be indemnified by the
corporation for those expenses.
11.2 Insurance. This corporation shall have the right, and
shall use its best efforts, to purchase and maintain insurance to the full
extent permitted by law on behalf of its officers, directors, employees, and
other agents, to cover any liability asserted against or incurred by any
officer, director, employee, or agent in such capacity or arising from the
officer’s, director’s, employee’s, or agent’s status as such.
ARTICLE
XII
REPORTS,
RECORDS AND INSPECTIONS
12.1 Maintenance of Corporate Records. This corporation
shall keep:
(a) Adequate and
correct books and records of account;
(b) Written minutes of
the proceedings of its members, board, and committees of the board; and
(c) A record of each
member’s name, address, and class of membership.
12.2 Members’ Right to Inspect. Unless the corporation provides a reasonable
alternative as provided below, any member may do either or both of the
following for a purpose reasonably related to the member’s interest as a
member:
(a) Inspect and copy
the records containing members’ names, addresses, and voting rights during
usual business hours on five days’ prior written demand on the corporation,
which must state the purpose for which the inspection rights are requested; or
(b) Obtain from the
secretary of the corporation, on written demand and tender of a reasonable
charge, a list of names, addresses, and voting rights of members who are
entitled to vote for directors as of the most recent record date for which that
list has been compiled, or as of the date, after the date of demand, specified
by the member. The demand shall state the purpose for which the list is
requested. The secretary shall make this list available to the member on or
before the later of ten days after the demand is received or the date specified
in the demand as the date as of which the list is to be compiled.
The corporation may, within ten business days after receiving a
demand under this Section, make a written offer of an alternative method of
reasonable and timely achievement of the proper purpose specified in the demand
without providing access to or a copy of the membership list. Any rejection of
this offer must be in writing and must state the reasons the proposed
alternative does not meet the proper purpose of the demand.
If the corporation reasonably believes that the information will be
used for a purpose other than one reasonably related to a person’s interest as
a member, or if it provides a reasonable alternative under this Section, it may
deny the member access to the membership list.
Any inspection and copying under this Section may be made in person
or by the member’s agent or attorney. The right of inspection includes the
right to copy and make extracts. This right of inspection extends to the
records of any subsidiary of the corporation.
12.3 Accounting Records
and Minutes. On written demand on
the corporation, any member may inspect, copy, and make extracts of the
accounting books and records and the minutes of the proceedings of the members,
the board of directors, and committees of the board at any reasonable time for
a purpose reasonably related to the member’s interest as a member. Any such
inspection and copying may be made in person or by the member’s agent or
attorney. This right of inspection extends to the records of any subsidiary of
the corporation.
12.4 Maintenance and
Inspection of Articles and Bylaws.
This corporation shall keep at its principal California office the
original or a copy of the articles of incorporation and bylaws, as amended to
the current date, which shall be open to inspection by the members at all
reasonable times during office hours. If the corporation has no business office
in California,
the secretary shall, on the written request of any member, furnish
to that member a copy of the articles of incorporation and bylaws, as amended
to the current date.
12.5 Directors’ Right to
Inspect. Every director shall have
the absolute right at any reasonable time to inspect the corporation’s books,
records, documents of every kind, physical properties, and the records of each
subsidiary. The inspection may be made in person or by the director’s agent or
attorney. The right of inspection includes the right to copy and make extracts
of documents.
12.6 Annual Report. The board shall cause an annual report to be
sent to the members and directors within 120 days after the end of the
corporation’s fiscal year. That report shall contain the following information,
in appropriate detail:
(a) The assets and
liabilities, including the trust funds, of the corporation as of the end of the
fiscal year;
(b) The principal
changes in assets and liabilities, including trust funds;
(c) The corporation’s
revenue or receipts, both unrestricted and restricted to particular purposes;
(d) The corporation’s
expenses or disbursements for both general and restricted purposes;
(e) Any information
required by Section 12.7 of these bylaws; and
(f) An independent
accountants’ report or, if none, the certificate of an authorized officer of
the corporation that such statements were prepared without audit from the
corporation’s books and records.
This requirement of an annual report shall not apply if the
corporation receives less than $25,000 in gross receipts during the fiscal
year, provided, however, that the information specified above for inclusion in
an annual report must be furnished annually to all directors and to any member
who requests it in writing.
12.7 Annual Statement of
Certain Transactions and Indemnifications.
As part of the annual report to all members, or as a separate document
if no annual report is issued, the corporation shall, within 120 days after the
end of the corporation’s fiscal year, annually prepare and mail or deliver to
each member and furnish to each director a statement of any transaction or
indemnification of the following kind:
(a) Any transaction (i) in which the corporation, or its parent or
subsidiary, was a party, (ii) in which an “interested person” had a direct or
indirect material financial interest, and (c) which involved more than $50,000
or was one of several transactions with the same interested person involving,
in the aggregate, more than $50,000. For this purpose, an “interested person”
is either:
(1) Any director or officer of the
corporation, its parent, or subsidiary (but mere common directorship shall not
be considered such an interest); or
(2) Any holder of more than 10 percent of
the voting power of the corporation, its parent, or its subsidiary. The
statement shall include a brief description of the transaction, the names of
interested persons involved, their relationship to the corporation, the nature
of their interest in the transaction and, if practicable, the amount of that
interest, provided that if the transaction was with a partnership in which the
interested person is a partner, only the interest of the partnership need be
stated.
(b) Any indemnifications or
advances aggregating more than $10,000 paid during the fiscal year to any
officer or director of the corporation under Sections 11.1 of these bylaws,
unless that indemnification has already been approved by the members under
Corporations Code section 5238(e)(2).
CERTIFICATE
OF SECRETARY
I certify that I am the duly elected and acting Secretary of
AMERICAN CONTRACT BRIDGE LEAGUE OF SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, UNIT 550, a California
nonprofit public benefit corporation; that these bylaws, consisting of
twenty-two (22) pages, are the bylaws of this corporation as adopted by the
board of directors on March 6, 2002, and as amended and restated on
________________, 2003; and that these bylaws have not been amended or modified
since that date.
Executed on ______________, 2003 at Capitola, California.
___________________________________
BETTY
NASH, Secretary
APPROVAL BY BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The foregoing
Amended and Restated Bylaws of AMERICAN CONTRACT BRIDGE LEAGUE OF SANTA CRUZ
COUNTY, UNIT 550, a California nonprofit public benefit corporation, as adopted
by the board of directors on March 6, 2002, and as amended and restated on
________________, 2003, are hereby approved:
________________________________ ____________________________________
Virginia Calhoun, Director Wayne
Boss, Director
________________________________ ____________________________________
Bill Lietzow, Director Susan
Bertken, Director
________________________________ ____________________________________
Shirley Passaro, Director Betty
Nash, Director
________________________________ ____________________________________
Ann Ottenberg, Director Carl
Plumer, Director
________________________________
Jack Haeger, Director
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