BYLAWS

LOS ANGELES COUNTY PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION

Amended November 1999, March 2002, July 2004, and November 2006

(Organized as the Southern California Psychological Association, 1945.  Incorporated 1962 as the Los Angeles County Psychological Association.)

ARTICLE I:  NAME

This organization shall be known as the "Los Angeles County Psychological Association" and shall be referred to hereafter in these Bylaws as "LACPA.”  The mission of LACPA is to be the voice of psychology and psychologists for all of Los Angeles County; to Lead, Advocate, Connect, Promote, and Advance.

ARTICLE II:  PURPOSES

Section 1:  The purposes of LACPA shall be to advance the science and profession of psychology in Los Angeles County and to encourage participation of psychologists in the application of psychological knowledge for the betterment of the community.  In addition, it shall provide opportunity for the exchange of ideas and information about members of the profession and promote the improvement of qualifications of psychologists through high standards of educational achievement, professional ethics and conduct, and the application of research findings.

Section 2:  LACPA shall have the power to take all legitimate action in furtherance of the foregoing purposes.

Section 3:  LACPA shall be empowered to acquire by gift, devise or otherwise, money and property of whatsoever kind and nature, to administer and use the same, or the income and proceeds thereof, in furtherance of the foregoing purposes.

Section 4:  The foregoing purposes and objectives shall be pursued solely for the benefit of the public and LACPA and shall not be carried out with pecuniary gain, benefit or profit to any of its members, officers or directors. LACPA shall not make nor declare any dividend and no part of its net earning shall benefit any private individual.

Section 5:  LACPA shall not engage in any activity which would bring it in conflict with the laws governing nonprofit membership organizations in the State of California.

ARTICLE III: CLASSES OF MEMBERSHIP

Section 1:  LACPA shall consist of seven (7) classes of participation: Fellow Member, Full Member, Associate Member, Affiliate Member, Student Member, Out-of-County Member, and Emeritus Member.

Section 2:  A Fellow Member is a member who has been awarded such status for outstanding contributions to LACPA and psychology as determined by the Board of Directors. This is an honorary, non-voting membership category.

Section 3:  A Full Member has a doctoral degree in psychology or its equivalent from an institution whose graduates are approved for licensure application by the Board of Psychology, or holds a license in psychology in California, or a Diploma from the American Board of Professional Psychologists. Full Members shall have the right to vote, to hold office, or to chair a standing committee.

Section 4:  An Associate Member holds a Master's Degree in the field of psychology or its equivalent as determined by Membership Committee guidelines. Associate Members shall have all privileges of membership except the right to vote, to hold office on the Board of Directors, or to chair a standing committee.

Section 5: An Affiliate Member is a professional in a field other than psychology who wishes to support the activities of LACPA. Affiliate Members shall have all privileges of membership except the right to vote, to hold office on the Board of Directors, or to chair a standing committee.

Section 6:  A Student Member is a graduate student in the field of psychology or its equivalent, as determined by Membership Committee guidelines. Student Members shall have all privileges of membership except the right to vote, to hold office on the Board of Directors, or to chair a standing committee. The exception to this shall be a representative of the LACPA Student Leadership Committee, who shall have the right to cast one vote on behalf of the student membership at meetings of the LACPA Board of Directors.

Section 7:  An Out-of-County Member lives and works out of Los Angeles County and desires membership in LACPA. Out-of-County Members shall have all privileges of membership except the right to vote, to hold office on the Board of Directors or to chair a standing committee.

Section 8A: An Emeritus Member has been a member of LACPA for at least fifteen (15) years in any membership category, the last year of membership having been as a Full Member. Said Emeritus Member has reached the ago of 70. Work status is not a condition for qualification. Said Emeritus Member shall have the right to vote, to hold office, to chair a standing committee, and to be listed in the Membership Director with office and/or home information. Any current (i.e., 2006-2007 membership year) Emeritus Member not meeting the new criteria shall be “grandfathered in” and recognized as an Emeritus Member.

Section 8B: A Disabled Member is fully disabled at any age and unable to work. Said Disabled Member shall have the right to vote, to hold office, to chair a standing committee and to be listed in the Membership Directory with home information only.

Section 9:  Applications for membership must be submitted in writing by all applicants to the Membership Committee. The names of new applicants approved by the Board shall be announced in the Los Angeles Psychologist. 

Section 10:  Application must be at the highest level for which the person is qualified, with the exception of full-time students working for a more advanced degree.

Section 11:  Members have the right to review records and to receive annual financial reports in accordance with the California Corporations Code, Section 8310.

Section 12:  Removal from membership shall be based on: (1) nonpayment of dues; (2) a decision by two-thirds (2/3) vote by the Board of Directors in Executive Session; (3) expulsion by the California Psychological Association (CPA) or the American Psychological Association (APA); or (4) revocation or suspension of license by the Board of Psychology.

ARTICLE IV:  BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Section 1: Membership in LACPA is required to be a voting member of the LACPA Board of Directors. A voting member of the LACPA Board of Directors either shall be a Full Member or Emeritus Member or a Student Member in good standing.  The LACPA Student Leadership Committee shall be empowered to cast one aggregate vote at meetings of the LACPA Board of Directors.

Section 2:  The business and affairs of LACPA shall be controlled by a Board of Directors functioning under LACPA Bylaws, in consonance with the Bylaws of CPA and the laws of the State of California.

Section 3:  The Board of Directors shall consist of the President; the President-Elect; the Immediate Past-President; the Secretary; the Secretary-Elect in even-numbered years; the Treasurer; and the Treasurer-Elect in odd-numbered years; up to three members of the Student Leadership Committee; and other members elected to the Board in annual elections.  Directors, except for the Student Representative, shall be elected in the manner and for terms as set forth below in Article VI.

Section 4:  The authorized number of Directors shall not be less than nine (9) nor more than thirty (30), with the exact number of Directors to be fixed within the limits specified, by approval of the Board.

Section 5:  Meetings (a) Regular Meetings:  Regular meetings of the Board of Directors shall be held at least six (6) times each year.  Such meetings shall be open to the membership. (b)  Agenda: The President shall recommend the meeting agenda.  The Board of Directors is required to place on its agenda any item or proposal petitioned by ten (10) or more members. (c) Each year, the President will appoint, with the approval of the Board, a past-president of the Association to serve as Parliamentarian for the Board of Directors.

Section 6: Vacancies occurring on the Board of Directors shall be filled by a majority vote of the Board members.  Officers or Directors selected shall serve only until the next annual election. Duties of the Directors shall be defined by the Board of Directors and shall include active committee participation and willingness to actively work on committee and Board projects including those projects initiated by the President with Board approval. Each Board member is expected to take an active leadership position within LACPA. Active participation is the primary criteria for being considered for reelection to the Board.

Section 7:  Resignation of Officer or Director because of absence from duty:  Any Officer or Director who shall have accumulated three (3) absences in a calendar year from meetings of the Board of Directors may be considered as having resigned from the Board of Directors, and the Board of Directors, at its discretion, may declare the position vacant

Section 8:  Quorum and Voting:  A quorum is at least 30 percent (30%) of the total Board of Directors.

Section 9:  Between meetings of the Board of Directors, an Executive Committee shall conduct the business of LACPA especially related to time-sensitive matters. In months when the Board of Directors does not meet, minutes of the Executive Committee will be sent via email to the members of the Board of Directors. The Executive Committee shall consist of the President, President-Elect, Past President, Secretary, Treasurer and Secretary-Elect or Treasurer-Elect. In the event that one officer holds two elected positions or is unable to carry out his/her duties as a member of the Executive Committee, the President, with the approval of the Board, may appoint a Board Member at Large who will serve as a voting member of the Executive Committee.

Section 10: It is expected that most Board business will be conducted in face-to-face meetings, and that the Executive Committee functions as the Board between Board meetings. It also is understood that some business will be conducted through electronic mail. Procedures for conducting business via electronic mail are outlined in the LACPA procedural manual and are in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order.

ARTICLE V:  OFFICERS

Section 1:  The Officers of LACPA shall consist of (a) President; (b) President-Elect; (c) Immediate Past-President; (d) Secretary; (e) Secretary-Elect in even-numbered years; (f) Treasurer; (g) Treasurer-Elect in odd-numbered years.

Section 2:  The President shall exercise leadership and general supervision over the affairs of LACPA. The President shall preside at all meetings of the Board of Directors and shall serve ex-officio on all standing and special committees except the Nominations and Elections Committee. The President shall assume other duties as specified in the Bylaws or as designated by the Board of Directors.

Section 3:  The President-Elect shall assume the duties of the President in the President's absence and shall have such additional duties as may be designated by the Board of Directors.

Section 4:  The Past-President shall serve as Chair of the Nominations and Elections Committee and shall have such additional duties as may be designated by the Board of Directors.

Section 5:  The Secretary shall keep minutes of all meetings of LACPA and of the Board of Directors, which shall be an accurate and official record of all transactions of LACPA. The Secretary shall be custodian of all LACPA records, except those of the Ethics Information and Education Committee. The Secretary shall assume additional duties as may be designated by the Board of Directors.

Section 6:  The Secretary-Elect shall assist the Secretary and shall assume additional duties as may be designated by the Board of Directors.

Section 7:  The Treasurer shall be the custodian of all LACPA funds and shall present regular reports to the Board of Directors. The Treasurer shall have signature power on all bank accounts in addition to other officers and/or the administrator as designated by the Board of Directors. The Treasurer shall present to the Board of Directors a quarterly financial report.  After audit or financial review and approval of the Board of Directors, the Treasurer shall present to the members annually a statement of the financial standing of LACPA, including income and expenditures during the past fiscal year. A summary of the statement shall be printed in the Los Angeles Psychologist once each year.

Section 8:  The Treasurer-Elect shall assist the Treasurer and shall assume additional duties as may be designated by the Board of Directors.

Section 9:  No individual may exercise more than one (1) vote.

ARTICLE VI:  ELECTION OF OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS

Section 1:  Annual Elections:  An annual election by mail ballot circulated to all members shall be held to fill expiring positions on the Board of Directors.

Section 2:  Term of Office:

                (a) The President shall have just completed the term as President-Elect and shall serve as President for one                       year.

                (b) The President-Elect shall be elected for a one-year term and shall automatically succeed to the                                                       Presidency upon the expiration of the term.

                (c) The Past-President shall be the most recently retired President and shall serve as Past-President for one                          year.

                (d) The Secretary shall have just completed the term as Secretary-Elect and shall serve as Secretary for two                                      years.

                (e) The Secretary-Elect shall be elected for a one year term beginning in even-numbered years and then shall                   automatically succeed to a two-year term as Secretary.

                (f) The Treasurer shall have just completed the term as Treasurer-Elect and shall serve as Treasurer for two                                      years.

                (g) The Treasurer-Elect shall be elected for a one-year term beginning in odd-numbered years and then shall                     automatically succeed to a two-year term as Treasurer.

                (h) Directors shall be elected for a one year term.  There will be term limits as follows: No Board member                          can serve more than 10 (ten) consecutive years. Current Board members who have already served 10                                 (ten) or more consecutive years (at the time of ratification of these amendments [July 2004]), may serve                        no more than 1 (one) or 2 (two) additional years before stepping down. During the years in which this                             policy takes effect, a specific method of implementation of this policy will be determined by the                            Nominations and Elections Committee with approval of the Board of Directors. Former Board members                         may seek nomination to the Board again after at least 1 (one) year absence from the Board.

                                                   ARTICLE VII: NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS PROCEDURES

Section 1:  In February of each year, the Past-President, as Chairperson of the Nominations and Elections Committee, shall establish a committee, including the President-Elect and at least 1 (one) other Board member, approved by the Board of Directors to serve on the Committee.

Section 2: By September of each calendar year, the membership shall be asked to submit names of candidates for offices to be filled. These suggestions must be received by Central Office no later than September 15. A candidate who is suggested by a minimum of ten (10) members shall be placed on the ballot. In addition to the names of candidates who qualify, the Nominations and Elections Committee may nominate candidates for each vacant office. The slate should represent to the greatest extent possible the varied interests of the membership.

Section 3: Ballots shall be mailed to members no later than November 1 of each year and returned to the Central Office by a date established by the Board of Directors, no later than December 1.

Section 4: Ballots shall be collected and signatures verified by Central Office. They shall be held unopened until they can be tabulated in the presence of the Chair of the Nominations and Elections Committee and least two members of the Board of Directors. Each office shall be filled by the candidate receiving the highest number of vote. The candidates for Director shall be ranked in order of the number of votes received. Vacancies shall be filled by those candidates receiving the highest number of votes. In the event of a tie, the Board of Directors is empowered to declare the winner by a simple majority vote.   

ARTICLE VIII: RECALL OF AN OFFICER OR MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Section 1: Any elected officer or director shall be recalled if found to be incompetent, malfeasant or derelict in duties.

Section 2: Recall shall be conducted in accordance with the California Corporations Code, Sections 7221-7223. Procedures include:

                (a) Upon majority opinion of the Board of Directors or upon receipt of a petition signed by at least ten percent (10%) of the membership in good standing seeking to recall an officer or director, the Presiding Officer shall appoint a fact-finding committee of not less than three (3) members of LACPA. The Fact-Finding Committee (FFC) shall be charged with conducting a thorough investigation of the allegations. The affected officer or director