II. Objectives
The objective of CCCA is to engage in activities that will contribute to
the well-being of the local Chinese-American
community. Specifically, CCCA was created to:
A. Organize and sponsor educational, cultural, and recreational activities, and
provide selected social services to its members.
B. Provide sustained instruction and training to its members and families in
order to enhance awareness and appreciation of
Chinese culture and language.
C. Promote and participate in cultural exchanges and civic activities
representing the local Chinese-American
community.
III. Policy
CCCA shall be a non-profit, non-political, non-sectarian, non-religious,
and non-discriminatory
organization. In carrying out
the above objectives, the CCCA
shall exclude no person from
service because of race, age,
sex, color, or creed, and shall
not permit any segregation of
those who serve because of any
such factors.
IV. Organization
CCCA is organized to carry out its objectives. It consists of members, the
Board of Directors, and an affiliate, the
Thousand Oaks Chinese School (TOCS).
A. Members Membership is based on each family as a unit. In all
elections with the exception of TOCS Principal
election, one vote is given per membership.
1. General members:
- a. Individuals who are 18 years of age or above and who pay an annual
membership fee.
- b. Parents of registered Thousand Oaks Chinese School (TOCS) students under 18
year of age, who pay the annual
membership fee in the year of
registration.
2. Lifetime members:
a. Lifetime membership is given to any general member who is 18 years of age
and/or above and who has paid a lifetime
membership fee.
B. Board of Directors
1. Duties of the Board are to:
- a. Oversee CCCA operation in accordance with the bylaws.
- b.
- Support the officers to carry out CCCA activities.
2. Qualifications:
- a.
- Directors are elected by voting members each year. Nominees must have served at
least one year as a voting
member. There are twenty one
(21) Directors on the Board,
including five reserved seats
for the last and current Chinese
School (TOCS) Principals, the
last and current Chairpersons of
the Parents Volunteer
Association, and the last
President of CCCA.
- b.
- Two Honorary Directors can be appointed by the Board of Directors each year
from the former Presidents of
CCCA and the former Principals
of TOCS.
- c.
- Additional Honorary Directors can be invited by the Board of Directors from
local (Conejo Valley) Chinese
associations or clubs.
- d.
- Honorary Directors who serve as advisors to CCCA are not eligible to vote as
elected Directors.
3. Terms:
- a.
- The elected Directors will serve a staggered three-year term and may be
re-elected after completion of
his / her term. Each year
approximately one third
(nominally 7 Directors) of the
Board will be up for
re-election.
- b.
- The Honorary Directors will serve a one year term and may be reappointed after
completion of his / her term.
4. Election Process:
- a.
- The names of nominees are submitted to the CCCA Secretary in March together
with a brief resume. All
nominees must give consent to
serve if elected.
- b.
- A CCCA certified ballot is mailed to voting members by the end of April.
- c.
- The ballots are returned from the voting members via mail in the second week of
May.
- d.
- Nominees with the highest number of votes (in descending order) will be elected
to the Board to fill the
required 21 seats. In case of
any vacancy, additional rounds
of voting will be conducted.
- e.
- Official notification of election results is announced in early June. The
official term starts on July 1st
and expires on June 30th the
following year.
5. Resignation and Removal:
- a.
- Directors may resign in writing at least thirty days prior to the effective
date.
- b.
- A Director may be removed by the Board if:
i. Petitioned by more than seven current Directors and then approved by 2/3
(14) majority of the current Directors.
ii. He or she is absent without advance notification for three regularly
scheduled Board meetings within a twelve month
period. The Directorship will be suspended
pending Board evaluation.
- Vacancy and Replacement: During each year, a maximum of two vacancies from the
Board will be
filled by
immediate
runner-ups from
the previous
election. If
more than two
vacancies
- appear within a year, additional seats must be filled by election in the
following year.
- Compensation: All members of the Board are volunteers. There will be no cash or
equivalent compensation for the
services rendered.
- Board Meetings: There are four regularly scheduled board meetings each year.
- June - July (new Board with newly-elected Directors). A new Treasurer is nominated by incoming President and approved by the new Board. Positions for Secretary, Operating Committee members, and committee Chairpersons are appointed or elected. New Honorary Directors are appointed.
- September. Officers and committee chairpersons will present their annual operation plans for the year.
- November - December. Major events, including Christmas party and Chinese New Year Performance, are planned.
- February - March. The Board plans for elections for new CCCA Directors and the Chinese School Principal.
- Additional meeting may be called at the request of at least seven Directors.
- Quorum: The quorum shall be at least 2/3 (14) of the Board.
C. Officers The officers are the President, Vice President,
Treasurer, Secretary, and Operating Committee
Chairpersons.
1. The President
- a.
- The duties of the President are to:
i. Represent the CCCA in all activities. ii. Execute decisions made by the
Board of
Directors. iii.
Coordinate all
operating
committees. - iv.
- Appoint the Secretary and Operating Committee members.
- v.
- Preside over all meetings.
- b.
- The elected Vice president of the previous year will automatically succeed as
President.
- c.
- The President will serve for one year only. He or she may run for Vice
President after the current term
has expired.
- d.
- Resignation and Removal:
i. The President may resign in writing 45 days prior to the effective date. ii.
The president
may be removed
by a special
Board meeting
called by at
least 7 of the
current
Directors. A 2/3
(equal or more
than 14)
majority vote is
required to
remove the
President.
- e.
- The current Vice President will succeed the President in case of vacancy. The
Vice President will serve out
the remaining term, in addition
to the full term the following
year.
2. The Vice President
- a.
- The duties of the vice president are to:
i. Assist the President in carrying out various CCCA activities. ii. Serve as a
Chairperson of
the Community
Affairs
Committee.
Preside over
meetings when
the President is
absent.
- b.
- The Vice President is directly elected with the election of new Board of
Directors by all voting members
every May. The rules for
election are identical as those
for new Directors (see Section
IV-B-4). The candidate who
receives the highest vote will
be elected. In case of a tie,
additional rounds of voting by
the residing Board of Directors
will be conducted. If there is
only one candidate on the
ballot, at least 50% of the
returned ballots confirm that
nominee in order for the nominee
to be elected.
- c.
- The vice President shall serve a one year term and then automatically succeed
the Presidency.
- d.
- Resignation and Removal: Same as for President.
- e.
- In the case of a vacancy, the current term shall be served out by the
Treasurer. A special election
shall be conducted in the
following year to elect both a
President and a Vice President.
3. The Treasurer
- a.
- The duties of the treasurer are to:
i. Manage all financial matters of CCCA. ii. Serve as the member of
Fund-Raising
Committee. iii.
Keep and update
a complete
inventory of
CCCA properties.
iv. Succeed the
Vice Presidency
in case of
vacancy.
- b.
- The Treasurer is nominated by incoming President and approved by the new Board
during the first Board meeting
in June-July.
- c.
- The Treasurer will serve a one year term, and may re-serve for a maximum of
three consecutive years.
- d.
- Resignation and removal rules are the same as for the president.
- e.
- In the case of a vacancy, a new Treasurer shall be elected by the Board among
the current Directors.
4. The Secretary
- a.
- The duties of the secretary are to:
i. Record the minutes of all Board Meetings. ii. Serve as the designated CCCA
Historian. iii.
Chair the
Communications
Committee.
- b.
- The Secretary is appointed by the incoming President during the first Board
meeting in June-July.
- c.
- The Secretary will serve a one year term, and may be re-appointed for a maximum
of three consecutive terms.
- d.
- Rules for resignation and removal are the same as in section IV-C-1-d.
- e.
- The President shall re-appoint a new Secretary from the Board in case of a
vacancy.
D. Operating Committees
- The functions of the committees are to carry out specific activities in
support of CCCA objectives.
- The Operating committees include committees on Education, Community Affairs,
Communications, Fund-Raising,
Special Events, Recreation, and
Senior Citizen Services.
- The executive members of the committees are assigned, with their consent, at
the first Board meeting in
June-July by the President. The
President will make special
assignments when existing
vacancies cannot be filled on a
voluntary basis.
- Each Director, except for the President, must serve at least one committee.
- Each committee shall elect its own Chairperson (except for Community Affairs,
Fund Raising and
Communications), who is
presenting the annual operation
plan of the committee in the
September Board meeting for
approval. Each committee is
encouraged to recruit additional
members who may not be members
of the Board.
- The term for each committee member is one year. All members and Chairpersons
may be re-assigned for a maximum
of three consecutive years.
- The executive committee members and the Chairperson can be removed by the Board
with simple majority votes.
Vacancies may be filled by the
current Directors.
- Details of the Operating Committees:
- Education Committee
- i. The main objective of Educational Committee is to support the operation of Thousand Oaks Chinese School (TOCS).
- ii. The members include:
- The Chairperson (last TOCS Principal).
- Current TOCS Principal.
- Current Chairperson
s of the Parents Volunteer Association. - Two Directors with a background in education.
- There should be five members, including the Chairperson, serving on the Committee.
- If the last TOCS Principal is not present on the Committee, then another Director with a background in education should be added. The Chairperson should be elected by the five Committee members via majority votes.
- iii. Specific functions of the committee include:
- Coordinating CCCA / Chinese School activities.
- Organizing and processing the scholarship award application, selection and distribution.
- Coordinating annual nominating /electing process for the Chinese School Principal.
- Community Affairs Committee
i. The objectives of the Community Affairs Committee are to represent CCCA in
interfacing with other organizations, to promote
cultural exchange activities, and to participate
in civic activities representing the local
Chinese American community.
ii. The members include the Chairperson (Vice President of CCCA), and a minimum
of two additional Directors.
iii. Specific functions of the committee include:
- Interfacing with organizations outside the local community.
- Interfacing within the local community, i.e. the library, Chamber of Commerce,
the Senior Center, Performing
Arts Center, Park and Recreation
District, the School Board,
media and other organizations.
- Referring services for new residents.
- c.
- Communications Committee
i. The objectives of the Communications Committee are to enhance communication
amongst all
members and to
coordinate
annual CCCA
nomination and
election
process. ii. The
members include: - The Chairperson (Secretary).
- A minimum of one additional Director.
- Editor-in-Chief of CCCA Journal who may not be a Director.
iii. Specific functions and responsibilities of the committee are: - Maintaining membership directory, database and CCCA website.
- Mailing regular CCCA information to members.
- Membership drive.
- Coordinating the election process.
- d.
- Fund-Raising Committee
i. The objective of the Fund Raising Committee is to raise funds to support
various CCCA
activities ii.
The members
include: - The Chairperson (Chairperson of the last Parents Volunteer Association).
- The Treasurer of CCCA.
- A minimum of one additional Director.
iii. Specific functions are to solicit donations and collaborate with other
committees for
fund raising
activities.
- e.
- Special Events Committee
i. The objective of the Special Events Committee is to organize and sponsor
special or
festive events
for CCCA. ii.
The members
include a
Chairperson and
a minimum of two
additional
Directors.
- f.
- Recreation Committee
i. The objective of the Recreation Committee is to organize and sponsor
regularly
scheduled
recreational
activities and
tournaments. ii.
The members
include a
Chairperson and
a minimum of two
additional
directors.
- g.
- Senior Citizen Services Committee
i. The objective of the Senior Citizen Services Committee is to provide
selected services for senior citizens of the
local Chinese American community.
ii. The members include a Chairperson and a minimum of two one
additional Directors.
iii. The committee's functions may include:
- Facilitating regular senior gatherings.
- Creating liaison with the Thousand Oaks Senior Center and other institutions.
- Organizing special events for senior citizens.
E. Thousand Oaks Chinese School Thousand Oaks Chinese School (TOCS)
is an affiliate of CCCA. The regular operation
of TOCS is presided by its Principal in
accordance with the Rules and Regulations of
TOCS. The Education Committee of CCCA is a
liaison organization between CCCA and TOCS,
through which CCCA and TOCS activities are
coordinated. The election process of the
Principal is conducted under the auspices of
CCCA. It also involves TOCS staff and the
Parents Volunteer Association of TOCS.
1. The Principal
- a.
- The duties of the TOCS Principal are to:
i. Represent TOCS. ii. Have full authority in operating the TOCS in accordance
with the CCCA
objectives per
section II of
this Bylaws and
consulting with
the TOCS staff /
teachers and the
CCCA Education
Committee. iii.
Serve as a
member of the
Education
Committee of the
CCCA.
- b.
- The term of the Principal is one year. He or she may be re-elected for a
maximum of two consecutive
terms. If the Principal decides
to serve a 2nd term, he/she must
commit by Jan 31. Upon receiving
this written commitment, the
Education Committee will proceed
with a confirmation process. The
Principal will be confirmed for
a 2nd term by 2/3 majority vote
by the Education committee
members. Current Principal will
relinquish his/her voting rights
on this matter.
- c.
- In order to qualify for election, the candidates must have been a voting member
of CCCA for at least one year,
and be fluent in the Chinese
language.
- d.
- The nomination / search activities will commence in January and be completed in
the second week of March.
- e.
- The Election Process: The last Principal of TOCS who is the Chairperson of the
Education
Committee of
CCCA, is the
nomination /
search team
leader.
i. All candidates must register with the nomination team leader. ii. A one page
description of
related
experience of
the candidate,
together with
his or her
vision of TOCS,
if elected, must
be submitted to
the nomination
team leader in
March of each
year. iii. The
Principal is
elected by a
Special Voting
Committee
consisting of
four voting
groups: - CCCA Board of Directors has a voting weight of 33% ,
- TOCS teachers has a voting weight of 43%,
- TOCS staff has a voting weight of 10%, and
- TOCS Parents Volunteer Association (PVA) staff has a voting weight of 14%.
- The voting weight of a voting group is fixed even if the size of each voting group may change over time.
- The method of votes counting for a candidate is defined in the following table:
- The Education Committee shall facilitate the voting process in the second week of April to elect a new Principal.
- Each voting group should use a different color of ballots.
- All TOCS staff, teachers, and PVA staff, active as of March 31, are eligible to vote.
- One family may have multiple votes.
- Each qualified person is entitled to ONLY ONE vote. If a person holds multiple positions, the order of priority should be: CCCA director, TOCS teacher, TOCS staff, and then PVA staff.
- The candidate who receives the highest number of weighted votes will be elected. In case of a tie, additional rounds of voting will be conducted.
- If there is only one candidate, he or she must receive an absolute majority of weighted votes. Otherwise, the CCCA President shall convene and preside over the Education Committee to appoint a new Principal by the second week of May.
- f.
- The official term for the principal starts on July 1st and ends on June 30th of
the following year.
- g.
- Resignation and Removal:
| Voting Group | CCCA Board of Directors | TOCS Teachers | TOCS Staff | TOCS PVA |
| Group Voting Weight | 33 | 43 | 10 | 14 |
| Eligible Voters | | | | |
| Returned Ballots | | | | |
| Votes for Candidate | | | | |
| % Votes for [=(Votes for) / (Returned Ballots)] | | | | |
| Weighted Votes for the Candidate [=(% Votes for) x (Group Voting Weight)] | | | | |
i. The Principal my resign in writing 45 days prior to the effective date. The
vacancy will be filled by the Vice Principal in
charge of academic affairs.
ii. The Principal may be removed by a special Board meeting called by at least
7 of the current Directors. A 2/3 (equal or more
than 14) majority vote is required to remove the
Principal.