San Diego Freedivers Bylaws

2020

NAME: SAN DIEGO FREEDIVERS LOCATION: Legal address: County of San Diego Mailing address: ATTN: Mario Gattuse, 740 Bonair Way, La Jolla, CA 92037 Meeting address: 8980 Villa La Jolla Drive, La Jolla, CA 92037 or various locations as determined by the membership. PURPOSE: The purpose of the San Diego Freedivers is to support a fellowship with other freedivers, preserve the history of freediving and spearfishing, stewardship of marine resources and to encourage competitions and sportsmanship.

Article Two – Membership

Section 1: The San Diego Freedivers is an “open” club. The club is open to all persons interested in the sport of freediving and willing to abide by the bylaws and membership requirements of our organization. Membership requirements are set by the Board of Directors and the bylaws and shall include at a minimum a waiver of liability, membership dues, agreement to abide by the Code of Ethics and other such requirements as may be deemed suitable by the Board. The Board shall take care to ensure that membership is open and available to individuals who have an interest in freediving, have a good moral character, take pride in the club and who have demonstrated the willingness to contribute positively to the sport. Section 2: Annual membership dues shall be as determined by the members. Section 3: Annual dues are due & payable by the third meeting of the year. Membership is from January to December of the same year. Section 4: New membership information will be sent via email to the member at sign up Section 5: Official club patches may only be presented to other club members by another member who already possesses a patch.

Article Three- Conflict-of-Interest

Section 1: All club members shall act in the best interests of the club and their fellow spearfishermen at all times. Members should disclose their financial interest in products, services or programs prior to or as part of any discussion or recommendation of such. Section 2: Board members shall act at all times in the best interests of the club and the sport of spearfishing. Prior to running for office, potential Board members shall disclose any potential conflict of interest which may have or be perceived to have influence on their position as Board member. In addition, existing Board members shall disclose any conflict of interest or potential conflict of interest which may influence their decision as a Board member. If such conflict of interest is financial in nature, they shall refrain from voting on anything relating to the conflict.

Article Four – Officers & Elections

There shall be the following seven voting elected officers: PRESIDENT VICE PRESIDENT TREASURER EVENT COORDINATOR SECRETARY WEBMASTER NEWSLETTER EDITOR Non-Voting Elected Officer Positions “GRAND MOSSBACK” -PARLIAMENTARIAN – Keep track of bylaws and ensure club business is conducted in accordance with the bylaws and traditions and in the event club bylaws are violated to notify the club members. Section 1: All officers must be a current club member at the time of election and must remain a member in good standing throughout their term. There are no specific eligibility requirements at this time. Section 2: The Board of Directors of the San Diego Freedivers shall be composed of the seven elected officers. This Board may take action on behalf of the club through a majority vote of the Board. The Board may take action on items of general governance, club policy, club positions on items of public interest, administration or other club matters not reserved to the members by the club By-Laws. Section 3: The Board of Directors shall hold meetings quarterly or as often as the President deems necessary for the proper governance of the club. Board meetings shall be open to any regular club member wishing to attend. Regular club members wishing to attend shall have the right to speak on any matter of interest or make recommendations to the Board concerning the club. If such communication is in writing, the club President shall provide such communication to the Board and initiate a discussion of any matter brought up by such communication. Section 4: Nominations shall be held at October meeting. Section 5: Elections shall be held by paper ballot at the November meeting Section 6: Term of Office – Officers shall be elected for a term of one year. Installation of officers begins at the January meeting. Section 7: Transition of Administration – Upon installation in January, all outgoing officers shall turn over all club property to the newly elected officers. This includes all records, documents and properties purchased with funds from the San Diego Freedivers. Section 8: Impeachment of Officers (a) Any member can make a motion to impeach any officer for good cause. The motion must be seconded by at least one other current member. (b) A written notice must be provided to all club members 30 days prior to a vote of impeachment. (c) A quorum must be present in order to impeach an officer. (d) A quorum shall be 1/3 of total membership OR members who are present via absentee vote constituting 1/3 of the total membership.

Article Five – Duties of Officers

Section 1: The President shall: (a) Preside at all meeting of the executive board and general meeting. (b) Appoint committee chairmen. (c) Co-sign checks with the treasurer. (d) Sign all contracts with the secretary after approval of the membership. (e) Serve as ex-officio member of all committees. (f) Call special meeting when necessary. (g) Be listed on and have access to the all club bank accounts along with Treasurer (h) Seek Board approval along with the Treasurer for all expenses greater than $100 Section 2: The Vice President shall: (a) Perform duties of the president in his absence. (b) Appoint committee chairmen. Section 3: The Secretary shall: (a) Record and maintain the minutes of the meetings. (b) Handle the correspondence for the club and sign all contracts with the president Section 4: The Treasurer shall: (a) Have charge of all funds of the organization. (b) Provide a written financial report at each board meeting. Board meetings shall be open to all membership; the report shall include categorized expenses and income with a bank statement. (c) Sign all checks with president. (d) Keep club funds in accounts under the name of the San Diego Freedivers Section 5: The Event Coordinator shall: (a) Coordinate special events such as beach dives and boat dives and encourage members to be active in freediving events. (b) Prepare an event calendar annually to include but not limited to the annual Blue Water Meet and Award Dinner Section 6: The Webmaster shall: (a) Coordinate internet presence. (b) Maintain and update website to include record standings, event promotion, and galleries. (c) Align internet presence in a supportive manner to the club’s mission. (d) Be the point of contact for technical matters related to the website and internet presence. (e) Interface with other board members to ensure accuracy and completeness of information. Section 7: The Newsletter Editor shall: (a) Coordinate printing, formatting and distribution of the 11 annual issues of the San Diego Freedivers newsletter.

Article Six – Vacancy

In case an officer resigns the club will hold a special election at the next meeting.

Article Seven – Meetings & Newsletter

Section 1: There shall be a meeting held each month except December, on the last Monday of each month. Section 2: There shall be a monthly newsletter with notice of upcoming meeting time and place.

Article Eight – Amendments

Section 1: The bylaws may be amended or revised by majority vote of a quorum. Section 2: A quorum shall be 1/3 of total membership or members who have expressed their desire to vote through absentee voting constituting 1/3 of the total membership. Section 3: Membership must be notified thirty days prior to a vote.

Article Nine – Ethics

All members shall abide by all fish and game rules governing in the location they dive. The club reserves the right to expel any member found to be in violation of these bylaws or found to be unfit for membership by a majority of vote of quorum. Any member wishing to contest the decision of expulsion may appeal to the president. Reinstatement shall also be made by majority vote of a quorum.

Article Ten – Liability Clause

All members and guests of the San Diego Freedivers shall sign a release form before participating in any club activity.

Article Eleven – Absentee Voting

Absentee voting may be submitted to a San Diego Freedivers board member prior to a vote.

Article Twelve – Dissolution

Should the club be dissolved all outstanding bills shall be paid promptly and proceeds shall go to a charity of the club’s choice.

Article Thirteen – Trophy Submissions

The member will need to fill out the submission form found on the San Diego Freedivers website in its entirety and must include a photo of the diver with the fish (For trophy purposes, smile) and a photo of the fish with a weight scale clearly visible (For verification). Trophy submissions will be submitted 30 days from catch to qualify, January to December 14th of the current year. Any catch in the month of December after the 15^th must be submitted as soon as possible after catch or by January 15^th of the following year, this is to allow for trophies to be created.