Golden Gate Fieros Bylaws

Golden Gate Fieros

Car Club

Bylaws

ARTICLE I: PURPOSE

A. All activities and purposes of this club are to be centered on the automobiles that

bear the Pontiac “FIERO” namesake, and are model years 1984 through 1988

Coupe, Pace Car, SE, GT, or Formula versions. This club is also open to any

“kit car” conversions built on a FIERO chassis.

B. Club Name: The club herein is titled “Golden Gate Fieros”

C. We are a club devoted to the promoting and contributing to the preservation and

enjoyment of the automobile. The club will organize, participate, and sponsor

events that focus on lawful driving activities, club promotion, and communication

of historical and technical information about the marquis.

D. This club is to be operated on a non-profit base supported by fund raising events,

and donations. Newsletters, web sites, advertisements, and planned activities

will be designed to promote and encourage fellowship of members and the

exchange of information.

ARTICLE II: APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP

A. Membership is open to any person demonstrating interest in the

FIERO automobiles.

B. Ownership of a FIERO is not a prerequisite for membership.

C. Possession of the minimum insurance requirements as stated in the California

Vehicle Code for any motor vehicle that will be operated on state roads and

highways.

D. Any person removed from “Golden Gate Fieros” previously, whether voluntarily

or by vote for any breach of bylaws of this club must have unanimous approval of

each of the five (5) Board of Trustee members, all Officers, and all Membership,

when seeking readmission into the club, and must repay any fines or damages

owed.

E. New Active Member applications must be in the form of a written request to

the Golden Gate Fieros Car Club or in person at a club event.

F. New Active Members will be voted on at the following month’s club meeting.

ARTICLE III: TYPES OF MEMBERSHIP

A. Active Members: Any person may become an active member in this

organization and be entitled to all of its privileges upon being voted in as

provided in the bylaws. Article II, Section E.

B. Associate Members: Family members of an active member living in the same

household or an individual who has joined the club via social media.

Associate members shall be entitled to all privileges of the club, excluding

voting unless approved as an Active Member themselves

ARTICLE IV: TERMINATION OF MEMBERSHIP

A. By any breach of the bylaws of this club.

B. By expulsion: For reasons deemed detrimental or injurious to this club by

unanimous vote of the Board of Trustees including but not limited to drunk or

disorderly conduct at any club event and reckless or exhibitionist driving at a club

sponsored function.

C. By violation of traffic laws: Flagrant and/or frequent violations of state

and/or local traffic laws or ordinances at any club sponsored function.

D. By lack of insurance: Lack of, infringement of, expiration of, or cancellation of

a members insurance policy immediately invalidates him/her from any club

sponsored activity. Should he/she operate a vehicle in the above manner, this

can and will bring grounds for termination of membership.

E. By lack of license: Each Active or Associate, Member must have a valid

driver’s license while operating a vehicle at a club sponsored function.

ARTICLE V: CLUB RESPONSIBILITY ON TERMINATION OF MEMBERSHIP

A. Upon termination of membership it is understood that no liability for the actions

of the outgoing member or members will be sustained by the club.

ARTICLE VI: OFFICERS

DEFINITION

The officers of “Golden Gate Fieros” shall be President, Vice President,

Secretary, Treasurer, Web Designer, and Sergeant at Arms. (The last three officers

are by appointment. The Secretary and Treasurer can be the same person.)

ELECTION OF OFFICERS

A. Those members that wish to hold an office must be nominated or submit their

name in writing one month prior to elections.

B. A member must be a member in good standing to be eligible to hold an office

C. A member must be a member for at least one year before being eligible to hold

an office.

D. Those members who have either been nominated or submit their name will be

asked to campaign for office. Each candidate will give a short speech before

the actual counting of votes to determine by the membership who is best suited.

E. Election of officers will be by majority vote.

F. Elections will be held as needed.

G. Officers will be elected for a term of one year.

H. Should any officer be unable to fulfill his/her term, the President shall

appoint someone suited for the position.

I. No member shall run for more than one elected office during any one election,

nor shall any one member hold more than one elected/appointed office. (except in

the case of a combined Secretary/Treasurer or Web Designer.)

J.

DUTIES

PRESIDENT: The president will organize and preside over all club meetings

(except Board of Trustee meetings). All club affairs,

correspondence and business matters shall be regulated by the

president. The president has the power to appoint qualified

member(s) in good standing to an open office on a temporary

basis. The president shall make reports to the club officers and

members. The president has the final word in the creation or

changes of club policies. Should a dispute arise regarding a

decision made by the president, see article VIII Board of Trustees.

VICE PRESIDENT: The vice president shall assume all the duties and responsibilities

of the president in his/her absence or incapacitation and will be

involved in all aspects of club decision making and planning of

club activities.

SECRETARY: The secretary will record the minutes of all meetings and will

notify members of upcoming events. The secretary will keep

records of members: membership status, address, and

telephone numbers.

TREASURER: The treasurer will manage all the finances, securities, and assets of

the club. The treasurer will record expenditures by the club and

keep record of income made by the club. The treasurer is

authorized to pay club debts or make purchases for the club

pending the approval of the club officers and members. The

treasurer is required to keep his/her records open and up to date at

all times.

WEB DESIGNER: The Web Designer is the official voice of Golden Gate Fieros.

Duties include compilation and editing of stories, reports, and

related data for the regularly published web site content; arrange

for the hosting of web site content; develop the marketing strategy

for the club and design and sell advertising space. Since this is the

only source of contact for some out of state members, it is crucial

the web site updates are timely. Should the Web Designer fail to

meet the responsibilities of the office, the President may, at his/her

discretion, sanction the Web Designer with a reprimand or removal

from office.

SERGEANT

AT ARMS: This is an appointed position. The sergeant at arms is a peace

keeping position and this person will know the rules of “Golden

Gate Fieros” and enforce them whenever necessary. This

includes keeping the members quiet and on the topic at meetings.

ARTICLE VII: BOARD OF TRUSTEES

The Board of Trustees of this club shall be composed of the five (5) founding /

oldest members of the club in good standing. In the event the founding members

/ oldest members are a married couple or domestic partners, only one will be

allowed a position on the Board of Trustees. Supervision of the affairs and

interests of the life, preservation, and overall wellbeing of this club shall be

vested in the Board of Trustees. The general duties shall be to maintain an active

supervision of the affairs of the club and be responsible for approving any official

business or solving any dispute or potential dispute. The main concern of the

Board of Trustees is to preserve the life of the club. They are free to take any

action necessary to resolve conflict within the club between members, officers, or

outside sources. The Board of Trustees have unlimited power and final say in all

matters of dispute. The President can be over ruled by the Board of Trustees. A

special meeting of the Board of Trustees may be called at any time provided a

reason can be given. Written request to one of the five (5) Trustees must be

received at least five (5) days prior to the meeting date.

ARTICLE VIII: VOTING

A. All Active Members in good standing are eligible to vote.

B. Each Active Member will have One (1) vote.

C. Proxy voting shall not be permitted.

D. Voting on routine matters will be by voice.

E. The election of officers shall be by written ballot unless only one member is

nominated to each elected office.

ARTICLE IX: MISCELLANEOUS

Monthly Meetings:

A. Monthly Meetings are held on Zoom on the third Saturday of each month at

11 am Pacific Time.

B. Monthly Meetings are subject to change upon approval of the majority present at

the previous meeting.

C. Meeting information and changes will be on notice (either by mail, telephone

call, e-mail, or web page) no less than ten (10) days prior to meeting date.

D. Monthly Meetings will always take place within the San Francisco Bay

Area unless an alternate location is convenient for all involved.

E. Monthly Meetings will take place on a monthly basis with an event scheduled at

least three times per year.

Members:

A. Any club member has the right to bring charges for disciplinary action,

impeachment, or expulsion against any other member. The accuser will be

required to appear before the officers of the club to provide just cause why

disciplinary procedures should be enacted. The matter is then placed in the

officers hands for review. If the officers decide that disciplinary action is to

be taken, then the matter is forwarded to the Board of Trustees for their

review.

B. Disciplinary action can be taken in one of the following ways. Warning,

suspension from club activities, or termination of membership.

Activities:

A. Activities may include but are not limited to day tours, rallies, overnight tours,

car shows, or technical sessions.

B. Some meetings may include potluck dinners.

C.

ARTICLE X: AMENDMENTS TO BYLAWS

A unanimous vote by the Board of Trustees, or 50% of the active members in

good standing can submit, by written proposal to the Secretary, an amendment to

the bylaws. A copy of this proposal shall be posted on the clubs web site for all

the members to review. At the meeting following the posting, the proposed

amendment will be voted on by Active Members. If the majority vote is in favor

of the proposal, the amendment shall thereby be approved and adopted.

ARTICLE XI: PERSONAL LIABILITY

All persons, corporations, or associations extending credit to, contracting with, or

having any claim against the club or the officers shall look only to the fund and

property of the club for payment of any such contract or claim for payment of any

debt, damage, judgement, or decree or any other money that may otherwise

become due or payable to them from the officers, so that neither the members of

the club, the officers, present or future, or sponsor, shall be liable personally

therefore.

ARTICLE XII: DRIVING RULES

When driving to events and on road trips, we adopt the policies outlined below.

These are meant to help protect our members in emergency situations. Stick

Together!!

A. Watch the car behind you. If the car behind you pulls over, we all pull over. This

is to protect the last car from being stranded from the group should they encounter

car trouble or an accident. Also watch the car in front of you, pull over if that car

pulls over. The last car should watch the car in front.

B. When possible carry two way radios, or cellular phones. It is beneficial to have

some kind of communication device in the first and last car to aid in making turns

and lane changes. Also, they can notify the other end of the caravan should an

emergency arise.

C. STAY IN LINE!! Do not try to race or cut in and out of the line-up. If someone

is going to take the lead at a certain point, these things should be decided prior to

departure. Should a car or cars be pulled over by a law enforcement officer for

racing, speeding, etc, as a result of not following the club rules, the rest of the

caravan will not stop. Follow the rules and we will all stick together.

D. If you need to pull over, you need to get the attention of the car in front of you.

First try flashing your headlights. If this does not work sound your horn. Put

your turn signal on and pull over. If you see the person behind you signaling,

pull over immediately.

E. Put six cylinder cars toward the rear, or at least place one as the last car. This is

in case an emergency should arise at the rear of the caravan and the lead cars do

not become aware of it. The last car or “chase” car can catch the lead and bring

them back to the scene. If the first and last cars have some type of

communication devices, this should not be necessary.

F. When the car in front of you signals for a lane change, immediately turn on your

signal to alert the drivers behind you we want to change lanes.

G. Do not tail gate the car in front of you, but limit the amount of space between you and

the car in front so other traffic does not invade our line-up.

H. When cars get stopped at signal lights, all cars pull over to wait and get the group

back together.

I. Abide by the speed limit signs at all times. Do not allow yourself to fall too far back.

If you notice the car behind you falling behind, slow down also. If you are the lead

car and you notice the rest of the group falling back or are having trouble staying

together, you are probably driving too fast. Slow down and regroup.

J. Overall, if you do exactly what the cars in front of and behind you are doing, there

should not be many problems staying together. These rules are to help each other

should we get into trouble. They have been put through the test before and we were

amazed how well things turned out.

ARTICLE XIII: ASSET DISTRIBUTION UPON DISSOLUTION

The club may be dissolved at any time by written consent of the unanimous vote of all

members in good standing and approval of the Board of Trustees. All assets

remaining after final accounting of obligations shall be donated to the charity of the

clubs choice.

ARTICLE XIV: REGIONAL DIRECTORS

A. Regional Directors shall be appointed by the Elected Officers as it becomes necessary.

A Regional Director has the power to hold meetings in his/her region and stage events

as long as he/she has the approval of the Elected Officers prior to said meeting or

event. The Regional Director must keep the Elected Officers of the club informed as

to the activities in said region.

B. A Regional Director can be removed from his/her position by unanimous vote of the

Elected Officers or by the Board of Trustees.

C. A Regional Director does not have the power to spend club monies without the

permission of the club and its officers.

D. Any monies collected by a Regional Director shall be given to the clubs

Treasurer.

E. Regional Directors shall be required to attend a quarterly business/informational

meeting with the Elected Officers.

Happy Fieroing