A Primer & The Standing Rules of the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society, Inc.

A Primer

LASFS has a lot of rules, some serious, some amusing.
Yes, we can usually tell which is which.

We also have  a Code of Conduct:  “Respect yourself, others, and the property of LASFS.  Treat them respectfully while on the premises.”

If you click Contact LASFS , you’ll see that LASFS also has a lot of officers — all of them serious. And it has a lot of officials, some of them serious, some amusing.

One reason there are so many rules and officers and officials is that LASFS has two sorts of meetings:  the Club and the Board of Directors.

The Club meets every Thursday night, and its officers use its rules to determine what goes on at the Club meetings. It’s been meeting since 1934. 

The Board of Directors was created when LASFS became LASFS, Inc. in 1968, in the hope that this would make it easier to buy a building for its clubhouse.  It usually meets on the Second Sunday of each month.  

Then there’s the Westercon By-laws which specify the LASFS as the archive of Westercon business and the default administrator in the case of the failure of any individual Westercon (which has never happened).

Standing Rules

Enacted March 9, 2017

 0Death will not release you.

 1 .  Weekly dues are $4.00.

 2.  Monthly dues are $12.00.

 3 .  Annual dues are $135.00.

 4. Membership application fee is $10.  Children under the age of 13 who attend LASFS are not obliged to join.

 5. Associate Friend donation amount is $40.00.

 6. Supporting Friend donation amount is $100.00.

 7. Patron Friend donation amount is $300.00.

 8. Patron Saint donation amount is $1,000.00.

 9. Other Donations;

      A. Sacred Object donation amount is $2,000.00.

      B. Heavenly Body $3,000.

      C. Celestial Anomaly $5,000.

      D. Supernova $7,000.

      E. Dark Universe $11,000.

      F. Pillar of the LASFS $4,000.

10. Maximum discretionary amount is $1,000.00.

11. The By-Laws shall be kept in print and available.

12. This space intentionally left blank.

13. The title Treasurer shall be pronounced Chancellor of the Exchequer.

14. Standing rule 13 shall be ignored.

15. No it won’t.

16. Lack of Money is not Death.

17. Yngvi is a Louse!

18. In accordance with the practice of past years, any member present on the club property on Thursday or Friday nights after 7 p.m. or after 2:00 p.m. on the Second Sunday of the month is liable for dues. The Board reserves the right to waive dues for any activity.

19. Smoking.

      A. Smoking of tobacco and/or any other noxious substance is forbidden in all interior areas owned by LASFS Inc. at all times;

      B. Sanctions and/or penalties for violations of this policy shall be determined by the Board of Directors of LASFS, Inc.

20. [Text Deleted]

21 . LOSCON RULES

      A. Nature of Loscon.

          1. Loscon is the proprietary convention of the Society.

          2. The Society has financial responsibility for Loscon.

      B. Loscon Chair Selection.

          1. A Loscon bid must designate those who will serve as chairman, treasurer, hotel liaison, and webmaster.

          2. Bids must be submitted to the Board of Directors within ninety (90) days following the second preceding Loscon. At their first regular meeting after the bidding deadline, the Board of Directors will determine whether a bid meets the qualifications specified in paragraph 1. If no qualified bids are received, the Board of Directors may extend the bidding deadline up to eight months.

          3. The Board of Directors will forward all qualified bids to the membership for voting, in an election to be held at a regular meeting within 30 days. Election will be by a majority of votes cast; in the case of more than two bids, an automatic runoff ballot will be used to determine a majority.

          4. The chairman designated by the winning bid will be the Loscon Chair.

      C. Responsibilities of the Loscon Chair.

          1. The Loscon Chair will have the responsibility and the authority to plan and implement convention activities. Implementation may include contracting for goods and services needed by the convention. All contracts must be in the name of Loscon, not in the name of an individual. The Society assumes no financial responsibility for contractual obligations that violate this requirement.

          2. The Loscon Chair has the authority to appoint or remove Loscon Committee members.

          3. The Loscon Chair will select the Guest(s) of Honor.

          4. The Loscon Chair is required to submit a report to the Board of Directors at each regular Board meeting, and at other times at the Board’s request.

      D. Responsibilities of the Loscon Treasurer.

          1. The Loscon Treasurer will prepare a budget projecting income and expenses for Loscon, and receive, disburse, and account for all funds.

          2. The Loscon Treasurer will submit an interim final financial report to the Comptroller within two months following the convention and a final report no later than three months following the convention. The final report will summarize revenue and expenses of the convention, list accounts receivable and outstanding checks, and note whether there are any other unpaid Loscon expenses.

          3. All records and monetary surplus for Loscon must be completed and turned over to the Society treasurer by the first regular Board of Directors meeting following the final report deadline.

      E. Responsibilities of the Loscon Hotel Liaison.

          1. The Loscon Hotel Liaison is responsible for interpreting the contract for the Committee and staff.

          2. The Loscon Hotel Liaison must clearly communicate the needs of the convention to the hotel.

          3. The Loscon Hotel Liaison must be aware of all hotel expenses accrued and of any corrections needed to the hotel bill.

          4. The Loscon Hotel Liaison must be available and onsite at the hotel to resolve issues during the entirety of the convention.

      F. The Loscon Webmaster is the person who is responsible for the timely upkeep of the website associated with the current year’s Loscon, responsible to the Chair and the marketing director.

      G. Other Responsibilities of the Loscon Committee.

          1. The Loscon Weapons Policy and the Loscon Conduct Policy will be published on the convention website, any social media sites, and in the Program Book and/or Pocket Program of each Loscon.

          2. Loscon will repay any facilities deposit made by the Society on its behalf.

      H. Responsibilities Retained by the Board of Directors

          1. A committee appointed by the Board of Directors will negotiate all Loscon hotel contracts and submit them for approval by the Board.

2. The Board of Directors shall establish a Weapons Policy and a Conduct Policy for Loscon and shall have the sole power to amend them.

3. The Comptroller may advise the Loscon Committee as to changes needed for fiscal responsibility. If differences between the Comptroller and the Loscon Committee are not reconcilable, the Comptroller must bring the matter to the Board of Directors. The Board will review the matter, and may require compliance with the Comptroller’s recommendations.

      I. Loscon Chair Removal.

          1. By a majority vote, the Board of Directors may impeach the Loscon Chair and submit a resolution for removal to the membership, with notice. A majority of votes cast in favor of the resolution will remove the Chair.

          2. Upon the impeachment of the Loscon Chair, the Chair may no longer obligate the Society or Loscon in any degree. The Chairman of the Board of Directors, or the Chairman’s designee, will serve as Chair Regent of Loscon until the Chair is either reinstated or removed and replaced.

      J. Loscon Chair Vacancy.

          1. If the Loscon Chair becomes vacant fewer than 90 days before the Loscon, the Chairman of the Board of Directors, or the Chairman’s designee, will serve as Loscon Chair.

          2. If the Loscon Chair becomes vacant 90 days or more before the Loscon, a special election will be held to replace the Chair.

          3. At the first meeting of the Society after the vacancy occurs, the Chairman of the Board of Directors will open nominations for Loscon Chair. Nominations will remain open for two weeks.    

          4. The special election will be held at the third meeting of the Society after the vacancy occurs. Election will be by a majority of votes cast; in the case of more than two candidates, an automatic runoff ballot will be used to determine a majority.

      K. Staff Memberships.
          1. All convention staff, including committee members and volunteers, must be members of the convention. The Loscon Chair, with the concurrence of the Loscon Treasurer, may set a Staff rate, which must not be less than ten dollars below the lowest applicable full membership rate.
          2. The practice of free pass-on memberships is discontinued.