SCCX By-Laws 2006

Article I - Name

1. This organization shall be known as the Southern California Club
Xterra (SCCX).

Article II - Objectives

1. The SCCX is organized as a non profit organization for the
purpose of:
1. Providing social, educational, and recreational activities for its membership.

2. Promote the principles of Tread Lightly!.

Article III - Membership

1. Owners of Nissan Xterras are eligible for membership in the SCCX. Non Xterra owners shall be allowed to accompany SCCX on Xcursions as guests of a member in good standing. At the discression of the Board Of Directors (BOD), non Xterra owners may be granted full membership.

2. Members must be at least 18 years of age and must hold a current state drivers license and proof of auto insurance.

3. Applicants for membership must attend no fewer than two (2)events, one of which must be an Xcursion before being voted into membership. Additional participation may be required by members before vote is to take place. Acceptance shall be by at least 51% of quorum.

4. All members must conduct themselves in a respectable and orderly fashion in or out of club activities or as representatives of the SCCX. Any member disgracing themselves or the club in the public eye will be immediately subject to disciplinary actions up to and including dismissal from the club in accordance with Article XV of these By-Laws.

5. Any member neglecting another member's safety or putting them at risk by their actions will be immediately subject to disciplinary actions, up to and including dismissal from the club in accordance with Article XV of these By-Laws.

6. All personal expenses such as club shirts, insignia, etc., shall be born by each individual and are not to be arranged for in any manner by the club.

7. Resignation of any member shall be in writing and submitted to the BOD.

Article IV - Xcursions

1. The SCCX will routinely hold recreational events for club members. Participation in events is voluntary and open to all current members of the club. All members who participate in said events must sign liability releases prior to participation in said club member’s first event. Liability releases may include, and are not limited to the following:
1. I (member) hereby release the SCCX, it's members, sponsors, and other participants from any and all liability for damage to my vehicle, equipment and personal property, theft of the same, or injury to myself or anyone accompanying me to SCCX events, whether adult or minor, which may result from any participation in club events.

2. I (member) agree that I willingly accept any and all risks of participating in SCCX events.

3. I (member) understand that I am responsible and accept the liability for the safety of any non-club members that I include in any events.

4. I (member) acknowledge that the SCCX advocates the Tread Lightly! mission of responsible outdoor recreation with minimum impact on the environment. Any damage, littering, or disregard to any aspect of the environment may result in disciplinary actions, up to and including dismissal from the club.

2. All information pertaining to monthly Xcursions shall be posted on the club web site www.sccxterra.com, in the calendar section no less than three (3) weeks from the date of said Xcursion.

3. All off road Xcursions shall be prerun no more than 3 weeks prior to any Xcursion.

4. The designated Trail Boss of the Xcursion has all authority while on the trail.

5. The Trail Boss must be a member in good standing and have helped lead two (2) previous Xcursions. The Trail Boss is a voluntary position and shall be given approval prior to the Xcursion by the BOD.

6. Members are responsible for keeping their Xterras in a safe operating condition. Any vehicle thought to be unsafe or unable to safely navigate a given trail by the Trail Boss may not attend the Xcursion for which he/she is leading.

7. Illicit drug use on any Xcursion or club outing by any member is strictly prohibited and will result in immediate dismissal from the club.

8. Use of alcohol is restricted to Xcursions where overnight camping is involved. At that time when suitable camping arrangements have been made and the Xcursion is officially over for the day, alcohol may be consumed. At no time shall alcohol be consumed prior to during driving.

9. Firearms are prohibited on Xcursions unless noted in the information section for said Xcursion and the Xcursion is on land suitable for recreational target shooting (i.e. BLM land). It is the responsibility of the owner of the firearm to insure that safe gun handling practices are used. Members must disclose the possession of a firearm to the Trail Boss at the beginning of any Xcursion.

10. As the SCCX includes families it is expected that all members conduct themselves in a respectful manner when children are present or within earshot.

Article V - Meetings and Voting

1. Meetings of the BOD shall be held quarterly. BOD members will be notified of the time, date, and location at least fourteen (14) days prior to the meeting. If a meeting needs to be rescheduled, the membership must be notified seven (7) days prior.

2. Two thirds of the members of the BOD is required for a quorum. Proxy may be given for those BOD members that are unable to attend the meeting.

3. All governing issues voted upon by the BOD must carry by a two thirds majority of the quorum and then be ratified by a simple majority of the general membership. General membership shall vote via online poll at www.sccxterra.com. Polls shall be open for seven (7) days.

4. If a vote is required of the BOD more than two (2) weeks prior to a scheduled meeting an online poll may be used.

5. If an emergency vote is required of the BOD an online poll may be used. These polls shall be open for four (4) days.

6. Members in good standing shall be allowed one vote per poll.

7. Prior to any meeting an agenda must be provided no less than one (1) week before and posted within the BOD forum on www.sccxterra.com.

Article VI - Administration and Officers

1. The BOD of the SCCX shall consist of five (5) Regional Representatives. The regions of representation shall be based upon
the Counties of Los Angles, Orange, San Luis Obispo and Kern, Riverside, Ventura, San Bernardino, San Diego, Imperial, and Santa Barbara.

2. In the case that a county within the confines of the SCCX is without a suitable representative, representation shall be provided by a member of the BOD from a bordering county. This representation shall be for one election cycle.

3. Within the BOD special officers shall be elected for one election cycle. These elected positions are;
1. Secretary
2. Treasurer
3. Safety Officer
4. Marketing Officer
5. Web Master

4. No officer shall be added to the club except by the vote of the simple majority by the membership of the club. This vote shall be conducted via online poll.

Article VII - Duties and Powers of Officers

1. The Secretary shall keep and preserve all records and minutes of the meetings of the regular membership and the Board of Directors, shall assume the responsibility of ledger roll call and determine the number of voting members present so it may be known if a quorum is in attendance.

2. The Treasurer shall keep accurate and complete records of the funds and accounts of this organization. He/She shall make only such disbursements from the funds of the organization as are directed by the Board of Directors and Article VIII hereof.

3. The Safety Officer shall assume the responsibility of general safety on any club outing and shall maintain current Red Cross or equivalent certification in CPR and First Aid. He/She shall also be responsible for enforcing safety guidelines with the aid of the Trail Boss on any Xcursion.

4. The Marketing Officer shall assume the responsibility of general information regarding SCCX and shall handle all public relations issues not overseen by the Webmaster.

5. The Webmaster shall assume the responsibility and oversee all duties related to the club website, www.sccxterra.com.

Article VIII - Expenditures and Finance

1. All monies received from all sources shall immediately be turned over to the Treasurer to be deposited in the general fund of SCCX.

2. No withdrawal from funds shall be made without the approval of the Board of Directors. Single expenditures in excess of twenty-five (25) dollars must have an approval of the majority of a voting quorum of the membership.

Article IX - Election of Officers

1. The membership shall nominate and elect members of the BOD and officers therein for each fiscal year during the month of October. Nominations shall take place during the first week of October. General Elections shall take place the third week in October. The newly elected members of the BOD shall take office on November 1st. Voting shall be by online poll at www.sccxterra.com.

2. Balloting for each office shall be in separate successive sequence and will be held by online poll at www.sccxterra.com during the third week in October.

3. The BOD shall consist of five (5) members. BOD nominees must be members in good standing. Any nomination must receive a second from the General Membership of SCCX. Any nominee must receive enough positive votes from the general membership to be ranked in and among the top five (5) nominees for confirmation and election to the BOD.

4. In the event of a vacancy on the Board of Directors, a special election shall be called to elect a successor. This election shall be held via online poll at www.sccxterra.com.

Article X - Recall

1. Any officer or director of the SCCX may be recalled by a two third majority vote of the entire membership.

Article XI - Rules and Procedures

1. Unless otherwise specified in these By-Laws, Roberts Rules of Order Revised shall govern parliamentary procedure.

Article XII - Amendments

These By-Laws may be amended by a two-thirds majority vote at a specially called membership meeting, a quorum being present and voting. Any amendment to the By-Laws must be presented to the membership at the membership meeting preceding that in which the vote is taken. If no meeting is called, an online discussion and poll at www.sccxterra.com may be used.

Article XIII - Tread Lightly!

1. The SCCX espouses the Tread Lightly! mission of responsible outdoor recreation with minimum impact on the environment. Through adoption and promotion of the Tread Lightly! principles, the SCCX will help protect the great outdoors that we enjoy as a group and individually.

2. The SCCX will endeavor to educate its members on the Tread Lightly! guidelines for the responsible use of off-highway vehicles and on the low impact principles applicable to all recreation activities.

Article XIV - Disciplinary Actions and Dismissal

1. A Member of the club may be subject to disciplinary actions up to an including dismissal from the club for breaking any of these By-Laws.

2. The following procedure will apply for actions made or taken under this Article.

1. A complaint regarding the subject Member must be submitted in writing to an Officer of the club detailing which By-Law(s) has/have been broken and outlining the circumstances of the complaint.

2. A special meeting of the BOD will be held to review the complaint. The BOD may choose to meet or speak with the initiator and/or the subject Member, either together or independently. The BOD will obtain independent, additional information when possible and deemed necessary.

3. The BOD will vote on a fair and appropriate course of action, including but not limited to: rejection of the complaint;
disciplinary action; or dismissal of the subject Member from the club. A two-thirds vote of the BOD will constitute the BOD's decision. If the subject Member is an elected member of the BOD, he/she will not be permitted to vote on such decision.

4. If the BOD votes to reject the complaint, both the initiator and the subject Member will be contacted by an appropriate Regional Representative to explain the BOD's decision.

5. If the BOD vote to impose disciplinary action, the subject Member may either accept the disciplinary action or choose to take the matter before the Membership in accordance with Paragraph H of this Article.

6. If the BOD vote to dismiss the subject Member from the club, the subject Member will have the option of resigning from the club or having the matter referred to the Membership in accordance with Paragraph H of this Article.

7. If the subject Member opts to resign, the resignation will be in accordance with Article III, Paragraph 7 of these By-Laws.

8. If the subject Member chooses to have the matter presented to the Membership for a decision, the BOD's decision will be presented at a special meeting for a vote by all the Members present. The BOD's decision will be introduced by the presiding Officer under New Business. A two-thirds vote of the Members present will determine whether to accept or reject the BOD's decision.

9. If the Members vote to reject the BOD's decision, a second vote will be held. A two-thirds vote of the Members present will determine whether the Members present wish to remand the decision back to the BOD for an alternative course of action or to reject the initial complaint.

Article XV - Dissolution

1. At the time the SCCX comes to dissolution, any outstanding debts are to be paid from club funds and the excess or remainder will be given to charity. The charity named will be the United Way.

Happy New Year Ca... hey is this a double post?

I wonder where this is going.

As for me, too nice a day to stay inside, I'm heading out for a drive in the hills.

No where.