ARTICLE I  -  NAME AND OBJECTIVES

 Section 1:  NAME

 The name of this organization shall be the "CALIFORNIA BASEBALL UMPIRES ASSOCIATION - SOUTH  BAY UNIT", hereinafter referred to as the "Association".

 Section 2:  OBJECTIVES

             The objectives of this Association are: 

A.     Uphold, encourage, and promote high ethical standards among baseball officials.  

B.    Provide a high-quality instructional program to train and qualify members to officiate baseball games played under National Federation and NCAA rules. 

C.  Encourage a thorough knowledge of the rules of  baseball among members.  

ARTICLE II  -  MEMBERSHIP 

Section 1:   TYPES OF MEMBERS 

A.     Qualified Members are those members who have: 

(1)    Paid their annual dues 

(2)    Met the qualification requirements set forth in the By-Laws. 

B.    Non-qualified Members are those Members who have: 

(1)    Failed to pay their annual dues. 

(2)  Failed to meet the qualification requirements set in the By-Laws.  

Section 2:   DUTIES OF MEMBERS 

A.     Strive for qualified status by: 

(1)    Paying required dues. 

(2)    Meeting qualification requirements set forth in by-laws. 

B.    Conduct oneself as a Baseball Official in a manner that brings credit to the Association and himself/herself. 

C.    Be above reproach and perform in a professional manner.

Section 3:  RESIGNATION 

            Any member may resign by supplying written notice of that intent to the Secretary-Treasurer.  The Secretary-Treasurer shall promptly present that written notice to the Board of Directors. 

Section 4:  REINSTATEMENT 

Any member who has resigned may be reinstated by completing the following process: 

A.     Supply a written request to the Secretary-Treasurer, which shall be presented to the Board of Directors for their approval. 

B.    Pay all outstanding dues and fines defined by the Board of Directors. 

C.  Receive a vote of approval from the Board of Directors, which shall   be   a simple majority vote of the Board of Directors.                                                                                    

D.     Meet any terms for reinstatement that the Board of Directors deems appropriate.                                            

Section 5:  DISCIPLINE OF MEMBERS 

A.     Grounds for discipline are: 

(1)    Failure to comply with this Constitution and By-Laws. 

(2)  Failure to comply with the regulations of this Association, provided member has received written notice of such regulation at least 72 hours prior to any discipline. 

(3)    Failure to pay or delinquency in payment of duly authorized Fines, dues or charges, provided member has been granted a minimum of 72 hours to comply. 

(4)    Conduct established as being contrary to the best interests of this Association may result in an immediate suspension by the President of this Association with the member guaranteed a right to a hearing. 

B.    Notification of Charges: 

Any member that is charged with a violation of the regulations of this Association shall receive written notice by certified mail, return receipt requested, or by a personally delivered notice for which a signed receipt has been collected.  Such notice shall be received by the member at least seven days prior to any hearing.  By agreement between the member and the Board of Directors, a hearing may be held in less than seven days time. 

C.    Right to Hearing: 

(1)    For disciplinary action, this hearing shall be before the Board of Directors.  The Board of Directors shall: 

(a)     Provide the member written notice of any meeting by the Board of Directors to hear any claims against said member.  This notice shall accompany the Notification of Charges. 

(b)    Permit member to address Board of Directors in person or by written statement. 

(c)     Conduct the hearing in such a way to insure charges a presented from the accuser, to allow both sides to be heard, and all pertinent information to be presented including any written statements and/or any witnesses to be allowed to testify. 

D.  Penalties: 

(1)     Monetary fine. 

(2)  Suspend some portion or all of a member's regular season or playoff season. 

(3)  Probation for no longer than one year.             

            (4)  Suspension from the Association for no longer than one year. 

(5)    Expulsion from the Association. 

D.    Appeal: 

Any member disciplined by the Board of Directors or ruled non-qualified by records of the Instructional Chairman and Secretary-Treasurer shall have the right to appeal. 

(1)  A member may appeal a decision by the Board of Directors in writing to the Secretary-Treasurer within seven days of receipt of the decision by the Board of Directors.  The Board of Directors shall then appoint a Grievance Committee to hear the appeal. This Committee shall: 

                      A  Review any written arguments submitted by both parties, including any Board  of Directors minutes provided by the Secretary-Treasurer, concurrent with receipt of the appeal request. 

                       B  Listen to any oral arguments presented by both or either  party provided both parties have received written notice of  the meeting at least seven days prior to the appeal hearing. 

                        C  Upon conclusion of the appeal hearing, the Grievance Committee shall forward their findings and suggested discipline to the Board of Directors. 

(2)    In the case of appeal of non-qualified status, such appeal shall be made  in writing  to the Board of Directors.  In this written appeal, the member shall cite any extenuating circumstances. 

      (3) There are no further channels of appeal in either case. 

Section 6:  GRIEVANCE COMMITTEE 

A.     The Grievance Committee Chairman will be appointed by the Board of Directors and the Committee shall be composed of at least three members. 

B.    The composition of the Grievance Committee shall be an odd number  (3, 5, 7, 9, etc.) 

C.    The Chairman of the Grievance Committee must be a current Board Member appointed by the Board of Directors.  All other members shall be appointed by the Committee Chairperson and shall not be a member of the Board of Directors. 

ARTICLE III  - OFFICERS AND ELECTIONS

 Section 1:  BOARD OF DIRECTORS 

            The activities of the Association shall be conducted by a Board of

             Directors. 

A.     Composition: 

(1)    President. 

(2)    Vice President. 

(3)    Secretary-Treasurer. 

(4)     Four Members at Large terms beginning year 2000. 

(5)     Instructional Chairman (Appointed, non-voting position) 

(6)     Assignor (Appointed, non-voting position). 

B.    Prerequisites: 

(1)    Each Board member must be a qualified member of the Association with a minimum of three consecutive years as a member in good standing. 

(2) No member may hold more than one position, appointed or elected on the Board of Directors at any one time.           

C.    Term of Office: 

(1)    Beginning July 1, 1998 and every even year thereafter, the following terms of office shall be a minimum of two years without a cap. 

(a)    Vice President. 

(b)    Member at Large #1. 

(c)    Member at Large #2. 

(2)    Beginning July 1, 1999 and every odd year thereafter, the following terms of office shall be a minimum of two years without a cap. 

(a)    President 

(b)    Secretary-Treasurer 

(c)    Member at Large #3 

(d)    Member at Large #4 

(e)  Assignor and Instructional Chair shall serve until duly-qualified successors have been appointed.

              General Duties: 

In addition to the specific duties enumerated in Section 2 and duties established by the By-Laws, the Board of Directors shall perform the following general duties: 

(1)    Establish meeting schedule. 

(2)    Establish budget. 

(3)    Conduct election of officials. 

(4)    Establish list of Qualified Officials. 

(5)    Establish Training Program that meets or exceeds requirements established by Executive Council via the Instructional  Chairman. 

E.     Meetings: 

May be called by the President or the Secretary on individual initiative of either or by the Secretary upon the request of (I) any two (2) other members of the Board of Directors or (ii) twenty-five percent (25%) of the qualified members.  Any such meeting shall be scheduled as promptly as is practicable. 

Section 2:  SPECIFIC DUTIES 

A.     President shall: 

(1)    Preside over all meetings. 

(2) Ensure that all meetings are conducted in accordance with this Constitution and By-Laws and with Roberts Rules of Order. 

(3) Rule on questions of order. 

(4) Represent the Association at meetings. 

(5) Perform any other duties as lawfully directed by the Board of Directors. 

(6)    Attend all meetings of the Executive Council as representative of this Association. 

B.    Vice-President shall: 

(1)    Preside over meetings in the absence of the President. 

(2)    Perform any other duties as lawfully directed by the Board of Directors. 

C.    Secretary-Treasurer shall: 

(1)    Take minutes of all meetings. 

(2) Take roll call or otherwise keep attendance records.  (The records of the Secretary-Treasurer are unimpeachable.) 

(3)  Maintain a record and copies of all correspondence received by the Association. 

(4) Compile a list of all members and their status (Qualified or non-qualified and a list of Board of Directors members. 

(5) Provide all commissioners and assignors with a copy of the list in item (4). 

(6)     Notify members of all meetings. 

(7)    Carry out directives of Executive Council Secretary-Treasurer, provided they do not conflict with this Constitution and By-Laws or directives of the Board of Directors. 

(8)    Maintain a bank account for all Association funds that requires two (2) of  the (3) following signatures on all checks: 

(a)    President. 

(b)    Vice-President 

(c)    Secretary-Treasurer. 

(9)    Pay all bills and disburse funds as directed by board of Directors. 

                 (10)  Annually, submit a financial report. 

                 (11)   Represent the Association at Executive Council Meetings. 

 (12)  Perform any other duties as lawfully directed by the Board of Directors. 

D.    Past President remains the same for the 1998 term.  Title and functional duties shall terminate in the term 1999. 

E.     Members at Large shall: 

(1)     Assist in the deliberations of the Board of Directors. 

(2)  Attempt to provide Board of Directors with general membership input on Association matters. 

(3)    Perform any other duties as lawfully directed by the Board of Directors. 

F.     Instructional Chairman shall: 

(1)    Carry out training program directed by Executive Council and Board of Directors. 

(2)    Notify Board of Directors of any conflict between directions of Executive Council Instructional Chairman and the Board of Directors. 

(3)    Maintain record of all grades. 

(4)    Rule on questions of rules and mechanics. 

(5)    Establish Association Instructional Program. 

(6)    Recruit and direct all instructors with Board of Directors Approval. 

(7)    Perform any other duties as lawfully directed by the Board of Directors. 

G.    Assignor shall: 

(1)    Ensure, under the direction of the Board of Directors, that all games for which the Association is responsible are staffed with the appropriate number of qualified officials. 

(2)    Perform any other duties as lawfully directed by the Board of Directors. 

H.    Assignor and Instructional Chair shall serve unlimited one year Terms.  The Assignor and/or Instructional Chair may be re placed at any time by the Board of Directors. 

Section 3:   ELECTION 

A.     Frequency: 

(1)    Election of replacement officers shall be held according to Article III, Section 1, letter C (1 and 2).            

(2)    Vacancies, during the year, shall be filled by appointment of the Board of Directors. 

B.    Nominations: 

(1)    Shall be made from the floor during a general membership instructional Meeting, held not more than three (3) and not less than one (1) week prior to the election. 

(2)    Nominee must agree to accept position for which he/she is nominated, either in person or in writing. 

(3)    Any officer or director nominated for another position must first resign his/her present position. 

(4)    No member may be nominated for more than one (1) position. 

(5)   The Board of Directors may establish, under the direction of the Secretary a Nominating Committee, to be composed of three (3) qualified members who are not members of the Board and the Secretary.   If established, such committee shall provide recommendations to the Board in sufficient time to permit such nominations to be submitted to the membership at the same meeting as which floor nominations are made.       

 C.    Election shall: 

(1)    Be held annually during final general membership instructional meeting. 

(2)    Be accomplished by secret ballot. 

(3)    Require a simple majority vote of a quorum of members. 

(4)    Be supervised by the Secretary under the direction of the Board of Directors. 

D.    Quorum: 

A quorum of members is 60% of total membership.  

ARTICLE IV  -  AMENDMENTS 

Section 1:  Types 

            Amendments shall be generated in one of the following three (3) ways: 

A.     Direction of the Executive Council when Constitution and By Laws is incompatible with Constitution and By-Laws of Executive Council. 

B.    Recommended change by Board of Directors. 

C.  A recommendation for change from general membership prepared as follows: 

(1)    Recommended change submitted to Board of Directors. 

      (2)  Recommended change accompanied by a list of signatures of members equal to or greater than 30% of all members.  

Section 2:  WRITTEN NOTICE. 

             Draft of recommended change must be sent or delivered to each member at least 30 days prior to date of meeting established for Ratification of amendment.  

Section 3:  VOTE 

             In order to be ratified, recommended changes must receive two- thirds majority vote of members present, provide the number of Members present are equal to or greater than a quorum. 

Section 4:  VOTING SITE 

            Ratification vote may be accomplished at: 

A.     General meeting where ratification is part of regular instructional Meeting. 

            B.  Special meeting established for that purpose.  

BY-LAWS

Section 1:   RULES OF ORDER. 

            The rules contained in Roberts Rules of Order shall govern this  Association in all cases to which they are applicable and are not in-consistent with this Constitution and By-Laws. 

Section 2:   QUALIFICATIONS 

A.     Pass qualification examination with grade of 80% or better. 

B.    Satisfactorily meet Field Clinic requirements. 

C.    Attend required number of meetings as determined by the Board of Directors. 

D.    Maintain an average of 80% or better for all tests at general meeting. 

E.     In the event of failure to meet all of the requirements of A through D, the following remedies are required: 

(1)    Attend a make-up meeting, if any, to rectify A or D. 

(2)  Attend a meeting at a different unit to rectify C, but only two (2) outside meetings are permitted. 

(3) Satisfactorily meet Field Clinic requirements at another unit to rectify B.  (This outside meeting is in addition to the outside meetings authorized in (2).)

Section 3:   MEETINGS 

            The following types of meetings shall be held: 

A.     General Membership Meetings.  These meetings shall be held for the following purposes: 

(1)    Conduct training program. 

(2)  Nominate and elect officers in accordance with Constitution and By-Laws. 

(3) Conduct business, provided it can be completed without adversely affecting training program. 

B.    Special meetings shall be held for any purpose other than those specified  for General Meetings. 

C.    Board of Directors' meetings shall be held as deemed necessary by the President, but at least one (1) shall be held prior to the start of the season to establish meeting schedule, meeting site, field clinic site, etc. 

D.    Qualification Appeal Meeting shall: 

(1)    Consist of outgoing and incoming Board of Directors. 

(2)  By majority vote of Board members present, accept or reject appeals reconsideration of non-qualified status. 

 E.     Executive Council Meetings: 

At times and dates specified by executive Council, three (3) members of the Board of Directors shall attend meetings of the Executive Council. 

(1)    The officers attending are: 

(a)    President, or  his/her substitute. 

(b)    Secretary-Treasurer, or his/her substitute. 

(c)    Instructional Chairman, or his/her substitute. 

(2)    Unless otherwise specified, these meetings are held in: 

(a)    January 

(b)  May 

 Section 4:   ASSIGNMENTS 

No official in the CBUA South Bay Unit shall accept any CIF contest except from the Unit’s assignor.  In the event the assignor is not available, the contest may be approved by (first) the Instructional Chairperson, (second) the President, (third) the Vice-President, (fourth) the secretary-Treasurer.  Under no circumstances shall an umpire accept an assignment from someone not listed in this amendment.