Thursday June 30, 2011
David Stanton, Phil Ginsburg,
On Thursday March 10, 2011, I sent a package to Zoo related VIPs, San Francisco Zoological Society Board Chair Nick Podell, Board Member David Stanton, San Francisco Park and Recreation Commissioner Larry Martin, and Mayor Edwin Lee, containing information regarding two issues at the San Francisco Zoo. One involving the Animals, and a letter detailing the issue myself and my friend Lee Anderson were having with Zoo Management. That issue being that both our Memberships were revoked without any reason given. There was no response to my correspondence.
Our Memberships were revoked on February 14, 2011. This is the date that appears on the checks we were both mailed, refunding our Membership fees. It will soon be five months, and we have still not received an official reason in writing for this action. I requested such from Director Peterson in February.
I have met with an attorney who advised me to re-approach the San Francisco Zoological Society Board Chair and the San Francisco Park and Recreation GM, as you are representative's of the controlling interest the San Francisco Zoo Management, eg. Director Tanya Peterson, have to be responsible to.
This attorney provided me with information in respect to the State of California Non-Profit Corporation Law. The item of Code in reference is: Termination of Memberships. The pertaining Section is as follows:
12431. (a) No member may be expelled or suspended, and no
membership or memberships may be terminated or suspended, except
according to procedures satisfying the requirements of this section.
An expulsion, termination or suspension not in accord with this
section shall be void and without effect.
(b) Any expulsion, suspension, or termination must be done in good
faith and in a fair and reasonable manner. Any procedure which
conforms to the requirements of subdivision (c) is fair and
reasonable, but a court may also find other procedures to be fair and
reasonable when the full circumstances of the suspension,
termination, or expulsion are considered.
(c) A procedure is fair and reasonable when:
(1) The provisions of the procedure have been set forth in the
articles or bylaws, or copies of such provisions are sent annually to
all the members as required by the articles or bylaws;
(2) It provides the giving of 15 days' prior notice of the
expulsion, suspension or termination and the reasons therefore; and
(3) It provides an opportunity for the member to be heard, orally
or in writing, not less than five days before the effective date of
the expulsion, suspension or termination by a person or body
authorized to decide that the proposed expulsion, termination or
suspension not take place. -end-
The San Francisco Zoo is in violation of this State Code as Management terminated our Memberships, without warning and without reason.
This letter is to inform you that per the Code outline, myself and Lee Anderson are requesting a meeting to get our "due process." We would like to meet with three Zoo representatives, David Staton, Phil Ginsburg and Tanya Peterson. We would like this meeting to be off Zoo grounds, as we do not feel it is in our best interest to have other Zoo Management Staff be a part of this meeting on a whim. We have been told the decision of revoking our Memberships was made by Director Peterson and she alone should be responsible for presenting the reason(s) to support it. I will suggest the Park and Recreation offices as a neutral location.
This meeting is long over due, so I request you set a date without delay.
I also request that you familiarize yourself with the details surrounding this situation, so you do not come to this meeting without background knowledge. I have detailed the situation information and chain of events in a blog, sanfranciscozoocrime.blogspot.com Start at the first post from the March drop down menu titled, Welcome.
Sincerely,
(signature)
to Zoological Society Board Chair David Stanton
to Park and Recreation GM Phil Ginsburg
cc Zoo Director Tanya Peterson
cc San Francisco Mayor Edwin Lee
cc District Supervisor Sean Elsbernd
If anyone is interested in reading the full Code I reference it is available here:
http://law.justia.com/codes/
