Question for Ebasil

ocd · **Posted:** Mon Jul 13, 2009 9:34 am

Basil,
Since you seem to be the most versed with CAC's and organized park structures...
(and if you do not mind sharing your wealth of info)

Are financial documents for CAC's and "foundations" in public parks/open space public documents (or should they be public documents)

Not for profits with vested interests in public space, I believe they should be.

If so, where would one find these documents? Downtown?

Thank you kindly.

EBasil · **Posted:** Mon Jul 13, 2009 4:03 pm

You got me my first day back on the internet, and these might be rare for a while... Anyway, since I'm here:

--CAC's are "citizens advisory committees" and *generally* don't have financial accounts distinct from the city, ergo no docs. Two exceptions are Black Mtn, where they've got some big pile of cash that is publicly accountable were you to ask; Los Pen, where we've got an account formed years ago for "Park Day" and it's totally discrete from the City's funds. The only accounting for that has been the reports I give/publish at the meetings.

--The foundations, like Friends of Los Pen or various conservancies are generally incorporated as USC 501.c(3) non-profit corporations, but those are still private organizations that aren't required to divulge more financial information than they choose to.

Canaan · **Posted:** Mon Jul 13, 2009 4:06 pm

This is probably an Advocacy 101 question, but I'm new to this. What powers do CACs (particularly the CAC for Mission Trails) possess?

moondogg · **Posted:** Mon Jul 13, 2009 4:13 pm

Canaan wrote:

This is probably an Advocacy 101 question, but I'm new to this. What powers do CACs (particularly the CAC for Mission Trails) possess?

A very quick google search got me this....

http://www.mtrp.org/assets/files/182189.pdf

....which will answer most of your questions.

Canaan · **Posted:** Mon Jul 13, 2009 4:24 pm

moondogg wrote:

Canaan wrote:

This is probably an Advocacy 101 question, but I'm new to this. What powers do CACs (particularly the CAC for Mission Trails) possess?

A very quick google search got me this....

http://www.mtrp.org/assets/files/182189.pdf

....which will answer most of your questions.

Wow; that's depressing -- talk about an insiders' club.

Gardner · **Posted:** Mon Jul 13, 2009 5:10 pm

Sometimes members of an organization can request financial information from a non-profit. After all whose organization is it anyway? Following this logic there doesn't seem to be any way that someone in the general public actually becomes a member of the MTRP Foundation. You can give a donation but there is no mention of becoming a "friend" or "member" by doing so.

Adding to the layers is the fact that there's a Task Force of politicos who watch over the CAC. Although closely tied together and with some cross pollination of people, the MTRP Task Force, the MTRP Foundation and the MTRP CAC are all separate entities in fact. Task Force and CAC meetings are open to the public. I don't think Foundation meetings are.

ocd · **Posted:** Mon Jul 13, 2009 5:25 pm

EBasil wrote:

You got me my first day back on the internet, and these might be rare for a while... Anyway, since I'm here:

--CAC's are "citizens advisory committees" and *generally* don't have financial accounts distinct from the city, ergo no docs. Two exceptions are Black Mtn, where they've got some big pile of cash that is publicly accountable were you to ask; Los Pen, where we've got an account formed years ago for "Park Day" and it's totally discrete from the City's funds. The only accounting for that has been the reports I give/publish at the meetings.

--The foundations, like Friends of Los Pen or various conservancies are generally incorporated as USC 501.c(3) non-profit corporations, but those are still private organizations that aren't required to divulge more financial information than they choose to.

Thanks

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