Organizational Priorities

These priorities are agreed by the chapter to guide the organizational work of DSA Los Angeles’ elected leadership. This is a living document, and is to be revisited in accordance with the DSA-LA bylaws.

Internal organizing and infrastructure:

• Build organizational structures that can support and manage anticipated growth of the chapter.

• Build an organizational culture that embodies our socialist ideals, and a welcoming community that supports all members to engage in collective work to dismantle systems of oppression, in accordance with our shared values.

• Maintain transparent decision-making processes which allows all members to democratically shape and engage in chapter decisions, avoiding top-heavy hierarchies and “gatekeeping”.

• Maintain workflow systems that support and empower all members to take on significant responsibility for ongoing cross-chapter communication and collaboration.

• Commit to maintaining and growing chapter funds, and dedicating sufficient resources to ensure that chapter events and materials are accessible to all members.

• Cultivate a culture of openness, respect, and camaraderie by aiming to meet people where they are and assume good intentions, recognizing that everyone comes to organizing from different perspectives and experiences.

• Commit to accountability and transparency for leadership in DSA-LA.

• Develop, maintain, and enforce shared standards for interpersonal conduct and misconduct that allows individuals to make mistakes and correct them, encouraging reconciliation and accountability over guilt and shame.

• Recognize the risks that accompany work that challenges powerful, oppressive systems, and continue to develop processes and resources that support the privacy and security of our membership.  

Strategic partnerships:

• Forge and maintain intentional, deliberate and reciprocal relationships as well as share resources with other organizations who share our broad political goals. This includes other explicitly socialist and anti-capitalist organizations, as well as non-socialist organizations whose politics and values align with ours and are working towards similarly defined ends, while working to avoid duplication of efforts.

• Build respectful relationships which allow DSA members to both contribute to the broader movement as leaders, and as allies, as appropriate.

• Undertake to exchange resources, build solidarity, and engage in campaigns with other DSA chapters regionally, and nationally.

• Create opportunities to work in transnational solidarity to challenge imperialism and  global capitalism.

• Work to develop partnerships with other organizations to challenge and transcend the stratifications that divide Los Angeles.

Mobilization and member capacity:

• Articulate ongoing numerical benchmarks and defined paths for member engagement, ensuring that we can meet every new and experienced member where they are at.

• Develop and implement training materials and protocols for a variety of skillsets that empower members to act as effective rank-and-file organizers and step into new leadership roles confidently.

• Recognizing that learning and growth as organizers includes and requires being challenged, encourage and support learning and growth in all members by offering opportunities to develop new skills and take on additional responsibilities.

• Create and maintain structures and guidelines for coordinator and co-chair roles that ensure rotation of leadership and development of new leaders within the organization.

• Develop internal capacity to recruit, engage and retain our members across the racial and socioeconomic divisions of Los Angeles, and connect members to each other regionally, while also challenging instead of reifying those divisions.

• Maintain systems and protocols that enable us to continually map and understand our memberships needs, strengths, and resources.

• Ensuring ongoing development and support of organizers and leaders within our organization.