So Pacifica Can Survive for Future Generations

New Day Pacifica is a group of Pacifica listeners and staff who want to save Pacifica and keep it from crashing out of existence in the next year. We include current and former Board members, staff and lots of long-term listeners concerned about the existential crisis at Pacifica.

The need for Pacifica is as great as ever, but the current reality of Pacifica is a mix of good and very troubling bad.

Overall Pacifica’s governance and resulting finances are poor and getting worse. We need new bylaws and a new Board structure to be able to address these issues.

UPDATE – July 13 – 56% Vote Yes to Save Pacifica in Democratic Vote for Change, but Pacifica wrongly declares bylaws lost

Thanks to the 6820 members (both listeners and staff) who voted Yes to save Pacifica.

We won this referendum by a solid and democratic majority of listeners and staff—despite Pacifica management’s announcement to the contrary.

DONATE to New Day Pacifica

Vote Yes-New Day Pacifica will work through the various legal and political channels available to us with your support to appeal and reverse this wrong-headed decision which allows those individuals responsible for Pacifica’s financial and organizational crisis to stay in charge at Pacifica. Pacifica needs to immediately recognize the membership’s decision to approve and implement the New Day Pacifica bylaws proposals so we can save Pacifica and all five radio stations, archives and affiliates.

NDP Bylaws Referendum Results

Pacifica is using a “staff veto” theory to justify declaring that Vote Yes lost. Pacifica posits that since the New Day proposals affect the staff, if the staff reject the proposals the vote of the overall membership is irrelevant and the proposals fail. The irony of Pacifica’s management professing concern for the opinion of Pacifica’s staff while overseeing the gutting of Pacifica staff’s benefits should not be lost on anyone. (Pacifica recently eliminated employer-paid family health insurance at KPFK and is planning to gut existing severance language protections to facilitate laying off long-term staff at KPFK.)

Question: so how will New Day appeal/overturn the bylaws decision? Answer: New Day yesterday requested arbitration as per our December 4 agreement with Pacifica to use arbitration to resolve election issues to “avoid litigation and expense to the Pacifica Foundation.” Even given this agreement, Pacifica has already hired another expensive law firm to prepare for a court fight, clearly hoping to bankrupt New Day Pacifica due to court costs.

Donations still essential

DONATE to New Day Pacifica

Please donate $5 to $500 (or more) for legal costs to ensure the membership’s Vote Yes decision to save Pacifica is respected. We have $10,000 remaining in donations from you, but estimate we need to raise another $40,000 to win in court. Thanks to the more than 800 members who have donated so far to support New Day Pacifica’s efforts to save Pacifica.

Read more about how the faction controlling Pacifica is ignoring the members’ vote to approve the New Day Bylaws, and how New Day Pacifica plans to fight for members’ rights.

Please check back here regularly for updates.

Click to ENDORSE THE NEW DAY PACIFICA BYLAWS

See the STAFF ENDORSEMENTS and urgent message from Staff

Here are some of the disasters resulting from the chronic dysfunction of Pacifica’s National Board.

Pacifica has failed every audit since 2015.
Pacifica was just kicked out of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Before that, Pacifica’s Board had forfeited nearly $7 million dollars in CPB grants since 2013.
Pacifica has no money to pay a $3.2 million loan payment due September 2022; we could lose Pacifica’s last three buildings as a result.
Pacifica has no financial reserves and is close to financial collapse.

We are proposing New Day Pacifica bylaws to ensure accountability by Pacifica’s leadership to the listeners and members so that Pacifica’s mission is always front and center. The New Day bylaws ensure a national rather than parochial perspective, encouraging solidarity between the five stations, affiliates, and archives, so we can learn from each other and move forward together.

We are proud to announce that Sharon Kyle, co-editor of social justice magazine LA Progressive will serve as Transition Chair (if Pacifica members vote in favor of the New Day Bylaws), along with Jan Goodman of KPFK as Vice-Chair, Lynden Foley of KPFT as Treasurer, and Akio Tanaka of KPFA as Secretary.

Some highlights of the New Day bylaws:

The size of the New Day National Board is significantly smaller (15 rather than 22), allowing the Board to function in a well-organized and more democratic manner.
For the first time ever, Pacifica listeners and staff will elect the most important policy-makers in Pacifica, the National Officers and National Board. This will ensure accountability to the membership.
The Local Station Boards will refocus on fundraising, community outreach and local oversight of the station, not unproductive management duties.
Most of the current bylaws are unchanged, such as $25/year dues, 3 hours volunteer time in lieu of dues, 10% quorum in a membership election, Pacifica’s diversity commitment. Pacifica staff and affiliates will continue to be represented on the Board.

New Day Pacifica National Officers and Board will hit the ground running.

Top priorities of a New Day Board (if Pacifica members vote in favor of the New Day bylaws): avoiding the financial disaster that would come with a missed loan payment, strengthening programming nationally and a vigorous fundraising and membership program.