MSCA - Mid Southern California Area 09 of Alcoholics Anonymous

Delegate's Bulletin Board

Delegate's Sharing Session 9 February 2020

Personal Mission Statement: “I’m committed to being totally available and responsible to MSCA 09 members, to help provide a healthy infrastructure to communicate among individuals, Groups, Districts, Area, and the General Service Office, while using as few acronyms as possible!”

MSCA 09 Highlights:
• On February 4th, I received the 10th draft of our Panel 70 logo, which will be shared at the Conference and all MSCA 09 Districts to be used for our Panel 70-71, probably as buttons and bookmarks
(• Present brief power point on logo development)
• About 40 of us met on February 1st in Riverside with Panel 70 committee chairs and new DCMCs/DCMs
• Hiro continues to educate us on the history of AA, and did an excellent job chairing the meeting
(• If there’s time, read from AA Comes of Age and ear-marking that page)
• Romy S, District 12 DCMC, was the first person to contact me for my first scheduled Conference Report-back, which is scheduled for June 3rd. I brought calendars with me today for additional scheduling.
• We received a response from GSO on District 23’s recommendation to add the words, “social media” to Tradition 11. This issue was specifically addressed in the 2012 Conference, where they concluded the issue was already addressed in the Long Form of the Traditions, and that there would be no action, and therefore not be forwarded to the 2020 Conference in April. I’ve printed out two copies (English) of GSO’s response for District 23.
• I continue to post relevant information on a new web tab called “Delegate’s Bulletin Board,” which appears as “Delegate” on the upper right corner of our website. There are three items there already, including the second one that lists all newly-elected committee chairs
• To keep your groups informed on my activities, and so you don’t need to remember anything from this morning, the notes for this and all future “delegate sharing sessions” will be posted on the DBB
• Katherine C from District 30 in the Joshua Tree area is our current newsletter editor, and I’ve provided her two articles so far to keep you informed
• Ryan W has been working with our webmaster to provide updated information on our msca09aa.org website, and is already using the new logo on her very nice, updated eblasts!
• Mitchell B is updating the “Distribution Procedure for Area Minutes 1992-1993,” which Ryan and I will review and forward to Anthony and GAP Committee, which will deal with handling electronic media and targeted audiences for ASC/Assembly minutes (everyone) and Board minutes (DCMC/DCMs)

PRAASA and Other Meetings:
• 53rd Pacific Region AA Service Assembly is in Tucson, AZ weekend of 6-8 March (my 61st belly button birthday is March 7).
• There are early bird meetings at 7 pm Thursday night and 06:30 am Friday, Saturday, Sunday
• Preliminary schedule is welcome at 12:30 on Friday, March 6 finishing at 12:30 am with Late Night Topics; 08:00 am on Saturday, March 7 finishing at 12:30 am with a late night 11:30 to 12:30 panel on Young People’s Topics; finishing up on Sunday between 08:00 and noon. Round tables will be at 9:00 pm to 11:00 pm on Friday night (followed by YPAA panel) and 3:30 to 5:30 pm on Saturday.
• We have $105 from Area 03 for sponsorships to help defray costs of $25 registration, so see me if you know someone who needs registration assistance.
• Although motel costs are $195/night, the Westin La Paloma Resort usually costs $395/night. I personally have three people (including Ron E) in my two-bed room.
• At the January ASA, nine of you signed up to be volunteers, only seven (5 primary and 2 back-up) were needed, but I submitted the names of all nine people to the 2020 Hospitality Committee.

• On a personal note, as the 2019 PRAASA Secretary, I will participate in the 2020 business meeting where I am responsible to read the draft minutes from 2019 PRAASA
• I will attend my first “delegate’s luncheon” with the other 14 delegates from the Pacific Region, will present the MSCA Area Highlights, which will also be given in New York at the Conference, and will present an unknown topic on an unknown panel – yippee!
• As current delegate for the most recent PRAASA, I’ve served as secretary for the last two PRAASA Delegate’s Advisory Board conference calls, and will serve one last time on 2/24/2020
• FYI, Melvin Morales, Past Delegate of Area 93 and 2021 PRAASA Chair, said the date for PRAASA 2021 will be March 5-7th 2021, Marriot Hotel Burbank, next to the Burbank Airport, with 341 rooms reserved at about $165.00 each night

• The 2020 International Convention, scheduled for July 2-5, 2020 in Detroit Michigan has the theme, “Love and Tolerance Is Our Code.” Much more information, including registration form (cost $115/person) is available at aa.org. The next International Convention will be in 2025 in Vancouver, Canada.
• The Pacific Regional Forum meets every other, even year, so the Regional Forum is scheduled this year for the weekend of August 21-23, 2020 at West Gate in Las Vegas, Nevada

Pre-Conference:
• On February 7th, I received a table of +/- 95 preliminary Agenda Items, including about 29 for the Literature Committee on which I serve. These were finalized by the Trustees and Committee Chairs in New York last weekend (January 31st to February 1st) for their Quarterly General Service Board Weekend. If not already, these will be forwarded to you soon, as will background information on about February 15, which will be distributed via email (not posted) upon receipt
• Last year there were +/- 800 pages of Background Information, which Rozanne has (again this year) agreed to provide a Table of Contents for that information
• Thanks to Districts 6, 12, and 18 the third annual “2020 Pre-Conference Boot Camp” (formerly the “Pre-Pre-Conference Workshop”) will be held on Saturday, March 14, from 11 am to 4 pm, at 24442 Moulton Parkway, Laguna Woods, with BBQ lunch provided – see msca09aa.org for more details under “related events” tab at the top. About 75 people in 2018 and 100+ in 2019.
• Our formal Pre-Conference workshop will be on April 5, chaired by Hiro to garner the Area’s group conscious on final Agenda Items on which we can vote

Conference:
• I will be participating with the other 14 Pacific Region delegates in a conference call with our Regional Trustee, Kathi F, at 6:00 pm on Wednesday, Feb 12, at which time she will discuss her Trustee’s report from the first 2020 Quarterly General Service Board meeting last weekend
• I leave for Virginia on April 14, in the Conference from April 18 to 25, returning April 28. Ron E, my service sponsor, will accompany me to the Conference. I’ll be visiting Stepping Stones on April 25 immediately afterwards
• Our financial obligation to GSO for the Conference is $1,800, and we traditionally provide $3,200, which is the amount this year. With Rich’s signature today, this payment will be mailed tomorrow. Given flights into Virginia and rental car, the entire cost (excluding motel and food) is $419.40 flight + $67.30 rental car = $486.70.
• As I mentioned, on December 22 my early Christmas present was to be assigned to the Conference Committee on Literature, where 32 of 79 Agenda Items were 1st assigned
• On 1/23/2020, I participated on my first call with Steve S., Trustee for the Literature Committee, his Committee Chair, Beau B, and Katy P, Area 51/North Carolina Conference Chair for the Literature Committee
• I practiced “old behavior” by reverting to secretarial skills, providing those to Katy P, revealing: 15 items will be considered by our committee with resolutions presented by Katy at Conference; 12 are being given to an accessibilities subcommittee called for by Michele Grinberg, all of which pertain to a fifth edition of the Big Book; and 5 are pending further input from the Trustees, decided last weekend or to be discussed at the Trustees’ quarterly Board meeting in July
• There are four Panel 69 delegates (including Matt D, whom I hope to spend time with at PRAASA to discuss his New York experiences in 2019) and five of us new Panel 70 delegates who will work with the Literature Committee the first few days in New York (“in Committee”) before assembling with the entire Conference (“in Conference”)
• With input from Jesus, I’ve asked for 750 copies in English and 350 copies in Spanish of the Final 2020 Conference Report, to be received about mid-summer and made available to all of you
• On a personal note, I spoke for an hour with my “Conference Buddy,” Brad A from northern Indiana, Area 22, on February 2nd, who got sober in October 2005, five months after me – same graduating class

Miscellaneous Delegate Items:
• I’ve implemented a happy face methodology for identifying outstanding action items (“☺”) and completed action items (“☻”). At this time, my completed “happy items” number 39
• I also keep loose track of my time spent doing homework for delegate activities, which does not include conference calls, meetings, and miscellaneous events. In the last month, between January 1 and February 9 (today), I’ve spent 42 hours in these miscellaneous pursuits
• Since last October, I’ve read 23 pamphlets, Our Great Responsibility, just finished AA Comes of Age, and am now reading Pass It On
• The GSO “mailman,” Alaine G a delegate from Northwest Quebec who apologizes for his written English (which is better than my own), has sent us questions from miscellaneous other delegates. Questions that I’ve responded to, so far, include: “How does our Area deal with facilities contracts and insurance?” which I forwarded to Mitchell and Hiro. “Are we breaking Tradition 11 by sharing about AA members in obituaries?” “What is the prevalence of atheists and agnostic groups in our area?” and 10 other assorted questions, which I forward to current and recent registrars and our archivist. And, “Is MSCA 09 using cloud-based systems for communications?” Yes, but only in a limited way among officers rather than Area-wide, relying on MailChimp to communicate to all our members. And refer to February Grapevine story on page 50 that I wrote about Sober Voices Group, in response to a lady with MS in northern Indiana who cannot make it to meetings.
• On February 5th, I joined Bob O, Alt DCMC of District 9 to meet with Sandi S and other Lucerne Valley officers to address the issue, where an oldtimer and visitor to an open speaker meeting objected to the introduction of Al-Anon members who would like to introduce themselves. Bottomline: It’s cooperation without affiliation.

In Love and service, Ed.
msca09delegate70@yahoo.com,
(760) 964-0012