SCIBA Board Votes to Dissolve Association at End of 2019
At a special meeting of the Southern California Independent Booksellers Association board of directors on Sunday, board members voted to pass a resolution to dissolve the association at the end of the year, citing a budget review that showed a “lack of income to offset expenses going forward” and projected insolvency.
SCIBA president Maryelizabeth Yturralde of Mysterious Galaxy and Creating Conversations explained that the review of SCIBA’s finances, which usually takes place after the annual Fall Trade Show, happened earlier than usual this year because of ongoing talks with the Northern California Independent Booksellers Association about forming a new, all-California association. Part of that process, she continued, was trying to project what finances would look like with a combined budget, necessitating the early review.
“It’s a reflection of the changing climate in a lot of ways,” Yturralde said, of SCIBA’s projected insolvency and the resolution to dissolve the association. “This isn’t anything except a recognition of the hard numbers, and the board meeting our responsibility to take appropriate action.”
SCIBA intends to meet all current fiscal obligations and will hire an accountant to provide an audit of the association’s finances. Yturralde stressed that while audit is often a very “freighted word,” in this instance it is simply a result of the board doing its due diligence to members while closing out the association, and was “not in any way triggered by anything.”
Yturralde noted that the board’s resolution will be voted on by members at the SCIBA annual meeting this Friday. When asked what would happen if the resolution is voted down or the vote is evenly split, Yturralde said the SCIBA board is seeking advice from those with more experience in laws and regulations pertaining to nonprofits and trade associations in California.
“I am incredibly appreciative to all of the board members who have put a lot of thoughtful, hard work into this,” said Yturralde. “We’re trying to look at this not so much as an end of something, but as an opportunity and the beginning of something.”
