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Vice -Mayor Thorne thanked the Mayor and Councilmember McGovern for their extra effort in putting this together. He said this agreement is likely the closest thing to accomplishing all objectives that could be negotiated under the circumstances. He said the underlying issue is the far overreaching State legislature that is systematically removing all cities' rights to control local land use issues. He said not one member of the state legislature has ever been elected to do land use planning in Pleasanton and the RHNA process disseminates these requirements to ABAG, where only one individual has over been elected for land use planning in Pleasanton. This means there is not good voter accountability for the results of the process. He said that through his association with the League of California Cities and speaking with other elected officials, it is clear that very few cities are pleased with this process. He reiterated concerns that the social and physical infrastructure in some areas cannot accommodate the needs of larger populations of low and very low- income people. He cited issues in other jurisdictions resulting from RHNA requirements and the city's own recent issue with the loss of local control relative to the mobile home park. He emphasized his support of affordable and workforce housing, but said he would like to see that done by the community and not the state legislature. He said the reality of what has been accomplished in terms of affordable housing in Pleasanton is nothing to be ashamed of. He conceded that in this case, the Council will have to make decisions not based on emotion, political expediency, or personal ideologies and in that context, recommended approval of the agreement. He encouraged the public to ask their state legislature and those running for state legislature how they feel about this issue, and make sure their own feelings are known as well. Councilmember Cook- Kallio said it is very clear that local jurisdictions are often faced with State and Federal laws they may not like, but the fact of the matter is they must identify some way to comply with those while focusing on what is best for the community. She said the Council is very focused on the fact that it wants livable and sustainable communities, and no one wants unbridled growth. She asked that as they move forward with constructing local ordinances, they focus on what is needed as a community, provide for children to come back here to live and work and for seniors to stay in town, and to be creative in this process. She guessed the entire Council would have thought the housing cap an appropriate idea when it was approved, but said it could have been constructed in a way that would have avoided this situation. She thought perhaps the public may not know how many man hours went into the agreement. She also thought some might believe they were settling with this agreement and stressed the importance of retaining the Hacienda Task Force and as much local control as possible. She commended staff and the negotiating team on what was clearly a difficult process and concurred with Vice - Mayor Thome in recommending approval. Councilmember McGovern said she stands by the initial premise of the housing cap and does not feel it was ever meant to be discriminatory or keep affordable and workforce housing out of Pleasanton. She read from the initial initiative and said she believed citizens considered it to be a way to maintain the quality of life and services of this community. She attended the December 2009 hearing and it was clear to her that local laws were superseded and the City needed to move forward with reaching an agreement that would maintain local control and assist in moving forward with the plans already in place. She said everyone involved earned the respect of others and worked together to meet the goals of each party within the group. She truly appreciated the help of all negotiating parties and property owners and hoped the agreement would allow them to move forward with the Housing Element, CAP, and transit- oriented design in Pleasanton. Mayor Hosterman said it is important to remember that when the lawsuit was first filed, the community was loud and clear that they wanted the cap vigorously defended. She said is the track the Council took but for reasons she does not agree with, the judge ruled against them. Rather than expending more monies, the Council decided to do what they could to maintain the City Council Minutes Page 11 of 12 July 20, 2010