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manatt manatt I phelps I phillips Mayor Thorne and Members of the City Council May 7, 2013 Page 2 quality of life." To this end, the substantive prohibition established by Measure PP is contained in Policy 12.3 and provides as follows: Ridgelines and hillsides shall be protected. Housing units and structures shall not be placed on slopes of 25 percent or greater, or within 100 vertical feet of a ridgeline. No grading to construct residential or commercial structures shall occur on hillside slopes 25% or greater, or within 100 vertical feet of a ridgeline. Exempt from this policy are housing developments of 10 or fewer housing units on a single property that was, as of January 1, 2007, a "legal parcel"pursuant to the California Subdivision Map law. Splitting, dividing, or sub-dividing a"legal parcel" of January 1, 2007 to approve more than 10 housing units is not allowed. (emph. added.) In terms of procedure, Section III of Measure PP states, "The provisions of this initiative may be amended or repealed only by the voters of the City of Pleasanton at a City general election and overrides any existing General Plan." To provide the context in which Measure PP was passed, the following existing definitions were in place in 2008. "Ridge" was simply defined as "a connected series of major and minor hills." (PMC Sec. 18.76.100.F.) "Ridgelines"was defined as a ground line located at the highest elevation of the ridge running parallel to the long axis of the ridge." (PMC Sec. 18.76.100.0.) (b) Proposed Amendments. The Staff Report mischaracterizes the proposed amendment as an implementation and clarification of Measure PP when in fact,the new definitions completely replace and narrow the meanings of ridge, ridgelines, and structures for purpose of circumventing the prohibition set forth in Measure PP. First, the proposed amendment would redefine ridge and ridgelines as follows: 0. Ridge and Ridgeline. A ridge is a landform created by a series of hills. A ridgeline is a continuous ground line connecting the highest elevations of a ridge. The end of the ridgeline shall be the last peak on each end of the landform at which the elevation of the ridgeline no longer rises in elevation, and only decreases in elevation. Second, according to the Staff Report, the Planning Commission correctly concluded that roads are structures because "Measure PP supersedes the General Plan and the Specific Plans