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City's practice is to request such an Impartial Analysis. It is recommended that the deadline be set as Monday June 8th at 4:00 p.m. Ballot Arguments. The Elections Code provides that the City Council, any Council member authorized by the City Council, any registered voter, a bona fide association of citizens, or any combination of voters and associations may file a written argument in favor of or against the advisory measure.' Such direct arguments are limited to 300 words. Arguments may be signed by up to five persons and are distributed with the sample ballot. The Council should decide whether it wishes to write a direct argument regarding the advisory measure; and if so, which Council member(s) will draft the language of the argument, and which Council member(s) will sign the argument. The Council may have different views regarding the advisory measure, and in that case the Council can select some of its members to write the argument in favor, and other members to write the argument against. The deadline for direct arguments is recommended as Tuesday June 16th at 4:00 p.m. If more than one direct argument for, or more than one direct argument against, the measure is submitted, state law sets the order of priority for selecting the argument to be printed with the ballot materials.8 • No matter which side of the argument is selected, to comply with State open meeting laws (e.g. the Brown Act), only one or two Council members should be involved in the drafting of the argument language. If three or more Council members intend to write and sign the same argument, discussion about the argument language needs to take place at a noticed public hearing.9 The City Council may call a special meeting between June 3rd and June 15th if a quorum needs to discuss the wording of a direct argument. Option: As an additional ballot argument writing & signing option, if a subcommittee of two Councilmembers is selected to draft the argument, and the third and/or fourth Councilmember(s) desire(s) to sign that argument, it could occur without consideration of the argument at a public hearing. This option complies with the law only if the non-writing Councilmember(s) simply sign the argument, and do not discuss, edit, comment, or in any manner try to influence the ballot argument written by the two person Councilmember subcommittee. Elections Code §9282(b). 8 Elections Code§9287 sets the priority as: (a)the legislative body.or member or members of the legislative body authorized by that body;(b) the individual voter,or bona fide association of citizens,or combination of voters and associations. who are the bona fide sponsors or proponents of the measure: (c) bona fide associations of citizens; then(d) individual voters who are eligible to vote on the measure. 9 But,such a meeting can be a"special meeting"(and does not have to be held on a Tuesday at 7 p.m.),so long as it is noticed,an agenda posted in advance,and open to the public. Page 4 of 6