CCMIN061396 - Laserfiche WebLink

Council no longer has a vote. To staff? They have only technical and review functions. Will staff become the ad hoe city contacts in this leadership vacuum? She did not think staff would appreciate the new politicized role nor the increased work load. Where do the residents go to have influence if the Council is not voting? Not everyone chooses to get involved in a campaign or to spend the time necessary to be informed. Many people have spent hours of service to study the issues and she urged Council not to negate all the work by sending the decision to a vote. The work of the General Plan committee is to do the in-depth study and compromise; to consider the many different parties. She believed much will be lost if the General Plan issues are reduced to one paragraph, to a pro or con question on the ballot. As a voter, many times she feels inundated by campaign literature and voter pamphlets. In the current system, we have the assurance that if citizens have spent the time and energy to get something on the ballot, it is a matter of importance. Them is always the risk of uninformed, busy voters, voting no on anything on the ballot due to the fact that they may not have made the time to understand the issue at hand at any depth. Often people reject out of hand any issue they do not understand. In summary, ballot initiatives are most effective when they originate from the general population. Please validate the hours of service that committee members have given to Pleasanton; not every general plan issue requires a campaign; it is difficult to get people to the polls and elections are not the expedient method for handling usual city business; City Council members are direc~y accessible to Pleasanton residents now. We don't want to actively campaign or attend regular meetings to be heard on an issue before they reach conclusion. Dave Walden, 3899 Vine Street, was disturbed that the Council might put all or part of the General Plan to a vote of the citizens in November. He is a strong believer in a system of government called a republic. A republic has elected officials who make decisions for the general public. Citizens are encouraged to be well informed about issues but are not required to do so. In a republic, the elected officials chose to become the best informed in order to make intelligent and proper decisions for the community's benefit. He believed the government of Pleasanton is close, if not synonymous, to the Federal Republic. We elect the Council to make decisions and hold you responsible to govern intelligen~y. He applauded the Council for taking on the task. It is not an easy job and he for one does not have time to do it. In that position though, it is Council's responsibility to guide the citizens based on its own research and that of the city staff and to weigh all issues and make decisions for the benefit of the entire community. He strongly objected to Council waiving that responsibility and putting issues on the ballot. In addition, if the General Plan is voted on by the people, then any change must also be voted on by the people. A future Council cannot react to changing times and make adjustments without the time and expense of a ballot vote. Over 300 citizens were under the impression that their input would be part of the future of Pleasanton. Thousands of hours were volunteered in preparing the General Plan update. They are looking to Council to make the final decision, not pass the buck to the people who did not care to be involved in the first place. He did not feel the citizens are ignorant, they just do not have the time to acquire the same knowledge of the City Council, its experience, perspective or history to make decisions of this kind. Mr. Walden also opposed the 4/Sths vote requirement to modify the General Plan. 06/13/96 - 3 -