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that the election was called for, until sixty days after the date of such special election, to again allow for the payment of late bills and expenses. November 2008 General Municipal Election. If the City Council decides to proceed with the voluntary campaign expenditure limit, this creates a potential conflict with the November 2008 general election, as the recommended election period for a general election would retroactively cumulate expenditures which occurred prior to the new ordinance being in effect. Therefore, staff recommends that for the November 2008 election, a distinct election period be established, from the effective date of the ordinance establishing the voluntary campaign expenditure limit (which would be March 6, 2008, if the ordinance is introduced on January 15, 2008, and the second reading / adoption is on February 5, 2008, as the ordinance is in effect 30 days thereafter) until December 31, 2008. Submitting Pledge with Nomination Papers. On December 18th, the Council supported having a candidate submit the voluntary campaign expenditure limit pledge simultaneously with the candidate's nomination papers. Therefore, the attached ordinance includes that requirement in Section 1.22.030.D. As the City Clerk provides informational binders to persons interested in running for local office, this will include the voluntary campaign expenditure pledge, the attached ordinance provides that the number of registered voters for the purposes of calculating the voluntary campaign expenditure limit for a general election will be set as the number in place 150 days before the election. The 150 day period was selected because nomination papers can be filed beginning 113 days prior to the election, and interested persons would be expected to pick up information from the City Clerk prior to that time. As noted above, for a special election, the number of registered voters will be the number most recently reported by the County Registrar's Office to the Secretary of State on the date that the City Council calls for the special election. Violations Not Subject to Penalty. Under the proposed language of Section 1.22.050, any violation of the voluntary campaign expenditure limit is not subject to formal penalty. Public opinion is expected to be more effective in gaining compliance by candidates that make the voluntary pledge, rather than fines or other penalties. Alternatives. As noted above, campaign finance regulation involves the balancing of the First Amendment freedoms of speech and association, as well as kaleidoscope of Federal and State regulations. Therefore, in addition to the staff recommendations outlined above for the adoption of the code of Fair Campaign Practices and a Voluntary Campaign Expenditure Limit, additional alternatives can also be considered which address concerns about transparency of contributions and limits on funds spent to actively campaign for office, as follows: A. Proceed with Requirement to Electronically File Campaign Statements. To provide the public with the greatest amount of information available about donors to candidates for local office, as well as local committees, the City can proceed with the requirement to electronically file campaign statements. This Page 5 of 7