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Motion: It was m/s by Thorne/Sullivan to approve Consent Calendar Items as submitted and as noted: Ayes: Councilmembers Cook-Kallio, Noes: None Absent: None McGovern, Sullivan, Thorne, Mayor Hosterman MEETING OPEN TO THE PUBLIC 3. Presentation of commendation to Aliya Deri, National Vocabulary Champion Councilmember Sullivan said Aliya Deri participated with 100,000 other competitors and won the National Vocabulary Championship in Los Angeles. He presented her with a commendation commending her achievement which exemplifies the traits of a Community of Character. 4. Public Comment John Butera spoke of elections and the fundamental right to vote, said they were turned down by the judge on the Oak Grove project referendum which he said was unfortunate, believed Pleasanton residents are informed people and asked the Council to lead an appeal for it. Kathy Dowding thanked Councilmember Sullivan for the moment of silence, spoke of people hiding the truth, manipulation, spoke of speeches by President Bush and VP Cheney and questioned how many more American casualties Sadam Hussein is worth and read the names of 19 American soldiers who lost their lives since the last meeting. Mary Gwin thanked the Council for remembering Veterans and said she is a Veteran of the US Navy Nurse Corps. On Easter she and her family wanted to enjoy the day in the backyard but were prevented from doing so as their neighbor continually burned from an outdoor fireplace. She distributed information on pollution, wood smoke, soot, particulates, spoke of negative health effects and asked the Council to follow through on Priority 4 with action to ban outdoor wood burning immediately and address other causes of wood smoke. Cecelia Talbert spoke of her experiences and exposure to smoke from her neighbor and supported Ms. Gwin's comments. Michaelle LaMarche voiced concern and spoke of the 5,000 people who willingly signed a petition in the fall to referend the Council's decision to permit the building of monstrous mansions in the southeast hills of open space. She believed the right to sign the referendum petition and their right to put it to a public vote are guaranteed by the Constitution, said the precedent will be set when a developer can silence the voters by frivolous legal action and asked the Council to support the appeal. Chris Schlies said he is an attorney, supported the referendum process, spoke of democracy, court cases, said he believes the judge ignored that people have a right to vote and asked the Council to support the appeal. Anne Childs supported those who have collected signatures, said she remains appalled of the judge's decision, spoke of dwindling resources and the footprint the development will make, said some Councilmembers focused their comments on individuals involved and believed the issue was rather how the hills will be developed. City Council Minutes 2 March 18, 2008