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BACKGROUND On October 16, 2007, a Notice of Intent to Circulate a Petition for the Save Pleasanton's Hills and Housing Cap Initiative was filed with the City Clerk. The proponents of the Initiative turned in their petitions in April 2008. After conducting a random sampling examination of the signatures on the petitions, the Registrar of Voters certified that the petitions contained the required number of signatures needed to quality the Initiative. The City Council, at its May 20, 2008, meeting accepted the City Clerk's certification of the petition and pursuant to section 9212 of the Elections Code ordered a report on the effect of the proposed measure, On June 17, 2008 the City Council directed staff to return at the Council's July 15 meeting with the required resolution to place the Initiative on the November ballot, to set the dates for direct and rebuttal arguments, and to request the City Attorney to prepare an impartial analysis. In connection therewith, Council also requested staff to prepare options as to how the ballot question could be framed, and ballot question options. DISCUSSION It is necessary to establish the ballot question, whether the Council wants an impartial analysis by the City Attorney, establish dates for submittal of ballot arguments and rebuttals, as well as to determine if the Council or members thereof authorized by the Council will be signatories to the arguments. (Under the Elections Code, if more than one argument for or against is submitted, the argument submitted by the legislative body or members thereof so authorized by the legislative body has priority.) The timing for submitting arguments is set forth in the California Elections Code. A reasonable date for direct arguments, limited to 300 words, needs to be set in order to meet the printing deadline for sample ballots. Staff proposes that direct arguments be due August 15, 2008, and rebuttal arguments due August 22, 2008. Rebuttal arguments may not exceed 250 words. In addition, based on the election calendar, staff recommends that the City Attorney's impartial analysis be completed by August 8, 2008. Ballot Question Staff suggests one of the following ballot questions: Option 1: "Shall the Save Pleasanton's Hills & Housing Cap Initiative be adopted?" Option 2: "Shall the Save Pleasanton's Hills & Housing Cap Initiative that would (a) prohibit some development and grading on certain hillside properties and (b) define housing unit for purposes of the City's "housing cap" be adopted?"