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Arroyo Mocho. Mr. Kanz said that because it is an annual species, mitigations must be based on habitat rather than individual plant numbers. He cautioned that one year worth of data is not enough to support the contention that an adequate and persistent seed bank currently exists. Councilmember Sullivan asked if he would propose focusing mitigation more on the flats of Staples Ranch. Mr. Kanz recommended a habitat assessment to determine the location of values that could sustain the species and development of a plan to monitor the species over a number of years to ensure that it would exist in perpetuity. Councilmember Sullivan asked and confirmed that he feels mitigation measures have been inadequate thus far. He acknowledged concerns for Steelhead and Tiger Salamander raised by the ACA and asked if Mr. Kanz is satisfied with how they have been addressed. Mr. Kanz said that it is a matter of how Pleasanton wishes to be perceived. He noted that with the impending installation of a fish ladder in Fremont, the Steelhead may soon have the ability to reach Staples Ranch. Mayor Hosterman said Pleasanton has been doing everything it can to prepare its arroyos for the advent of spawning Steelhead and is anxious to continue those efforts with the ACA. Councilmember Sullivan questioned if Mr. Kanz believes the current plan adequately allows for this, and Mr. Kanz said he did not believe the current plan would cause any great degradation of the current situation but encouraged the Council not to overlook any choices that may improve it further. Vice-Mayor Cook-Kallio requested clarification on how the spearscale population is measured. Mr. Kanz could not provide an actual number of plants that were present on the cited 12 acres of population. He reiterated the variable nature of an annual species population and stressed the importance of protecting the habitat to allow the species the opportunity to fluctuate as the climate and natural conditions change. Vice-Mayor Cook-Kallio questioned if there is any sense of how long an area could lack species vegetation and still experience a recurrence of growth when conditions change. Mr. Kanz said that it varies from species to species and doubted that any specific information is available. Councilmember Sullivan questioned and confirmed that a survey is necessary to determine the mitigation needs and that it has not yet been adequately performed. Mr. Kanz described the work to date as an exercise in plant counting rather than an assessment of habitat quality. John Carroll said protection of the Arroyo Mocho is a priority and voiced support for relocating the Sharks Ice facility to the northeast. He questioned the adequacy of the current EIR in light of the Stoneridge Drive extension and asked if the County's offer to finance the extension isn't more of a windfall for developers than for Pleasanton. He stressed the need for a separate meeting to consider the extension separately from the EIR. Councilmember Sullivan commented on the relative lack of public presence at tonight's meeting and wondered if it is because the meeting notice did not specifically identify the Stoneridge Drive extension as a topic of discussion. Mr. Carroll confirmed that the notice made no mention of the extension and added that the documentation the public has received specifically states that Staff recommends that the Council hold a special meeting on that matter. City Council Minutes Page 12 of 15 February 3, 2009